OPTN TON Nebraskan
V_^ I 1 1 IV J1 1 Wednesday, November 17,1993
Daily
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.(■ °P)' Desk C hief
Kim Spurlock Sower Editor
Kiley Timperley.Senior Photographer
Just say NAFTA
House should pass free trade agreement
The House of Representatives will vote Wednesday night on
the North American Free Trade Agreement, which is
designed to eliminate tariffs and other restrictions on trade
between Canada, Mexico and the United States over 15 years.
NAFTA has become a political lightning rod. Ross Perot has
used his opposition to the trade agreement as an avenue tor tree
publicity. His opposition to the agreement is probably one of the
best indicators that it would be good for the United States.
The debate over NAFTA is complicated, and the potential
benefits or drawbacks arc difficult to predict. But NAFTA would
be good for Nebraska and the United States. And it the agreement
docs not work, the United States can withdraw from it with six
months’ notice.
Tuesday the Associated Press reported the vote count at 206
votes for the agreement and 200 votes against. But the margin is
not clear because 28 representatives arc undecided.
The vote will be close. Perot and the forces opposed to NAFTA
will use all the rhetoric possible to prevent the passage of the
agreement. But Perot’s tactics should be ignored. The eccentric
Texas billionaire has clearly shown the only future he is interested
in is his own.
Congress should vote to approve NAFTA. Free trade between
the United States, Canada and Mexico is in the best interest of the
country.
Trade policy is a difficult and complex issue. But NAFTA is
not permanent. If the agreement does prove to be faulty, the
United States can withdraw and in only six months’ time.
Bucking the tide
One court gives hope to gays in military
Three appeals court judges appointed by Jimmy Carter seem
to be some of the few legal officials who have the right idea
about gays in the military.
The three unanimously ordered the U S. Naval Academy to
graduate a midshipman who was expelled after saying he was gay
and directed the Pentagon to place him in the ranks of Navy
officers.
The U.S. Court of Appeals said Navy rules demanding Joseph
F. Steffan’s expulsion from the academy “solely because he
admitted his homosexual orientation are not rationally related to
any legitimate goal.” These judges arc not following the guide
lines set by other legal and executive officials who have supported
the Pentagon’s new “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
For example, last month Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day
O’Connor had the chance to delay implementation of the “don’t
ask, don’t tell” ruling. She could have denied an emergency order
urging her to overrule a lower court’s ruling that banned sexual
orientation discrimination in the military. But the high court
passed the emergency order by request of the Clinton administra
tion.
At least the appeals court for Washington, D.C., has some
desire to prevent discrimination in the armed forces. The rest of
the legal system, as well as lawmakers, should keep this example
in mind when considering a policy on gays in the military.
Luckily, homosexuals still have some hope of defeating discrimi
nation against them as long as some judges are open-minded
about this issue.
Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1993 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 regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of
its 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 submitted. Readers
also are welcome to submit material as guest opinions. The editor decides whether material
w should run as a guest 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. Requests to withhold names will not be granted Submit material to the Daily
Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb 68588-0448
~ \
f TWtWWTtimt^ \
MM? M ME FOR I
mm mm
\ mroomK, /j'\
Stereotyping
Mr. Moran, in your response to my
letter (DN, Nov. 15), truthfully I do
not care what fraternity you belong to,
or whether or not they haze. If you had
read the correct letter instead of
making up your own, you would sec I
did not once criticize or stereotype
any and all fraternities. Merely I talked
about Brent Burmood’s statement to
put image above humanity.
If you can cite for me one
generalization I made toward
fraternities, I’d appreciate it. Because
right now, I think you saw my name in
one letter or the phone book and then
responded to a different one.
Jeff Bomberger
junior
actuarial science
Agriculture
The approval of Bovine Growth
Hormone for use in milk cows (DN,
Nov. 15) is a tragic and infuriating
addition to the crimes of animal
agriculture. Thisdrug, which increases
milk production by up to 20 percent,
causes cows’ udders to become so
heavy and swollen that they can drag
on the ground. Many cows suffer from
this additional genetically engineered
baggage, accidentally stepping on
their udders resulting in infection.
This, added to drug-induced heat
cycles followed by artificial
insemination, adds to an already
miserable life for a true slave of
humanity.
it is a lie that cows need to be
milked by humans. The sole reason
cows produce milk is to nourish their
calves. For humans to drink milk,
most cows arc impregnated as often
as possible throughout their lives, their
cal ves are taken away, often to become
veal, and the milk produced for the
calf is pumped by machines.
