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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 1993)
Opinion Ne&an If I II |\ f j Thursday, Novomber 18, 1993 Nebraskan Editorial Board University of Nebraska-Lincoln Jeremy Fitzpatrick.Editor, 472-1766 Kathy Sleinauer.Opinion Page Editor Wendy Mott.Managing Editor Todd Cooper.".Sports Editor Chris Hopfensperger.£ °P\ Desk C hiej Kim Spurlock.Sower Editor Kiley Timperley.Senior Photographer Criminal justice Bjorklund should not receive death penality There are countless reasons for sentencing Roger Bjorklund to the electric chair for his part in the slaying of UNL student Candice Harms. The brutal and senseless nature of the crime has brought out rage and passion against Bjorklund. The frequent cries for his death are only natural after what he did to a person he did not know. But there is one reason Bjorklund should not receive the death penalty, and it outweighs all the reasons he should. The death penalty is wrong. The government docs not have the right to murder its own citizens. Killing murderers may satisfy a desire for revenge, but it is not right. Certainly there arc enough people who would like to sec Bjorklund die. Harms’ parents said after Wednesday’s guilty verdict that they thought Bjorklund should be executed. “We’ve been praying about this a lot the past year, and it’s a serious question,” Stan Harms said. “But I’ve prayed and prayed to God, and 1 do feel that, yes, there is a place for the death penality in our society.” But killing Bjorklund will not change what happened. Killing is wrong, even in retribution for murder. Roger Bjorklund should be locked up and never sec the light of day again. The worst punishment for Bjorklund would be to sit in a cell thinking about what lie did to Candice Harms for the rest of his life. Bjorklund deserves life in prison, and Lancaster County District Judge Donald Endacott should give him that sentence. But he should not be killed. As much as that would satisfy the anger that every one feels about Harms’ murder, it would not be right. The government should not kill its own citizens, even one that deserves it as much as Roger Bjorklund. It’s high time Case can send message to drug dealers A Nebraska man has been charged with manslaughter because another man died under the influence of LSD, which the Seward man allegedly sold him. Courts should consider causal connections in cases like this more often. Shawn Jason Fitzgerald, 21, a former Oklahoma State Univer sity student from Seward, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter because he sold LSD to Albert Floyd Jclks III, another OSU student, the night before Jclks jumped from the 12th floor of a dormitory to his death in April. Fitzgerald also faces charges of selling drugs. But the possible penalty for the drugs could be more than the potential sentence for the second-degree manslaughter charge against Fitzgerald. The manslaughter charge carries up to four years in prison; the drug charges carry a sentence of up to life in prison. If found guilty, Fitzgerald should be held responsible for drug trafficking and manslaughter because the drugs caused another person’s death. If Jclks had not been under the influence of LSD, he most likely would not have jumped from the dormitory. This causal relationship means whoever sold Jclks the LSD has a responsibility for his death. A manslaughter sentence imposed on Fitzgerald — if he is found guilty— would set a precedence for similar cases. With this case, the courts have the chance to set a good example that could deter drug pushers in the future. 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 space1 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 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 WE DEFEATED NAFEAVE®!, ASO. IN FACT WE CUT OFF aec trade ww the outside £ worn AM? M30 KNOW W.. IT WORKED. NQWTtWEXONS CAN AFFORD BBUY WUAT WE MAKE. AKiou vmm Mvjw&yg) % ^3% Greek system I would like to respond to Shawn Carlson’s letter to the editor (DN, Nov. 16). Carlson’s question did have validity. What is the purpose of the greek system? No, it is not to put “middle-upper class white people in an artificial position of superiority.” Excluding those who “don’t drink in excess” is also not a policy of our system. I have never heard a clause in any fraternity’s national bylaws that states, “No one shall be initiated until he has shown significant ability to bong 10 beers in one hour.” Another question Carlson posed was, what do grecksdo for the univer sity. Amazingly enough, the com bined grade-point average of the greek system is higher than the average all university CiPA. In fact, while the drop-out rate of UNL freshman re mains a frightening 50 percent, the greek system’s freshman drop-out rate is a mere 1 percent. Lastly, the greek system gives back to the community. We give thousands of dollars every year to organizations such as United Way, Big Brother/Big Sister, Children’s Cancer Research and scholarships given to UNL stu dents, who don’t even have to be greek. How about that for a bunch of middle-upper class, superior, beer guzzling problem-makers? Tanya Lewis junior French, secondary education