Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1992)
U.S., world still face enemies The Soviet Union has broken up. Iraq has been silenced. Communism is now a mere curiosity. A person viewing the world scene mightconcludc that the United States after the Cold War has no real en emies left. In Somalia this week, however, we discovered a new adversary just as difficult as any we’ve faced before. Our immediate enemy in Somalia is starvation and the local clan lead ers and thugs who are perpetuating it. But in a larger sense, we can define our new enemy as any group or country that takes away peoples’ human rights. That is the standard set for those we oppose w hen we agreed to lead a United Nations force into the African nation this week. The United States will provide 28,000 troops to help restore order to the country and the flow of relief supplies to the millions starving there. By agreeing to lead the U.N. force, we in effect set a precedent in U.S. foreign policy. We told suffering coun tries that they don’t need to sit on oil rich land or near strategically impor tant sites like the Panama Canal in order for us to send troops to help them. It has been a while since such selfless and morally guided principles were applied to the use of U.S. troops abroad. It is good to sec them return. Operation Restore Hope, as it is being called, represents everything that is good about the United States. We are going to Somalia for one reason only: to help a people who are in trouble. We are using our power and prestige not only for our own interest, but for the benefit of others. Americans should be very proud of whal we are doing in Somalia. In a complex world where we must make complicated foreign policy decisions, we can say without a doubt that we have done what is right with Opera tion Restore Hope. Traditionally, U.S. foreign policy has been guided by doctrines or phi losophies. The Monroe Doctrine was one of the earliest, the containment of Communism was one of our last. Today, in a world that presents no immediate threat to our safely and security, we need a new foreign policy doctrine. Devoting ourselves to pro tecting human rights would certainly be as good a choice as any. Our new foreign policy Could be called the Human Rights Doctrine. It would simply state that any country or group that takes away peoples’ hu man rights would be our adversary. We would devote as much energy and resources to fighting fpr human rights as we have to fighting commu nism in the last 50 years. The result would be a victory not for one political philosophy at the expense of another, but for people everywhere. Is it crazy to think that the United States could be guided by such a goal? No. We have certainly devoted our selves to less important missions in the past and have seen them through. Conventional wisdom says Ameri cans need a clearly defined challenge to keep us moving forward, from fight ing Germany in World War II to con taining communism intheColdWar. If that’s true, we may have discov ered our largest challenge yet: the fight against oppression, hunger and poverty around the world. Some will argue that it is not the business of the United States to be involving itself in the affairs of other countries and peoples. They will cor rectly point out that we have our own difficulties to deal with. But we also have an obligation as the world’ssole remaining supeipower to do what we can about these issues. If we don’t act, no one will. Perhaps it is unfair that we are expected to play such a large role in solving the world’s problems. We are lucky to be in the country that is expected to help everyone rather than one that needs help. Our only certain reward for help ing the citizens of Somalia and other I countries around the world is the knowledge that we have done what is right. But we will likely have other re wards as well. The Somalian people, for example, will not soon forget who came to their aid. Other countries we help will not forget, either. The friendships we develop with these countries are sure to benefit us in the future. When they modernize and need to trade, they will remember. If there is ever a world crisis and we need their help, they will remember. America is not perfect. We have made our own share of human rights mistakes, to both for eign citizens and our own. We cannot change that past. But we can shape a future based upon principles of ensuring the human rights and well-being of all peoples. In doing so we will both do what is right and make friends that arc sure to benefit us in the future. Taking on that responsibility will not be easy. But sitting back and watching people suffer when we could do something about it would be much more difficult. Fitzpatrick Is a junior political science major, the Daily Nebraskan opinion page editor and a columnist. ~ti d" MEMORIAL SERVICE for CANDICE M. HARMS Monday, December 14th 8:00 p.m. Kimball Recital Hall ' C|.J 1 Way to Go Huskers!! The Collegiate Licensing Company congratulates the University of Nebraska on their trip to the Orange Bowl and a great football season! And Fans...don't forget to continue your support of the Comhuskers off of the field by purchasing only "Officially Licensed" Nebraska merchandise and souvenirs. How do