Opinion
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Chris Hopfensperger. Editor, 472-1766
Jeremy Fitzpatrick..Opinion Page Editor
Alan Phelps..Managing Editor
Brian Shellilo...... Cartoonist
Susie Arth . . .Senior Reporter
Kim Spurlock. .. Diversions Editor
Sam Kepjield.Columnist
“The cursed criminal George Bush ended his
ominous term today and departed for history’s
trash heap with his hands stained with the blood
of people aspiring to freedom. ”
— Iraqi News Agency
“I felt like booing myself. The thing is, when
we see ourselves playing like that, we’ve got to
be strong enough to smack ourselves on the
head a couple of times and say, 'Hey, we look
awful.
— Nebraska basketball player Bruce Chubick, after fans
booed the Comliuskers in their game against Sacramento
State.
‘7 have to type my own letters, for goodness’
sake. ”
— University of Nebraska Regent Rosemary Skrupa
1 did not run for this job just to warm the seat.
I desperately want to make a difference. ”
— President Bill Clinton
‘7 think we’re getting tb the point that we have
so many areas that we have to have money,
something needs to be done. I wonder whether
the governor lacks the political courage needed
to get that money for the university.”
— ASUN President Andrew Sigerson
“The meeting happened a month ago, and I
was told about it a week later. But that was so
long ago I couldn’t be sure what was said. ”
—NU Regent Rosemary Skrupa describing a Nov. 15
meeting of regents and outgoing NU President Martin
Massengale.
“Nice mustache. I like that. ”
— President Bill Clinton greeting a White House visitor.
I
It was supposed to be an open-and-shut ease. Every pre
election poll indicated that Colorado voters would easily
reject Amendment 2 to the slate constitution. The amend
ment prohibits state, county and local governments from protect
ing homosexuals from discrimination. It also repeals existing gay
rights ordinances.
However, the measure passed with 53 percent of the voters’
support.
The reaction to the amendment was both immediate and far
reaching. Nationally, gay-rights activists proposed a boycott of
the state of Colorado until the amendment is repealed.
Though a boycott appears to be a noble political statement,
such action is actually a useless, if not counterproductive, gesture.
Punishing the entire slate for the opinion of little more than
half its voters is unreasonable. Instead of lashing out at all of
Colorado, organizations would be belter served by working with
opponents of the measure. By working to rectify the situation
rather that shunning ihc state of Colorado, groups would be more
likely to see Amendment 2 overturned.
— University Daily Kansan
University of Kansas
Suff editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1992 Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by
the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the
university, its employees, the students or the NU Board of Regents. Editorial columns represent
the opinion of the author. The regents publish the Daily Nebraskan. They establish the UNL
Publications Board to supervise the daily production of the paper. According to policy set by
the regenu, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of
iu students. __
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers and interested others.
Letters will be selected for publication on the basis of clarity, originality, timeliness and space
available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all material suhmitled. Readers
also are welcome to submit material as guest opinions. Hie editor decides whether material
should run at a guest opinion. Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the
property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be relumed. Anonymous submissions will not be
published. Letters 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.
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1-1 — I_
Kepfield
I cannot believe lhal two and 1/2
monlhsaftcr the general election, Sam
Kepfield is still sniveling about
George Bush losing his bid at re
election. I guess that now he is out of
a job talking aboul his idol, he has
taken to giving last rites to a man who ^
hasn’t even been president for 48
hours.
I am sorry that you lost your reason
for writing, Sam, but if you spent as
much lime talking aboul our prob
lems instead of bitching lhal your guy
lost, maybe some positive thingscould
happen these ncx t four years. To para
phrase a Lloyd Bentsen quote from
the 1988 election, “Mr. Kepfield, you
arc no Rush Limbaugh.” Quit trying
to act like him.
Ted Fuller
sophomore
electrical engineering
Deep thoughts
There are three calories in the
gummed adhesive on a Icucr-si/.cd
envelope. That means if I wrote the
Daily Nebraskan 5(X) letters a day, I
would only have to leave my room to
urinate.
Kale Peistrup
freshman
arts and sciences
I saw an ad for Clairol hair dye
which staled that gorgeous hair is the
best revenge. But I think dismember
ing someone’s family is the best re
venge.
