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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 18, 1994)
Opinion Nebraskan Tuesday, January 18,1994 Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board University of Nebraska-Lincoln Jeremy Fitzpatrick Rainbow Rowell Adeana Left in 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 Keeping the dream Community service part of holiday, dream Monday was a special day. Amid rushing to class, keeping up with earthquake news and trying to stay warm, some of us may have forgotten why it was special. Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Although this has been a national holiday for nine years, and all 50 states officially observed the holiday this year, most individuals do not observe the day. Most companies don’t give workers the day off. Perhaps this is because many Americans believe that King Day is a black holiday. King was more than just a great black man. He was a great man. He never gave up his fight to make this country a better place to live for all people. When we observe this day, we keep King’s legendary dream alive. We continue to give him the respect he so richly deserves, and we show that 20 years after his death, we arc still committed to his goals. To encourage observance of King Day, U.S. Sen. Herns Wofford, D-Pa., and U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., introduced a bill this fall that would make the day a time for community service. Dedicating this holiday to helping others will protect it from becoming a day to hit the malls or catch a big game on the tube. King once said that at his funeral, he did not want to be re membered for his Nobel Peace Prize or any awards. “I’d like somebody to mention on that day that Martin Luther King, Jr. tried to give his life serving others.” By devoting King Day to community service, we could remem ber this man as he wished to be remembered. Victim hot line Lack of calls won't help stop hate crimes Hatc-crime victims in Lincoln no longer have to do nothing if they arc afraid to publicly report what happened to them. The Lincoln Police Department has implemented a Hate Crimes Hot Line that will let victims of crimes such as gay bashing, domestic violence or rape to report the incidents confi dentially. Victims who call 441-7181 to report a crime are given an identification number to protect their anonymity. They arc asked to call the hotline again in 10 days, so the police department can follow up if necessary. Victims of hate crimes often are reluctant to come forward and tell what happened to them because they arc afraid of what people will think. If the crimes go unreported, the police can do nothing. There can be no public outcry to problems people do not know about. But in the first month of service, no calls have come in to the hotline. That is a positive sign if it means no hate crimes arc taking place. But if people are being subject to crimes and are not reporting them, there cannot be a solution. If people are being victimized, they need to have the courage to come forward so what happened to them doesn’t happen to anyone else. The hotline offers victims an opportunity to help stop hate crimes without any risk to themselves. Their part in the solution is only a phone call away. I.DI into \l 1*01 K \ Staff editorial!! represent the official policy of the Spring 1994 Daily Nebraskan Policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan liditorial 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 UNI. 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 f I II K 1*01.10 The Daily Nebraskan welcomesbriefletterstotheeditorfrom all readers and interested others Letters will be selected Tor 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 l etters and guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the property ofthe Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned Anonymous submissions w ill 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 tothe Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb 68588-0448 ©04 W C iikis B wks Amazing psychic predicts fate Laic at night when I’m trying to fall asleep, I often see infomercials for the Psychic Friends Network. Apparently, they can give advice on any subject from missing car keys to love affairs to Eric Estrada’s film career. Just call one of LaToya Jack son’s phone gypsies to know the se crets of the universe. However, why pay them when most other psychics make their predictions for free? I’m referring to people like me, who don’t expect S3.95 per minute to talk about the future. The enjoyment we get from hearing our own voices is reward enough. That’s why I’ve de cided to offer my predictions for the new year, on topics ranging from heal th fads to Big Eight basketball. The year 1994 will be a hellish year for the history books with major events happening on a daily basis. However, my psychic sight isn’t too refined, and I’ve only discerned some events. The first major news event I foresee will come from Washington. In January, the government will announce that A1 Gore has been offi cially lost for two months. He was researching more reinvention of gov ernment facts in the White House