Opinion
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeremy Fitzpatrick.Editor, 472-1766
Kathy Steinauer...Opinion Page Editor
Wendy Mott. ......Managing Editor
Todd Cooper..... Sports Editor
Chris Hopfensperger... Copy Desk ChieJ
Kim SpuHock .Sower Editor
Kltey Timperley.Senior Photographer
At risk
Women must not forget crime, caution
It was a year ago today that Candice Harms, an 18-year-old
UNL student, disappeared. She was last seen alive leaving
her boyfriend’s house around 11 p.m. to get home before
her midnight curfew.
Her body was found Dec. 6 in a shallow grave southeast of
Lincoln.Two men have been accused of her murder. One will go
to trial in late October.
When Harms was still missing, awareness of safety issues on
campus and around the city grew. Suddenly it seemed that all
women were interested in starting or participating in self-defense
classes. Everyone was buying Mace.
But what about now? It is still important that women walk in
groups at night and be aware of their surroundings. Everyone
should know how to get themselves out of a scary situation,
whether it be with a self-defense move or with a can of Mace.
One of the most frightening aspects of Harms’ death is that
anyone could have been the victim. What happened to Harms a
year ago could have happened to anyone in Lincoln.
It cannot be forgotten that it still can happen. Just because two
men are going to be tried for this woman’s murder does not mean
that Lincoln is suddenly safe. Everyone still needs to be just as
alert and prepared as many were last fell when the Harms case
was still fresh in everyone’s minds.
There is an important lesson to be learned from this tragic loss
of life.
Prevention is one of the few things that can be used to deter a
situation like this. We still need to be aware of our surroundings
at all times and walk in groups to protect ourselves from a fright
ening, horrid situation like what happened a year ago today.
To serve and collect
AmeriCorps puts emphasis in right place
In the 1960s John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps to
help foreign countries deal with their domestic problems.
President Clinton followed in his footsteps Tuesday with
the creation of a program to help Americans deal with domestic
problems in the United States.
Clinton signed legislation allowing students to trade public
service work for college tuition money. The AmeriCorps will
provide tuition funds, modest stipends and health insurance to as
many as 100,000 college students.
In return, the students will complete two years of community
service work. The first program could be started by the middle of
next year.
The creation of the AmeriCorps reflects the change the United
States has undergone in the last 30 years. Foreign affairs no
longer dominate U.S. politics. Domestic challenges are now the
United States’ primary concern.
Clinton’s plan addresses the reality that the United States is no
longer as strong as it once was.
It will provide the opportunity for students to go to college
while encouraging the community service the United States
desperately needs.
The AmeriCorps has the potential to provide a real and valu
able service to both the country and the students who take advan
tage of it. If the program is successful, it should be expanded to
deal with the pressing domestic concerns that exist all over the
United States.
Stair editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1993 Daily Nebraska*. Policy is set by
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The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor from all readers and inters* ed 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 tejec t all material submitted. Readers
also are welcome to submit material as guest opinions. The editor decides whether material
should .tin as a guert opinion. Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the
property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be
published. Letters should included the author’s name, year in school, major and group
affiliation, if any. Reque*s 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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Green space
Green space? At first I thought it
was a joke, but jokes are supposed to
be funny. I’ve always thought the
campus was pretty green, with a lot of
grass and trees. I’ve also always
thought that although hundreds of stu
dents that could be saving needed
parking spaces by walking or riding
bikes aren’t, there still was an awful
small amount of parking spaces close
to the union. I know what we say
doesn’t really count much to the peo
ple who run the university, but I think
this is a silly expense and this parking
lot is a necessity for space and night
safety concerns.
If the university wants to blow
some money, blow it on Richards
Hall. If the university really wants to
be green, it should put a strong envi
ronmental twist on the education here;
after all, the environment is the most
important thing to our survival. One
suggestion is that the university could
make Natural Resources 101 a re
quirement. Another idea would be to
n^lace the overly green bluegrass
lawns of campus with native buffalo
grass. This way they could avoid pour
ing on all the pesticides and fertilizers
that no doubt this new “green space”
will receive. At least with the parking
lot covering the soil, the risk of ground
water contamination from non “green”
practices is avoided.