Bellevue In regard to Alan Phelps’ column (DN, Nov. 15), his article is utterly pointless. As I began reading the col umn, I thought it was about the popu lation of a growing city, Bellevue, that might pass the population of an qthcr city. Grand Island. But then Phelps went on to write about how people from Bellevue have brains made of mush. Tell me, what does the growing population of a city have to do with the quality and knowledge of the people in that city? Maybe I should bring Phelps’ at tention to some of the highlights of Bellevue since he can’t seem to look Cast “the lame mall.” Which city has ccn the home of state volleyball champions for four of the last five years? Where did Hall-of-Famer Bob Gibson from the St. Louis Cardinals choose to retire? Who won the Excel lence in Education Award for being one of the best high schools in the nation? Bellevue is the answer to all of these questions. Bellevue is a great place to live, and I am proud to say that I am from Bellevue. Valerie Miller freshman elementary education Barney bash I was so appalled when I read that more than 200 students attacked Barney dolls. We would expect more from students trying to succeed in life and more from young people with “Midwestern values.” In yourshort lifetime you have had so few examples of common decency and goodness. You have been raised in a society that finds enjoyment in viewing murder, rapes and acts of violence. Barney only seeks to build on what humane beings could be with manners, love and respect for others. It will soon be up to your genera tion to make this a better world to 1 i ve in. What a start! Obviously this dem onstration is minor compared to the problems facing the world today, but what has struck me is the fact that violence and hale became your choice for entertainment, and a symbol of love and values became your target! Lin Simpson Ft. Dodge, Iowa James Mehslmg/DN Misogyny 1 hate misogyny. I always have. I also hate that Patrick Hambrccht(DN, Nov. 16) has made the entire gender of males look bad because of his f abricated,deluded ideas about wom en. I am not naive enough to bel ievc he is the only male who thinks this way. But I do know that true men arc not so intimidated by women’s fight for equality. Real men applaud women for having the strength of their con victions and the strength of persis tence; they don’t whine about only having vomit moppers and spanking administrators as role models. Real men understand and believe women deserve eaual pay for equal work whether it*s in high-paying profes sional jobs or low-paying jobs. Real men don’t confuse the pressure of male pubescent peers for competing for female favor with the desire of women to transcend the binds of male dominated patriarchal society and be allowed and free to be whatever they can be. I know many men — good men, real men—and 1 can truly and happi ly say they are not like Hambrccht. They don’t feel the need to don hel mets to get away from their mothers, beat other men with clubs to please women or crack antlers. What the real issue of the gendering of labor has to do with those things, I fail to under stand. His criticisms of women arc beyond any scmbl ancc of rational rea soning. Sheri Buckner senior English ‘Conglomeration’ Regardless of what some might think, the grcck system is diverse, positive and active in leadership posi-1 tions. The greek system is a conglom eration of individuals whose back grounds range from low to high in come, from city to farm, from East to West coasts, from Catholic to atheist, and from collcge-prep to vocational training. The grcck system also offers a home to those new to Lincoln. In my case, being from Boston, it was diffi cult for me to find my place at UNL, but joining a fraternity gave me con fidence, desire and a f amily. Being in a fraternity doesn’t make me feel superior, but it does give me motiva tion and prov idc me with position role models. You could hardly argue that men like John F. Kennedy (Phi Kappa Theta) and Ronald Reagan (Tau Kap pa Epsilon), as well as the 17 other presidents who arc or were fraternity men, had “no greater desire than to maintain the status quo.” I strongly encourage you to reconsider your notions and to look further into the greek system. Dave Hegariy sophomore undeclared ‘Shallow rules’ In response to Shawn Carlson (DN, Nov. 16), people become members of the greek system to expand socially and intellectually, create influential leaders and unite diversity. Schools are not only places to learn but places to develop social skills. While being socially active, my sorority can also boast a house grade point average well above the overall campus grade-point average. Besides donating $1,000 to beneficial causes this month alone, we donate our valu able time to help organizations when help is needed. Stereotyping the greek system by the faults of a few individuals is an ignorant judgment. College campus es nationwide are having problems with underage drinking, unprotected sex and group conformity. These prob lems do not discriminate on the basis of the groups with which one associ ates. All greek do not abide by the shallow rules you have defined. Natasha Mohlman freshman pre-medicine