basement when he disappeared. The next week Vice President Gore will show up and claim that he discovered how to cut another $50 from the def icit by taxing Barney videos. The Fox Network, desperate to re enter the late-night wars, will launch a new cartoon about two teenage boys. Wart, a psychotic masochist, and Monkey, a catatonic sadist, will be come instant cultural icons. They will be most famous for their rout ine where Wart begs Monkey to beat him and Monkey refuses. In France, a group of physicists will discover the secret to cold fusion. Unfortunately, a Jerry Lewis movie marathon will distract the scientists, and the technique will be forgotten forever. The World Wrestling Federation, under fire for steroid abuse, will reor ganize as the WAWF — the World Alligator Wrestling Federation. This Michael Jordan will quit playing minor league baseball in Wichita to enter a career in bowling, proving his mediocrity in every sport except basketball. new league will pit wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and the Macho Man against Florida’s finest alligators. After its premiere in February, the WAWF will enjoy brief success. Au diences will lose interest in May after Jim “Hacksaw” Dugan gets eaten on live TV. The Nebraska men’s basketball team will attract national attention after surprisingly finishing in first place in the Big Eight. They will goon to win the Big Eight tournament over Colorado when perimeter-shooting ace Melvin Brooks hits a buzzer-beat ing three-point shot. April Fools’ Day pranks will rise to new levels when a group of Iowa computer hackers invades The Asso ciated Press news-service network. That day, front pages everywhere will read “Sun to explode today” and USA Today will be printed in Klingon. Nerds everywhere will rejoice. During the summer of 1994, the new health craze will be onion eating. After onions are discovered to reduce the risk of cancer, restaurants will begin offering new dishes like “On ions AuGratin”, “Onions and Cheese” and “Chicken-Fried Onion”. The mania will end when it’s discovered to have deleterious side effects to one’s social life. “Wart and Monkey’s Fourth of July Special” will be the highest-rated TV show ever, featuring Monkey blowing up Wart over Niagara Falls. Michael Jordan will quit playing minor league baseball in Wichita to enter a career in bowl ing, proving his mediocrity in every sport except bas ketball. Rush Limbaugh will have another bake sale. After eating some bad fudge, Limbaugh will be rushed to the hospi tal. Believing to be on his death bed, Limbaugh will admit to being a jerk and apologize for all the mean things he’s done. He will miraculously re cover and then sue the guilty fudge maker. Alien explorers will land on Earth in the fall. Unfortunately, they will go to Lincoln, where a college student will give them a copy of “Star Wars," claiming it’s a documentary and then tell them dogs really rule the planet. Frustrated, the aliens will abduct a pair of political science majors and conclude the Earth is not worth a second visit. CBS, in a desperate attempt to shore up losses to Sunday football, will launch a soccer league. Misplac ing faith in World Cup-inspired soc cer fanaticism, they will then go bank rupt, give up all sports and become “The Letterman Channel.” Finally, a blizzard will hit Florida, leading to a winter migration to the sunny Midwest. Nebraska will then beat Florida State in the Orange Bowl 10-3 and complain they were slowed by the bad weather. Of course, there are no guarantees that my predictions are correct. Either way, 1994 should be a landmark year. Just watch out for Wart and Monkey. They could be coming to a home near you. Banks is a Junior international affairs major and a Daily Nebraskan columnist. I n 11in 1111 Kmiok Get involved The cost of parking has gone up over the years, while the number of meter lots has gone down. Where is all the money going? Not to improve parking. Does parking exist at UNL for the safety and convenience of students or as a means of making more money for the university? Some students who can’t afford parking or who refuse to deal with the parking hassle ride their bikes in stead. Now ASUN has proposed to build bike paths on the edges of campus and make “no ride” /ones on campus. To finance these paths, they want to charge students $5 for riding their bikes. It would seem simpler to make bike lanes from existing sidewalks. Whatever the solution, students do not need to be charged $5. “What can I do?” you may ask. Nothing is going to change until stu dents get involved. One student alone cannot change the parking problem, but together we can make a differ ence. Simply complaining about park ing is not going to resolve anything. You must get involved. Watch the Daily Nebraskan for meeting an nouncements. Attend meetings that concern parking, bicycling, etc. and voice your opinion. Encourage your friends to go. If every student wrote just one letter to the university, that would be more than 24,000 letters and might be enough to get something done. Five minutes and 29 cents is all it would take. If you don’t want to write a letter, call and voice your opinion. Andrew Case senior nursing