Opinion Nebraskan Editorial Board University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chris Hopfensperger.Editor, 472-1766 Dionne Searcey.Opinion Page Editor Kris Karnopp.Managing Editor Alan Phelps. . . >.. . . ..Wire Editor Wendy Navralil..Writing Coach Stacey McKenzie. Senior Reporter Jeremy Fitzpatrick...Columnist A question of trust Quayles inaccuracies clouding the issues Dan Quaylc is right. Bill Clinton has danced around some of the issues brought forward in this campaign with all the grace of a Mack Truck. Clinton has swerved to avoid presenting Americans with upfront answers on the draft issue, his drug use and his activities abroad. Give Quaylc credit for calling the shots on that one. But it’s the vice president who’s wrong when it comes to just about every thing else. During Tuesday night’s debate, the audience often heard the words “no, no” flowing out of A1 Gore’s mouth as Quaylc time after time made charges he couldn’t back up and incorrect accusa ilions. Quaylc charged that the Democrats’ spending promises would lead to tax increases for working Americans and that their environmental policies would eliminate jobs. Dunng the debate, Quayle misrepresented Clinton’s stance on taxes numerous times. He made reference to Gore’s book on environmental policy. Quayle even went so far as to make reference to a specific page — 304 — and the lax increase, he said, that page entailed. According to a CNN report, the vice president must have missed something. The dollar figure on page 304 refers David Badders/DN to Marshall Plan spending after World War II. Quayle even took on Gore, saying the Tennessee senator supported a measure to benefit businesses abroad. Gore said Quayle was wrong. Gore should know. After all, it is his voting record. Quaylc didn’l prcscni ihc whole piclurc when describing ihc policies of the Clinlon/Gorc ticket. Instead, he polluted the air with half-truths. While trying to open voters’ eyes to questions surrounding Clinton, he clouded their eyes with a pack of ques tionable charges. But Quaylc’s attacks didn’t start or end with the 90-minulc debate. In a morning TV appearance Wednesday, Quaylc repeat edly asserted Clinton tells lies. “Bill Clinton has trouble telling the truth,” Quayle said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “He doesn’t come clean.” The Democrats, surprisingly, have not harped on the same charges. After all, Bush is the man who said: “Read my lips, no new taxes.” He is the candidate who called himself the environ mental president and then ignored the suggestions made at this year’s Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Bush is the one who claimed the title of education president, but supports a backwards plan on public schooling. Quaylc is trying desperately to label Clinton as anything but trustworthy .The vice president tries to paint Clinton as shifty, uninformed and above all else, a liar. “The three words he fears most in the English language: tell the truth,” Quayle said. But there arc four words that should make Quaylc shake in his bools a little: Practice what you preach. Staff editorials represeni the official policy of the 1-all 1992 Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Hdilorial Board. Iidilonals do not necessarily reflect the views of the university, ilscmployccs, the students OrlhcNIJ Board of Regents. Itditorial columns represent the opinion of the author. The regents publish the Daily Nebraskan. 'Ihey establish the UNL Publications Board to supervise the daily production of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its students. * I'hc Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others. Ixtlers will be selected for publication on the basis of clarity, originality, timeliness and space available.'I'hc Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all material submitted. Readers also arc welcome to submit material as guest opinions. I'hc editor decides whether material should run as a guest opinion. Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the properly of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be published. Ixlters should included the author’s name, year in school, major and group affiliation, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to the Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. ONL>f RfcNfX\NCs "TO W*) f \ «3c ^ ?OW-tr30iHK. k Vpv i>U- *NQ\N ^ VT, (\W VCNttM VT*1^ VfcJOPLVi IM Wdvns n. Working toward cultural diversity Before I make any effort to dispel some of the myths and misinterpreta tions those few white students and others may have about the purpose of my columns, I must stale clearly that I will neither retract nor apologize for the opinions I have stated in past col umns. As evident by the response to a few of my columns, some majority stu B dents arc looking for a pat on the back. They seem more worried aboutrccciving brownie points for having black friends and remaining silent in the light of in justice than anything else. