Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 1993)
* P)a il\/ 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 Spurlock... i.Sower Editor Kiley Timperley.Senior Photographer Fewer nukes Clinton chooses good time for proposal President Clinton showed his concern about nuclear weap ons Monday by bringing measures before the U.N. General Assembly to curb the spread of these weapons and reduce the number of countries that own them. Clinton is definitely going the right direction with this idea and is doing so practically and realistically. His first plan is to negoti ate an international treaty to ban production of fuels for nuclear ’ weapons. This is a logical step in carrying out his proposal. This plan is coming at a very appropriate time. The recent changes of order in the former Soviet Union show how volatile the world’s governments arc and how quickly control can switch. With the changes in Russia, it is uncertain who will control Russia’s nuclear power. This is a frightening thought considering the horrible and dangerous capabilities of nuclear and chemical weapons. Clinton also has proved he is serious about the proposal by saying he is prepared to open U.S. stockpiles to inspectors to prove that U.S. plutonium and enriched uranium are not being used for weapons. It is definitely an appropriate time to take the nuclear issue seriously. The number of these weapons should be reduced around the world as soon as possible to limit the chances of them ' falling into the wrong hands. — __ ___ Since the killing of British tourist Gary Colley, a great deal of media attention has suddenly been given to the problem of violence in America and what to do about it. A Florida senator announced, “The people of Florida are not looking at this as an economic issue, but rather as a human tragedy.” Can this possibly be true? Why, of the hundreds — even thousands — of similar tragedies that take place across the country each year, has this been the one singled out for so much attention? Most people would not be willing to admit that the life of a European visitor to this country intrinsically has more value than does the life of an American, but that would indeed seem to be the case—unless it were admitted that economic and other factors go into determining how important, and how tragic, a certain murder case is perceived to be. That the Florida tourist industry is threatened by ten murders of tourists that have occurred since October is undoubtedly true, and certainly the tourist industry is worth preserving. It helps to create jobs and, one hopes, economic stability in many areas of Florida. But sudden efforts to “beef up” patrols at highway rest stops and to deploy auxiliary law enforcement officers cannot be a response to the tragic aspect of Colley’s killing — or it would have happened sooner. Scores of people are killed each year in Florida, but it isn’t national news until it threatens the tourist industry. — The Daily Iowan University of Iowa Publications Board to si^MMvian the daily production of the paper. According to policy act by StTuiaS'nIKm?0448 mat°ri'1 IO<he Dt'ly fr WDS01MKIN&. TW&OWfiRKTom kmmwwKxn ' TDENDMWtraW CURE cm. vtWKrwutawoa. Of 'WS.ra.Of^NP tuksb'shjocwrs/ •- msWNS W WSltE., cowm,,, ... AND QWE rr . TO YOU. i ‘Misrepresentation’ My first reaction to last week’s article (DN, Sept. 22) on my band, Sideshow, was laughter. I laughed because it seemed so silly — taken way too seriously. Later I became irritated and annoyed at what was a serious misrepresentation of us as a band and as individuals. We would argue at length with the slacker stereotype into which the DN tried to put us. Eight years of working together as a band has required a lot of energy, dedication and hard work. We nave put out four records that have received international attention and distribution. We have also com [four national tours that we ourselves. Slacking off? Hard* For us, it is a matter of being a number at a school or job vs. doing something you feel passionate about. Apparently there is plenty of hostility toward those who veer off the well worn path to take chances, chase dreams, create. We don't claim to be spokespeople for anyone but ourselves. It’s just too bad that poor journalism gets in the way of that. Bemie McGinn junior art, art history Green space I have watched this debate about the parking lot vs. green space long enough now to realize that few people understand what is happening here. Although the concerns raised by dif ferent student writers have been valid and justified, the big picture has been totally overlooked. Do not think for one minute that Chancellor Spanier has just presented this idea out of the blue; indeed, it is all part ofa long-term plan. Perhaps in 10 years when present students return as alumni, there will be no parking on campus whatsoever. This first small lot is merely