you know it's official?., it carries this label So look for the red, white and blue label. It's your guarantee I that the product you purchase is university approved and f supports the Comhuskers. § Operator dogs hound wanna-be I The Democrats arc all set to storm into the White House. Every day we arc treated to another story about who Bill’s going to pick for this job, who he’s going to pick for that job. It’s wearisome, but exciting at the *cme time Al From, head of the Clinton domestic policy team, said h is phone had been ringing off the wall with Democrats clam oring for jobs. He said he even finds r<Ssum6s stuck into his morning _ paper. All of this is wonderful, because with our bloated, inefficient govern ment, employment opportunities abound. That’s why I’m sending in my rdsumd today. Anyone can gel a government job. And the fringe benefits arc excellent: security, retirement plans, fast cars, big guns, junkets to Europe and pot pies, to name a few. A lot of these slobs applying for government positions arc shooting for the lop — maybe a Cabinet post, diplomat to some island resort coun try or university operator. But I’m looking a little farther down the lad der. I think the ideal government job would be to be one of those drug sniffing dogs. Maybe I could land something such as that: sniff drugs all day, get a bowl full of chow at night— wag your tail and lake a ride on the Gravy Train. The collar would be a downer, but because I have opposable thumbs, I could probably work my way out of it atnight. During business hours, I would have to wear it, 1 suppose. But that goes with the territory. I talked to a Secret Service guy with a bomb-sniffing dog when Danny Quayle, head of Dan ’%, came to Omaha. I don’t think bomb sniffing would be as fun as drug sniffing. If one went off, it would be bye-bye nose city. What kind of work would a noseless-sniffin’ dog be able to find? None, that’s what. The Secret Service would be an OK job, I suppose. They get to wear nice clothes and talk to their sleeves. Presumably, they have some kind of radio in there. I would be frightened, as a president, if my Secret Service people just talked to their sleeves for no reason. “Hey Mr. President,” I can imag ine them saying, “how arc you today? My sleeve, Steve, says he’s okey dokey. Let’s go play, sleeve.” Secret Service Agents don’t talk a lot. They mostly just stand around behind their sunglasses, scanning crowds. They have little pins on their lapels. On the whole, I guess you could call them secretive. What a cake job. I’m not sure what kind of experi ence you need to be a drug-sniffing dog or a Secret Service Agent. I would imagine they must be trustworthy, and probably house-trained. I like to think I am both of those things. I can also roll over, but I’m still working on fetching. As far as previous employment, my time in the ShopKo Lawn and Garden department makes me an ex pert with plants, where most drugs come from. As a drug dog, I would work hard. •I’d come in real early in the morning to gel a nice load of drugs sniffed before noon. Sometimes I’d probably work right through the lunch hour, sniffing away. And 1 wouldn’t clod; out until late at night — not undl all my work was done and all the drugs I could sniff were snuffed. I wasn’t sure how to go about applying for a job in the new admin istration because I’m not a Washing ton insider. So I called up the While House switchboard. I The woman who answered had a littlcbilof trouble understanding what I meant. 1 must have said “drug-sniffi n ’ dogs” about a thousand times. Fi nally, she caught on. “You mean the dogs that work with the Secret Service?” Exactly, I told her. What would look good on a rdsumd if I wanted to apply to be a drug-sniffing dog, I asked. She connected me with some police guy, who told me to call “per sonnel. But all the personnel I got over the weekend were at an answering ser vice. A rather mean lady there didn’t know if the Secret Service was ac cepting applications for dogs or agents or anything else. “Call during business hours,” she said curtly. There were no drug-sniff ing dogs at the answering service, she said. If 1 were to become a drug-sniffing dog, I think one of the first places I would go would be the Personnel Answering Service. They weren’ l very nice there, and it would be fun to bust them, or at least bark at that lady. Thai’s the trouble with most people who have government jobs under the old administration. They’re so will ing to pass the buck. “Call here, call there,” they say. | “Drug-sniffin’ dog? Talk to some- j body else.” No one is ready to take j responsibility for anything. Maybe that’s the job 1 should apply i for. I could answer phones at the White House or the answering ser vice. 1 wouldn’tbe one of those namby pamby phone ladies who pawns off callers to some other department. I f someone cal led me up and asked about how to become a drug-sniffing dog, I know just what I would say. °‘Gct a life.” Phelps is a junior news-editorial major, the Daily Nebraskan managing editor and a columnist. I TORN YOUR FAVORITE PICTURES INTO UNIQUE PERSONALIZED GIFTS. ITS FAST, EASY, AND AFFORDABLE! Custom Photo Calendars Unique Bookmarks, Ornaments, and Placemats Holiday Cards, Invitations, and Newsletters
