Opinion
NelDraskan
Thursday, April 14,1994
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Jeremy Fitzpatrick
Rainbow Rowell
Adeana Left in.
Todd Cooper
JeJfZeleny.
Sarah Duey.
William Lauer
Editor, 472-1766
Opinion Page Editor
Managing Editor
.Sports Editor
Associate News Editor
Arts & Entertainment Editor
.Senior Photographer
F.IH l()KI VI
Don’t forget
We must learn lessons of the Holocaust
It happened. And it must be remembered.
Wednesday night at the State Capitol, 200 people gathered
at a Holocaust commemoration titled “No More Lists."
UNL Chancellor Graham Spanicr was the keynote speaker.
Spanier is Jewish, and his father and grandfather both escaped
from Nazi Germany.
Spanicr spoke of the need to remember what happened in
Germany during one of the blackest periods of human history.
“Thankfully, there are thousands of witnesses the world over —
and for those of us in my generation, tens of thousands of children
of witnesses — who must never forget,” he said.
There are people today who are trying to promote the lie that the
Holocaust didn’t happen. In their quest to spread racial hatred and
division, these people arc doing everything they can to cast doubt
on the fact that 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.
Events like Wednesday’s commemoration arc important because
they ensure that we will never forget what happened in Nazi
Germany. The genocide of the Holocaust may seem distant to
many students at UNL, who were not alive when it happened. But
our grandparents lived through it.
It was not that long ago.
The ethnic cleansing in Bosnia shows this world has not learned
the lessons of the Holocaust. The murder of innocent people
because of their ancestry still goes on today.
The Holocaust happened. And we must keep its memory fresh if
we want to stop racial killing in the future. We are responsible for
making sure it doesn’t happen again.
Cutting costs
Health Center changes aren t all that bad
Changes in the University Health Center’s hours seem a lot
worse than they actually are.
The center will no longer be open from 10 p.m. to 7
a.m. on weekdays and from I p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends and
holidays.
This would be dangerous if students could not get emergency
help during those hours. Many freshman don’t have cars if they
need to get to a hospital, and the university has a special need for
late-night treatment of intoxicated students.
But an orderly will remain in the facility, and a nurse will be on
call while the center is closed.
Students will still be able to call the center with questions, and
students with emergencies will be provided with transportation to a
hospital.
This will not be as convenient for students on campus. They will
no longer have the security of knowing that no matter when they
arc hurt or ill, help is only a few minutes away. Dangerously
intoxicated students will no longer be able to use the Health Center.
However, the changed hours will not endanger students. Few use
the Health Center during these hours as it is, and if there is an
emergency, students will still get help.
No longer keeping a physician and a nurse on duty all night will
save the center money. It will be able to use this money to give
better service to students during the day, when the Health Center is
used most.
y m mm \i i*oi n \
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the opinion of the author the regents publish the Daily Nebraskan They establish the UNL
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the regents, responsibility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of
its students
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Breaking the law
After reading the editorial with the
headl inc“Singaporc sting” (DN, April
11, 1994), I have just a couple of
things to say to the bleeding hearts in
America about the Michael Fay situ
ation in Singapore.
First, Fay is portrayed as the poor
boy who made the “mistake of spray
painting some cars.” Mistake? Is de
liberately vandalizing 1X cars a “mis
take”?
Contrary to popular belief, the
world does not revolve around the
United States. As soon as you take one
step out of this country, you arc sus
ceptible to the laws of the country in
which you arc visiting or living.
If you break those laws, you will be
punished according to that country’s
societal standards.
Sadly, it seems as though our stan
dards have diminished to the point
where our children do not understand
right from wrong. This country is
unable to find an effective deterrent to
crime.
Fay’s punishment is designed to
serve two purposes: to deter him from
committing other crimes and to deter
others who may entertain the idea of
committing crimes in the future.
Amy L. Guminski
sophomore
marketing
Cobain's death
In response to the assertions made
in PaulaLavigne’scolumn(DN, April
11,1994), I would submit to you that
Kurt Cobam was not a victim, nor the
next John Lennon, nor a spokesman
for a generation. What Cobain was,
however, was an outstanding example
of the human debris that litters our
society. Cobain represents the mis
guided, aimlessly wandering shells of
human beings who want to blame
someone else for their own inadequa
cies and inabilities to be productive
members of our society. People who
look to the government for an anchor
to their lives.