the first victim of the Span plan. All the objections to the removal of this first lot have already been thought-out and dismissed. The presentation of the idea was a mere formality; the lot will be grassed over. What everyone is missing here is: Who holds tire power on this campus? Look at who wants the lot removed, and then look at who has also refused to aUend the ASUN forum. In other words, student letters to the editor will not change this decision; students do not have any say in the matter. What can be done? A sit-in would do nicely, except that the construction will be during the summer and most students will be off campus working instead ofblocking bulldozers. A sec ond option would be a faculty stand against the lot removal. Although 1 have great admiration for our faculty, I do not foresee them uniting to stop this. As for myself, I would like nothing more than to see grass waving be tween every hall. However, ripping out an already existing parking lot at a great expense shortly after a threat ened funding cut from the legislature just does not make much sense. There fore, if enough students feel strongly enough about this issue, 1 will be glad to stand with them in front of the machinery for the entire summer. Otherwise, come September, we shall be greeted with “Keep off the grass" signs where a parking lot used to be. Donald A. Clark graduate student history Coverage I sarcastically point out that we have not enough football coverage in the DN! The Omaha and Lincoln pa pers certainly need more football. James Meh6ling/DN I moved from Boston, a sports town, to Lincoln and found that select sports have been covered extensively — football, volleyball, basketball, baseball. That’s great. What about the rest of the students who participate in club activities? The new, exciting Frisbee club, lacrosse, ping pong, badmitton, crew, even chess to name a few. Does the DN know other activities exist in the physical exertion made during the fall? Even the ever-blos soming bikers on campus deserve some written commentary! Do the efforts of the fine athletes of football deserve so much attention or are they lacking in media coverage? Is the DN being paid offby the millions brought in by big-name sports at our school? Is football the main interest of the stu dent body? How about a little diversity in the sports page during each season? Peter Chant II senior art and psychology American Dream Mr. Campen, wake up and smell the manure. Your letter (DN, Sept. 27) shows either a lack of consider ation or just a blatant brainwashing by the ones whoexert power over us. The “baby boomer” generation and the antics of Rea can and Bush have placed us in somewhat of an uncompromis ing position. Let’s turn to Bush first. Bush, as many probably know, was the head of the CIA for some time during the ’70s. If one dives into the vast amount of books on the activities of the CIA, we learn interesting things. For one, the agency was the target of two lawsuits and owed $$00,000 in restitution for the deaths of two men who were un knowingly used for drug experimen tation with LSD and mino-control dru as. The CIA also joined with the Ma fia to form an “elite shootist team” that trained in Mexico and then sup posedly disbanded. In addition, files that the agency kept on President Kennedy, Sen. Robert Kennedy, John Lennon and many others who were politically involved and assassinated are either withheld from the public or blackened out to the point of incoherency. Furthermore, the CIA assassinated many U.S. citizens, an action that violates the agency’s charter and di rective. As head of the CIA, Bush had knowledge of all of these activities andeithergave approval or just looked the other way. What a guy! Also keep in mind that he mark no real attempt to reduce our federal deficit. Next, let’s look at the “baby boomers.” The current deficit crunch can be traced back to them. The atti tude was to purse the American Dream but ignore the pile of individuals we drove into the ground to get there. The attitude of that time—and still today — was to see how much material possessions and money we could ac quire. The aftermath of this is that our environment is almost beyond fixing, corporations with money decide what’s good for us by what’s good for them, and our consuming nature has turned our deficit into a giant mi graine headache. About 2 to 3 percent of our population controls about 90 percent of our nation’s money. The American Dream is running this coun try six feet underground. It is time to examine the activities of our government and reconsider the attitudes that have placed us in our current situation. I am an angry mem ber of Generation X who is not happy to sit on my butt and let bungling boobs run our country. However, it all starts with education and careful ex amination of morals and ethics. Mark Petersen junior , psychology