Conservatives crack mainstream
Student groups work toward
anti-liberal national procedures
With the advent of conservatism
as a major, mainstream political
force in the 1980s, thousands of
previously silent a nd politically dis
possessed people found their voice.
During the presidency of Ronald
Reagan, conservatives founded the
Federalist Society and the
Rutherford Institute to promote the
idea of limited, constitutional gov
ernment.
Professor Richard Duncan of the
UNL College of Law has served as
advisor to student chapters of both
organizations for several years, and
he is active in both organizations
on the state level.
Although the specific focus of
each group is different, the larger
idea behind them is the same.
The Federalist Society seeks to
further the original intent of the
Constitution and to counter the
liberal judicial activism and law
making of the last quarter-century.
The mission of the student chapter
is to “bring underrepresented ideas
to the university marketplace, tak
ing advantage of the university’s
commitment to ‘diversity’ of view
points," Duncan said.
As part ol their attempts to edu
cate not just lawyers and law stu
dents but the public at large, the
Conservatives speak up
“We’re not here to impose our
values on anyone. We are here to
defend ideas that have made
America great, that are time-tested
and true," Boyd Johnston, presi
dent of the UNL chapter of the
Students for America, said.
SFA is a national conservative
student organization that was
founded in 1984. It currently boasts
,20,000 members on 300 college
campuses across America.
The national organization spon
* sors leadership conferences annu
ally, featuring speakers like Jack
Kemp, William Bennett, Newt
Gingrich and Jeane Kirkpatrick. It
holdsan annual foreign policy sum
mit and offers scholarships and
internships.
SrA s past projects include trans
lating the U.S. Constitution into
Chinese following the Tiananmen
Square incident, holding rallies in
support of Operation Desert Storm
and starting a pro-democracy press
in East Germany after the fall of the
Berlin Wall. The group currently is
mobilizing support for formal U.S.
recognition ol Croatia to help end
the civil war in the remnants of
Yugoslavia.
Nonetheless, an organization that
garners praise from such conserva
tive leaders as former U.S. Presi
dent Ronald Reagan, Sen. Jesse
Helms, former Attorney General Ed
Meesc, Pat Robertson and Oliver
North would, at first glance, seem
to be a pretty exclusive club. How
ever, inclusiveness is the credo of
SFA.
“We’re independent minded,"
Johnston said. "You can support
our organization for any reason
Federalists have sponsored forums
featuring natibnally recognized
speakers, and debates.
In the past years, author Dinesh
D’Souza ("Illiberal Education"),
former Education Secretary William
Bennett and Clarence Pendleton,
head of the U.S. Civil Rights Com
mission, have all spoken at Feder
alist-sponsored events.
The Rutherford Institute’s focus
is on preserving traditional societal
values and freedom of religion. In
promoting traditional values, the
Rutherford Institute does not aim to
impose its views on anyone.
“We simply believe that public
policy should allow everyone to
nave a family, to have a husband
and wife raise their children and
share the duties," Duncan stated.
“We arc not punitive toward single
parent families — I was a single
parent myself — but ideally, chil
dren are best cared for by two
parents."
One controversial stand the in
stitute takes is its views on afford
ing homosexuals special, protected
constitutional status. “By this, we
again do not seek to impose our
views," Duncan noted. “We are
you warn. There is no orthodoxy."
Until now, Johnston said, the
only politically active groups on
campus represented the gay/les
bian community, extreme feminist
views and the “multicultural jug
gernaut," who are engaged in a
rewriting of American history and
culture.
SFA provides a counterpoint to
what some might see as the reign
ing views of the majority on cam
pus.
the UNL chapter of SFA is in the
final stages of preparing an alterna
tive monthly newspaper for stu
dents, with the print dale set at
March 29. It is intended to be an
organized voice for the “compla
cent majority" — students who
might sympathize with SFA’s views,
but due to a lack of an outlet for
their opinions, do not see any av
enue for their sentiments.
Despite what its flyers might say,
SFA is not merely the local chapter
of the Rush Limbaugh Fan Club. Its
members arc not slavish adherents
of an evil master plan to subvert
American society, as it is often
charged by the liberal media.
Jonnston praised Limbaugh as
"a terribly intelligent man who gets
no credit for this because he ridi
cules the liberal establishment in
telligently, exposing them for the
frauds they really are." But, he
added, no one agrees with him
entirely on every issue.
Students for America will hold
its next meeting tonight at 8:30 p. m..
in the Nebraska Union.
Sam Kx-pfield is an Arts and Entertain
ment reporter and Diversions contribu
tor.
merely defending them. You have
to ask, in such cases, who is show
ing up with the police.” State over
sight of practices in housing, for
example, looking for sexual-orien
tation-based discrimination should
be minimal. “The stale should not
legislate morality one way or an
other. Let the marketplace decide. ”
In this, the institute is more libertar
ian than conservative.
Education of children is another
Rutherford concern. Too often,
educational bureaucracies harass
those who fall outside the system,
such as the Amish (who do not
believe in compulsory education
after grade school) and parents
who cnoose to educate their chil
dren at home. In such cases, the
state should have minimal involve
ment in regulation.
The purpose of both groups,
Duncan said, is to “comfort the
afflicted and afflict the comfort
able.” They seek to break the mo
nopoly of truth claimed by liberals
and give students another point of
view and a voice on campus.
Sam Kcpfield is the Daily Nebraskan’s
token conservative and a Diversions con
tributor.
1993
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