Kate Peistrup
freshman
arts and sciences
The Ncihardl cafeteria serves cre
ole beef cubes at least twice a week. I
tried creole beef cubes once last Oc
tober and I did not like them. When I
am in line to obtain food, I never sec
anyone else take any creole beef cubes.
Perhaps creole beef cubes could be
belter utilized, maybe in the feeding
of Serbian war criminals or to stain J
Crew outerwear to the point of de
struction.
Kate Peistrup
freshman
arts and sciences
Music
On behalf of the music retailers of
Lincoln, I’d like to set the record
straight. In Wendy Moll’s editorial
“Music stores staffed bv snobs” (DN,
Jan. 18, 1993), music-store employ
ees were referred to as “pretentious,
offensive,grungy little snobs.” Please
excuse me for taking offense at this,
but this seems to be an unfair gcncrali
xalion. As for the staff of Pickles,
where I am employed, about five rc
i lie tow ui us, more normal in
appearance, make up the majority. I,
for one, don’t even own a flannel
shirt.
* Grcctingthc customers as they walk
in is essential to any business in sales.
All customers should assume the risk
of interaction with a salesperson when
they enter the store. You might be
surprised how many people arc com
pletely lost in music stores and feel
stupid asking for help.
You might also be surprised how
many times a customer purchases an
older album of an artist thinking it's
the new one and becomes slightly
infuriated after listening to it. When a
retailer includes some bit of informa
tion about an artist during a transac
tion, it is called customer interaction.
Would you rather we ask you about
the weather? Or maybe a gruff ‘thank
you’ would be enough for you? As
one of these sales “guys,” I personally
consider it an essential part of my job
to talk to customers. I’ve probably
learned more from them than they
have from me.
Kcri Spotanski
junior
• history
David Badders/DN
Prayer
The controversy surrounding the
exclusion of prayer at graduation is
ridiculous. The amount of lime lhal
has been devoted to this issue by
ASUN and the Academic Senate is
lime I consider wasted.
Many who I’ve spoken with who
support the inclusion of prayer at these
ceremonies claim lhal the prayers of
fered would be non-dcnominalional,
That makes no difference to me. 1
have no formal religion, no pastoi
who can be called upon to lead the
gathering in prayer. Would there be
non-Christian prayers at commence
ment? I believe this is unlikely,giver
✓
the religious backgrounds of those
pushing to keep prayer in these ccr- 1
cmonics.
The current reasoning of AS UN is I
that it should be up to the majority of m
students whether or not prayer at com - I
mcnccmcnt takes place. This loo is I
lalsc. This is not an event exclusively B
designed for the students, bulTor the '
parents, family and friends of gradu- ■
ales. It is also the outcome of a learn- ■
ing experience in an institution that I
receives both state and federal tax
dollars. As much as the proponents of
prayer would like to believe, not ev
eryone in America is a Christian. I
also think that most people would be
opposed to giving tax money to sup
port religious organizations they do
not belong to or disagree with.
Despite all this, I do believe that
taking a moment of silence, as was
done at December’s commencement,
is appropriate. Ilgives those who wish
to dedicate their participation in the
commencement to their own deity a
chance to do so. This allows them
their freedom of religion, while pro- j
tccting the rightsof those who believe I
differently.
James A. Zank
senior I
art and English 1
Admissions
The recent debate over whether to
increase admission standards at UNL
is a good example of how reluctant
older generations in this country are
when it comes to shouldering the
blame for our nation’s decline.
I was disappointed, but not sur
prised, to hear the opposition to the
increases. I, and I’m sure most of the
generation now in school, have heard
the lecture about how la/.y and
unmotivated this young generation is
and how we arc responsible for just
about everything wrong in America
today.
I used to consider this point semi
valid, that America’s slate of decline
was very much the fault of myself and
my peers. But then I started observing
events like this recent one. Much of
the opposition to the standards in
crease came from the very same gcn-‘
cration that is continually telling us
that we arc falling behind the rest of
the world.
So to those who opposed this mea
sure, make up your mind. If you think
that providing a college education for
every single American whoeven thinks
they want one is important, fine. But
don’t expect to find this country but
Ial 11 ng farther and farther bch i nd olhcr
nations who don’t find it essential to
provide such services.
Geoff Fricscn
freshman
arts and sciences