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in “A Letter From Birmingham Jail,” that to tread the middle of the road and not speak out against the injustices, you sec, is almost worse than committing the crime. It seems to me that some majority students, both young and old, fail to understand why minority students are embittered on this campus. Little do people realize, a lot of minorities feel this way because of the battles they were forced to fight in their younger years. Too much lime is spent perfecting a like-itor Icavc-il mentality, and not enough is spent trying to understand what makes minorities angry at soci ety. Personally, my experience grow ing up black in a predominantly white society has not been the most enjoy able. . Many majority students have faced hardships in thcirchildhood lives. But my focus is on the ratio of the minority population to the majority population, who have faced such hardships. There arc limes I wonder how 1 made it this far because many of my childhood friends failed to stand be side me. I had no spectacular desire to suc ceed and make something out of my self; I didn’t expect myself to fail. 1 just knew that I had succeeded and would continue to succeed. I remember when I was in the fifth grade and 1 moved back to Nebraska from Nevada. In Nevada, I did very well in school. I received mostly A’s. But when I came back to Nebraska, I was automatically placed in the “ft” reading group, which was the lowest and slowest reading group. There I was with my friends, people who just so happened to be black like me, silling at a small round table in the back of the room. We wailed for our teacher to finish instructing the “A” reading group, who just so happened lo be white — surprisingly — and who sat in big-kid desks. I was only 10 or 11, and I didn’t know why I was placed in this reading group. I never told my parents, but I always fell less of a person than those in the “A” group. After what seemed like an eter nity, I was placed in the “A” group. Forced to leave my friends, I sat in the front of the room in a big-kid desk while they remained in the back. I never thought about that incident. until last year when I, along with two of my friends, were asked to speak on blacks and the educational system during Black History Month, at South east Community College in Beatrice. That day at the college, I sat at a table in front of the audience and thought about what I would say. And I thought about the fifth grade. Although 1 was placed in the higher reading group, I still remained be hind the “A” group because I didn’t have any knowledge as to what they learned prior lo my being placed in that group. I was mad because I thought about what could have happened lo me; I could have lost all self-esteem and given up. i uunK aoout my irienas wno were left in thc“B”group. Now, years later, I don’t see any of them in college. A few of them have babies, and oth - ers never graduated from high school. I wonder, why I made it and they didn’t? And al though I did make it and continue to make it, I can’t help but think about them. It’s not their fault they didn’t gel to where I am. It’s not their fault they may not have had the will power to gel here. My fifth-grade teacher may not have consciously known what she had done. An apol ogy is not going to change the situation in which my friends find themselves. Thai’s why I write these columns. To let you know what black people and other minorities go through — not only in the David e educational system, but also in this nation and world. My primary goal in life is to put something back into my community, which is in North Omaha, and to educate my people on the contribu tions and accomplishments our an cestors made to this world. I’m on a mission to give those who arc less fortunate than me the oppor tunity to gel to where I am and be yond. I see what this nation has done to my people and minorities, and I will not give up until I help them to regain knowledge of self by believing they can do anything they set their minds to. I will give my friends the self esteem they did not receive in school when they were younger. I love my African heritage and people. I live for helping my people because I know from experience, that if we do not help ourselves, no one will. And younger readers, try spending more lime actually listening to the racial debates and discussions that occur on campus. You’ll find that minorities arc, and have been for years, trying to increase - awareness about cultural diversity. Thestaicmcnls in my pre viouscolumns were not fig ments ofmv imagination. My staiemcnts were facts based on the ex periences of myself and other minorities. By staling these facts, I am not separating the races and causing rac ism. True cultural diversity and enlighten ment cannot be achieved unless the majority f race under stands the rea sons behind the anger and frus tration of minorities. Instead of screaming re verse racism, try helping us to find solutions to the problems. Try stepping onto the field and participat ing instead of silting on the sidelines playing armchair quarterback. Spurlock Is a Junior ncws-edl torial and bnwdcast journal ladders/nw ism major, a Daily Nebraskan ladders ON ^ *„<, „ colum nist.