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OPINION
Net)raskan
Friday, January 14,1994
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeremy Fitzpatrick
Rainbow Rowell
Adeana Leftin .
Todd Cooper.
Jeff Zeleny.
Sarah Duey
Staci McKee.
.Editor, 472-1766
.Opinion Page Editor
.Managing Editor
.Sports Editor
.Associate News Editor
Arts & Entertainment Editor
.Photo Chief
KDI IOKI \l
Let’s move on
Launch investigation to get past scandal
Without the confidence of the people, a government cannot
function. Since the Whitewater scandal broke in Decem
ber, the Clinton administration has slowly been losing
that confidence.
People want the questions about Whitewater answered. If the
President was involved in misconduct, that needs to be dealt with.
If he was not, his name should be cleared, and the country should
move on.
Now that Clinton has asked Attorney General Janet Reno to
appoint an independent prosecutor to investigate Whitewater, the
issue can be resolved.
An independent prosecutor should guarantee that the investiga
tion will be unbiased — from the administration or from Republi
cans in Congress who would like to use the issue to benefit
themselves politically.
The investigation should not be rushed, but it should be
conducted with all possible speed. The administration is in
neutral, and it cannot move forward until it regains the confidence
of the people.
No one is above the law. If Clinton is guilty, he must be held
accountable.
At the same time, if he is cleared of misconduct, Whitewater
should be laid to rest. The country cannot move forward until this
issue is resolved permanently.
In the months ahead, both sides — The White House and the
Republicans — have an obligation to assist the investigation in
any way possible and to avoid turning it into a political witch
hunt.
Until the issue is resolved, the United States will likely experi
ence tough political times. Making it through those times will
show our system still works.
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“Right now I realize, definitely after this game,
that because of injuries and the competition out
there that getting my degree would definitely be
more important than playing professional
football. ”
—Calvin Jones, NU junior running back, after the Orange Bowl.
Jones announced Jan. 6 he will enter the National Football
League's April draft.
“I think students are going to miss the personal
touch. ”
—Joy Boster, in charge of Drop/Add floor control for six years,
discussing the NRoll phone registration system that will replace
Drop/Add next semester.
“We were a losing team. People just came out to
see how funny it was going to be — how bad
Nebraska was going to get their ass kicked. ”
—Bruce Chubick, Cornhusker basketball player, recalling his
freshman season.
“We must not let the Iron Curtain be replaced by
a veil of indifference. ”
—President Bill Clinton addressing a group of young
Europeans in Brussels following a NATO meeting.
“None of the alleged violations in question
resulted in actual damage to the environment or to
the health and safety of individuals. ”
— NU President Martin Massengale in response to EPA findings
that UNL and UNMC violated federal environmental regulations.
I 1)1 inUI \l IN >1 l< \
StafTeditorials represent the official policy of the Spring 1994 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.
I I I I I U IN >1 It \
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
should run as a guest opinion Letters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the
property ofthe 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, ifany. Requests to withhold names will not be granted Submit material to the Daily
Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448,
.1 \Y ( I<1 si:
Metropolis driving you crazy?
I love Lincoln.
The Star City, the Capital City,
the City that Never Sleeps, it’s
always been my home.
The chance to experience all four
seasons in one day and the opportuni
ty to cheer along with 76,000 Husker
fans on football Saturdays are near
cliches, but they arc true jewels of
Lincoln life.
I love Lincoln so much, I plan on
naming my first son Lincoln. (Don’t
worry, Mom, you’re not becoming a
grandma anytime soon.)
1 even find beauty in the soft under
belly of Lincoln, which often means
defending things about the bustling
metropolis that non-Lincolnites de
test.
Like Lincoln drivers.
Starting in high school driver’s cd,
1 learned 1 had a reputation for rude
ness to uphold. Our class heard our
instructor give the same speech sever
al times.
“My friends from across the coun
try, from California to New York,
come to Lincoln and arc shocked by
the rude drivers. If need be, my friends
from California will drive around the
block rather than try to merge into a
busy lane.’’
About that time I usually zoned out
and spared myscl f the inevitable “teen
age blood and guts strewn across the
highway” dramatic conclusion that
the driving instructor/track coach/old
fogy usually threw in at the end for
emphasis.
Now, I’ve been to California. No
Lincoln rudeness could compare to its
hassle-filled six-lane freeways. 1 even
went to that most exotic of locales,
Miami, over break — Madonna, if
you’re reading this, New Year’s Eve
was fabulous, miss you already. And
it’s my opinion that people drive poor
ly everywhere.
Although our tourist-filled van
didn’t get shot down on the rough
and-tumble streets of Miami, we all
felt intimidated. Traffic was a beast
If speed limits didn’t exist, we
would all love cops and there
would be no crime whatsoever.
(It’s been scientifically proven; go
look it up.)
— not that I drove, of course.
Being the only true Lincoln Driver
in the van, I banished myself to the
back seat with my Little Debbie Nutty
Bars. Who knows what kind of apoc
alypse I could have unleashed on truly
busy streets.
Here’s how it is, folks. The same
things the locals love about living
here drive us crazy. Winters in Lin
coln, well, suck. When the football
team is robbed of the big victory time
and again, it hurts. Through this, no
one can be pleasant all the time.
Because we’ve been trained since
birth to say “hi” and “yes, ma’am”
and basically perpetuate the image of
hard-working, extremely friendly
Midwesterners, we couldn’t possibly
be rude to your face. But put us behind
the wheel and all our pent-up anger is
released. It’s a free-for-all.
Just yesterday I received the all
too-familiar friendly finger wave for
my lane-jockeying. In response, I
rolled down my window, and into the
chilly January air I let go a boisterous
“WELCOME TO THE BIG CITY!”
greeting. Mission accomplished.
For those non-Lincolnitcs not yet
assimilated to local conditions, if
someone stole that parking space from
you this morning, here’s a crib-note
outline on how to Blend In By Fight
ing Back.
Q: The roads are icy. How do I
adjust my driving?
A: For heaven’s sake, don’t slow
down. It would only upset those speed
ing along behind you. If anything, it’s
an excuse to accelerate through red
lights. “But officer, I didn’t want to
brake. I might have lost control of my
car!”
_ • , , • i . i «nno i:
Q: There s a pedestrian in the cross
walk. Should I slow down or stop?
A: No, accelerate and see how they
run. MostLincolnitcsdon’tgetcnough
exercise as it is.
Q: If the car ahead of me in the next
lane wants to merge, how should I
signal them over?
A: Accelerate and let them follow
you. Any decent human being would
prefer to read the “Don’t blame me, I
voted for BUSH” and “Buck the Col
orado Fuffaloes” bumper stickers on
the back of your pickup than watch
the beautiful, open road ahead of them
anyway.
In summary:
1. Speed limits arc for other peo
ple. If speed limits didn’t exist, wc
would all love cops and there would
be no crime whatsoever. (It’s been
scientifically proven; go look it up.)
2. No, I own the road. It’s not your
defensive driving that matters. It’s
your offensive driving.
3. Every green light is the begin
ning of another drag race. Until you’ve
put the pedal to the floor and spotted
a thirtysomething woman with her
first gray hairs carrying three hyper
kids in her 2-county yellow station
wagon passing you by, you haven’t
really lived.
Cruse ii a seaior advertising major and a
Daily Nebraskan columnist.
P.S. Write Back
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