BGH, animal science’s latest
mutation of nature, should be banned,
as well as all drugs and techniques
that are injurious to animals under the
“care”ofhumans. It is the only humane
thing to do.
Scott Ferguson
sophomore
Spanish, English
Greek system
Like Shawn Carlson (DN, Nov.
16), I am not a member of the greck
system. Unlike Carlson, I am able to
see the greek system as a valuable pari
of the campus community. I can sec
the positive effects greck life has had
on my friends. 1 can sec the fraternity
and sorority members involved on
campus. I can also sec that while the
greck system docs have its problems,
it is absolutely unfair to stereotype the
whole system. Perhaps Carlson should
learn a little more about the greek
system be fore he dec ides to pronounce
judgment.
Susan C. McBride
sophomore
communications studies, chemistry
James MehsJing/DN
Bellevue
Having grown up and lived most of
my life in Bellevue, I feel qualified
and compelled to respond to Alan
Phelps’ criticisms (DN, Nov. 15).
Conclusions drawn about an entire
city and its residents without even
having lived there are going to be
faulty at best. Our college, museums,
schools and unique history give us an
identity separate from Omaha.
Bellevue is a self-contained city with
its own police and fire departments,
business district and historical
attractions. S.P. Benson administrates
the departments that provide all the
services of an independent city such
as the streets department, parks and
recreation department, public works
department, permits and inspections
department and the 1 ibrary. The reason
why Bellevue is trying to adjust its
population count to reflect the newly
annexed areas is so it will be able to
receive the state and federal funds due
a city its size.
Phelpsonly has to attend Bellevue’s
annual Arrows to Aerospace Festival
to realize community spirit is indeed
alive and well in Bellevue. I would
caution that making negative
generalizations about people and the
place they arc from with noexpericnce
or evidence to back him up can only
hurt the credibility of the Daily
Nebraskan.
Brent Kumor
junior
French, Western European studies
Rape
In response to the editorial stating
the Daily Nebraskan was far left for
printing that it seemed the jury did not
come to a fair conclusion (DN, Nov.
15), I have to agree with the ideology
of jurors not basing decisions upon
facts presented in the media. The
American media is not objective.
We live in a nation that gives more
jail time to a convicted 7-11 bandit
than to a convicted rapist, child abuser
or incest assailant. A California man
received probation for his first
conviction of rape of a minor and only
received three years in prison for his
second conviction of having sex with
his 8-ycar-old daughter.
Our court system treats rape victims
as assailants and thinks rape in
marriage doesn’t exist. Spouse abuse
has barely receives recognition. A
woman’s only protection is a
restraining order, and she is 75 percent
more likely to be hospitalized after
leaving her abusive spouse.
An advocate for abused women
was reminded in 1983 by a Boston
judge about the recognition of the
“rule of thumb,” which was once a
law stating a man could beat his wife
with anything thinner than the width
•of his thumb.
A woman does not cut off a man’s
penis because she just enjoyed their
act of sex. She was not looking for a
token of love. The reality is that
husbands beat wives, men rape
women, victims lash out at assailants,
and our court systems do not protect
the victim.
Kim McMahan
junior
sociology, political science
‘Status quo'
Carlson, wake up! It’s people like
you who perpetuate stereotypes and,
thus, the “status quo” you speak of.
Yes, some greek houses have their
problems, as do some individuals.
Let’s goone step further. Ifstudents
in one off-campus house get busted
for drugs at a party, does that mean all
off-campus students have wild parties
and drugs in their homes? It’s
interesting that most reasonable people
find it ludicrous to stereotype people
by skin color, yet college students
find it OK to stereotype fellow students
by living units.
If you want to know what the greek
system docs for the university, ask our
administration. They’ve helped us
exist for 100 years and don’t seem to
be making any plans for our
disbanding. Don’t blindly flail out at
an entire system just because you, as
a freshman, haven’t gotten acquainted
with enough individuals or chapters
to have a clear idea what it’s all about.
Rush is open to every student at the
university — black, white, Asian,
Native American, rich, poor,
Christian, atheist—and you have the
choice to try rush or not. However,
ignorance on your part is no excuse
for a weak attack on a concept you
haven’t tried to understand.
Melissa Castro
senior
broadcasting