No one ever said that 1 ife was going
to be easy. However, when did it be
come acceptable to act irresponsibly
and lawless when one experiences
difficulties and hardship? His youth is
colored wi th various accountsof crimi
nal activity and irresponsibility, his
last being his suicide. He should not
be glorified in any manner. What he
stands for should be vilified.
Suicide, except for God or country,
is not an action taken by an intelli
gent, thoughtful individual. In fact, it
is one of the most thoughtless, self
serving acts one can perform.
Docs Lavigne actually believe that
Cobain had no idea what fame would
do to his life? Surely he knew that
being in the public eye would place his
family, friends, activities and charac
ter flaws under a microscope. The
American media has a way of scruti
nizing the actionsofsomc, while look
ing the other way or downplaying the
actionsofothers. As Harry S. Truman
once said, “If you can’ t stand the heat,
get out of the kitchen.” Well, Cobain
got out, didn’t he.
If Cobain and other musicians feel
they are prostituted by performing
and raped by fans—who, by the way,
purchase tickets, albums and assorted
mere handisc—why don ’ t they go out
and get a real job? They can then go
back to playing their music in a ga
rage somewhere on the weekends and
not have to worcy about demanding
fans, agents or critics, for that matter.
No one coerced Cobain into making
albums, d id t hey? F in al ly, wh at Cobai n
failed to realize is that even though we
don’t choose our specific lives, we are
each responsible for making some
thing out of it.
Michael D. Garrison
senior
business administration
r
i
James Mehsling/DN
No hero
In response to Paula Lavignc’s
column (DN, April 11, 1994): I must
take issue with the light in which
Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain’s
death was presented. Ignoring the
questionable equating of Cobain to
John Lennon on the basis of talent —
their deaths cannot, must not, be par
alleled.
Len non was murdered. Coba in took
his own life. Throughout Lavignc’s
column, and in every memorial MTV
news segment or N irvana video block.
Cobain is eulogized as some sort of
tragic hero. MTV needs some sort of
victim/martyr to hoist up and illus
trate the ills of this sick society that
chews up young idealists and spits
themout. Sothcy havechosenCobain.
Cobain, a man who sought solu
tions to the problems that society “bur
dened” him with in alcohol and heroin.
Cobain, a man who attacked the press
when allegations were made that his
wife was using heroin during her preg
nancy, which, at the time, made him
seem concerned with this new life,
this new responsibility. Cobain, a man
who fathered a child and then left her
fatherless. In short, Cobain was a
small man. a selfish man who couldn’t
deal with pressures far less than many
others’ pressures.
Cobain was nothing more than a
coward. If MTV has its way, however,
he will be remembered as a tragic
hero, a young genius and a beautiful
man who was a victim ofthc immense
burdens heaped on him against his
will.
He was no hero. If he is perceived
as such, then I fear for the society that
docs so. and even more for those who
would emulate him.
Phillip Kennedy
freshman
middle-level education
Loudon
Assoc iation of Students of the Uni
versity ofNcbraska President Andrew
Loudon:
Ever since you took office. I have
been waiting. Have you forgotten?
It has been about a month and a
half since you took office, and still you
have not taken care of your illegal
campaign.
Do you remember the Electoral
Commission hearing where you
pleaded to have your sentences re
duced because you were paying out of
your own pocket? The commission
took 11 easy on you. Your worst viola
tion, door-to-door soliciting in the
residence halls, breaking their rules
and ours, only cost you a small fee plus
a letter of apology to all of the resi
dence hall presidents.
All I, the president of Abel Hall,
expected was a simple letter of apol
ogy.admitting that although you were
not directly invol ved, you were indeed
responsible for your campaign. You
blamed your campaign on everyone
else, including your supporters, and
pleaded ignorance. These are not the
actions of a leader. A leader admits
his or her mistakes and accepts re
sponsibility for them.
I did not turn you in to the Electoral
Com miss ion because I questioned yxir
leadership. I turned you in because
you broke the rules and offended resi
dents in Abel Hall. It is now that I
question your leadership. You still
have not taken responsibility for your
campaign. You still have not apolo
?;izcd to those whom you have ol
ended. Have you forgotten that we
arc the people you represent?
Michelle Steinauer
Abel Residence Hall president