Paul Koester
senior
soil science
Gun control
As I read all the rhetoric that has
been appearing in the Daily Nebras
kan as of late on the so-called “bene
fits” of gun control, I am largely
amused. It never ceases to amaze me
how all this feel-good nonsense over
comes logic and facts.
Prior to passing the gun control act
of 1968, tne thought of a teen-ager
committing a murder in a public school
was not even considered a possibility.
Since that act was passed, along with
an additional 20,000 gun laws cur
rently on the books, the murder rate
continues to soar. What is even more
intriguing is the fact that the cities
with some of the strictest sun laws
have the worst murder rates. Unfortu
nately, the loony left never considers
the results that the facts bear. If these
criminals don’t obey laws that are
already cm the books, why would they
obey more laws? They won’t. The
problem is the criminal justice system
that doesn’t work, along with funda
mental values that are not taught in
the home.
A former Washington, D.C., chief
of police was on “David Brinkley”
this week and confirmed the facts that
more money won’t fix it, and rehabil
itation won’t fix it* as the results are
showing. It was mentioned that some
teen-agers have been released from
prisons up to 68 times only to go out
and murder again. Now we hear over
the weekend that another woman was
killed in Florida with her roommate
being injured, only this time with a
knife! That not being enough, another
killing just took place Monday night
where a man was pulled from his car
and beaten to death. How are gun
control laws going to stop this?
It is amazing that 99.8 percent of
handguns sold are used lawfully by
law-abiding citizens, and these peo
ple are supposed to surrender their
constitutional rights because of the
0.2 percent that are following the
value system the left has taught them.
Jerry Mork
junior
electrical engineering
I_
DavW Backlera/DN
Apollo 009
Valerie Blake (DN, Sept. 14) and
others bring up an interesting sugges
tion regarding the Apollo 009 space
capsule. It sounds nice on the surface.
Get the capsule out of storage and put
it on display in the Dcvaney Center.
But in truth, it would not do much to
alleviate the condition of the capsule.
In fact, all it would do is point out the
pathetic condition of this once-proud
artifact and emphasize the “don't
care” attitude taken by some of the
NU regents.
As a materials specialist and an
observer of the space program, I can
tell you that just bringing the capsule
into Dcvaney will not protect it from
deteriorating. Just slapping some paint
on it won’t help either. The damage
being done is structural as moisture
has been allowed to get into its titani
um outer shell ami has probably pen
etrated the entire craft And, do you
really believe that (Hitting it in Devaney
can raise the $400,000 needed to re
store it properly? Unfortunately, it
doesn’t seem likely.
The regents have ignored the ad
vice of experts at the Smithsonian and
within the space industry. It is too bad
that Alan Griesemer worked to bring
the Apollo 009 capsule to Nebraska
with hopes that we could build a fine
collection of space displays of which
we could be proud. Instead we have
disgraced the trust of NASA.
Ron Synowicki
research engineer
Center for Microelectronic and
Optical Materials Research
department of electrical engineering
Republicans
I have always been amazed by the
ignorance, stupidity and arrogance of
many conservative Republicans. In
stead of focusing on issues and on
sol vine problems, many conservative
Republicans only seem content to crit
icize and complain—trying to smear
and discredit the opposition bv using
such words as “liberal” or “leftist,"
which of course do not prove any
thing. Besides being overly simplistic
and at times very naive, these out
bursts are also usually very mean
spirited, self-righteous and very intol
erant of others.
A good example of this was in the
letter written by Thomas K. Eads
(DN, Sept. 16). It was critical of Paul
Koester and his “liberal” letters to the
editor. Wow, what a diatribe of trash!
In realitv, Paul Koester has written
some of the best, well-thought-out
and thought-provoking letters I * ye ever
seen in tne Daily Nebraskan or in any
other publication. I look forward to
reading many more of his letters.
Thomas Eads, I think that it would
be in your best interest to re-read
some of Koester’s letters and to think
about what he has written. Don’t al
ways automatically be so critical of
those whom you may disagree with.
Jim Anderson
Lincoln
Rainbow
1 would like to briefly comment on
Rainbow Rowell’s weekly column—
it’s excellent! Her sense of humor is
modest and sincere, and her observa
tions on life are keen. Someone’s got
to show us how important bad TV and
crayons really are!
Anyway, she’s made me a fan.
Rainbow, keep up the good work.
Jay Brown
third-year law student