Opinion
Netjraskan
Thursday, July U, 1W4
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Deborah D. McAdams
Matt Woody.
Martha Dunn . ;.
Derek Samson.
Brian Sharp. . .
To err is human
To forgive is beyond most
n a Money magazine survey of 1,000 people, 23 percent of
those polled said they would steal $10 million if they thought
they would get by with it. One third said they would cheat on
their income taxes, and of those earning $50,000 or more, 45
percent said they would cheat the government. There arc probably
those among the tax cheats who rail against welfare fraud, and
those among the whole group who arc righteously indignant about
the ethical behavior of politicians.
Editor, 472-1766
. Features Editor
. Copy’ Desk Chief
. . . Staff Reporter
. . . Staff Reporter
hl>l IOKI \l
Why should politicians be any different than the general
public? Look what happens to them when they arc honest. Jimmy
Carter appeared to be a baffoon after confessing he had lusted in
his heart for other women. Aftcrall. most people lust in their
pants. And look what happened to the Clintons after the former
governor of Arkansas admitted he may have played around a
little. Women with large hair and red nails oozed out of the
woodwork.
People lie, cheat and steal because they can. Somebody writes
a bad check and the bank looks the other way because that person
is a member of congress. Bank policy is set, and soon, the bank
looks like the Rcddcnbachcr kitchen. People shook their heads in
disgust when they found out, and proceeded to balance their own
checkbooks.
Watergate was a scandal that almost anyone could understand,
but the actual events weren’t as offensive as the oafishness with
which they were carried out. Americans don’t mind being lied to,
but they prefer not to be taken for complete fools. Eighteen
minutes of blank tape and a bunch of hooded, Whitchousc cat
burglars in the Democratic headquarters was hard to swaljow.
Republicans have generally been smoother since the Nixon
nose dive. Reagan proceeded to heap money on his pals while
insisting it would benefit the rest of us. Ollic North slipped off of
his back like water from a duck. George Bush simply refused to
believe there was any conflict of interest in arming Saddam
Hussein, then spent big bucks and risked lives to disarm him. The
savings and loan industry collapsed around those guys without
them so much as getting dust on their suits.
Clinton, on the other hand, has been kind of a goofiis, vacillat
ing between candid honesty and stiff-jawed denial. Consequently,
a 10-ycar-old campaign contribution is getting more ink than
peace in the Middle East.
There arc a million wrongs in the world today, and many
things wrong within our own political system. There are no easy
answers, but one thing seems obvious. Great improvements could
be made if everyone one lived up to the standards they hold for
others.
I M IOUI \l l'( >1 l< \
Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Summer 1994 Daily Nebraskan Policy is set
by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the
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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 ofthe newspaper lies solely in the hands of
its students
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.1 \N( )\ S( 11 ()< K
Husker fan survives OFF-season
• . ....a_ i-1
Si/\ im/uiiij uuu a. f
We’ve endured the agoniz
ing replays and heard the tor
turous recounts. And we’ve dealt with
thoughts of what might have been, the
thoughts that eat at our hearts I ike flics
on roadkill.
They called the clip, not fumble
and, yes, the ball sailed wide left.
Reality docs, in fact, bite.
We’re not novices to this emotion
al anguish, we’ve dealt with it time
and time again since 1972.
In fact, we’ve experienced bigger
letdowns and lived with greater mis
carriages of justice. Orange Bowl
Committee. 1978; Penn State, 1982;
Miami, 1984; Oklahoma, 19,000
times, etc... Need I remind you?
But frequency doesn’t matter. A
true Husker fanatic docsn ’ t eventual ly
become numb when, fall after fall (or
January after January), one football
game reaches into our chest, pulls our
heart out and carves the score into it
with a “Go ’Noles” souvenir pencil.
Then, in the off-season, the slow pro
cess of reluming the wounded organ„
via the colon, just in lime for fall
practice. It is a way of life. A fire that
won’t go out precisely because of the
annual heart-breaking experience.
Anyway, we recover, in large part,
due to other interests: other sports. So
1994 has been especially grueling for
us. It’s been a true OFF-scason for
American sports fans.
First, the bridge between bowl
games and the Kickoff Classic, the
NBA.
Not only did we have to sit through
all those playoff games without Mike,
but we had to watch the Bricks make
it to the final contest. It was enough to.
drive Rockets coach Rudy T. to drink.
Then drive.
Thank goodness the arenas opted
to introduce the players as if they
were Elvis, Spike Lee showed up to
pick fights, the networks kept a tab on
Jordan's BA and, of course, O.J., or
we would have slept through June.
If Arnie whacked Chi Chi on the
knee with a putter, we’d all tune
in to their next round. We
watched ice skating didn’t we?
While on the subject of snoozing,
let’sdiscuss our favorite pastime, base
ball. A sport where a 70 percent fail
ure rale puts you in the hall of fame is
destined for trouble even without put
ting up with mill ion-dollar egos play
ing catch.
But we do put up with them, and
the primadonna jerks go on strike.
Didn’t they, or docs anyone know? Or
care? What can these clowns possibly
want? They’ve got to be playing with
fake balls.
They throw explosives at us, charge
us for autographs, once in a while
assault a few of us and then charge us
S5 a beer. Please, strike!
It would benefit everyone. Players
would get cash, and the owners would
finally get their fan interest, promot
ing the sport on Court TV, where all
eyes have been this baseball season,
anyway.
Oh, but this summer we were for
tunate enough to host World Cup
Soooccccccr. Gather ‘round and watc h
worms mate!
Sorry, soccer fans, but Americans
arc thrill seekers, and 1-1 tics don’t
cut the mustard. We want injuries,
and bruised shins don’t count. The
“sport’’ is great forgiving the kids who
^don’t make the football team some
thing to do, but we don’t televise
frisbec or roller skating.
And don’t tell me that soccer has
“caught fire’’ in the USA. The ball was
kicked to our side and we kicked it
back. Keep it. But don’t screw your
country, pay the duties on it.
While we’re on the topic of hob
bies, we can always pass the time with
three or four hours of televised golf or
tennis. No. I’d rather watch the fourth
quarters of the 1984 and ’94 Orange
Bowls again and again, repeatedly
striking myself on the head with a
hammer.
And off the course, excluding John
Daly, golfers have two speeds, slow
and stop. When is the last time you
read about a golfer doing 150 mph.,
packing a loaded .38? Hey, we live in
tabloidland. If Amic whacked Chi
Chi on the knee with a putter, we’d all
tunc in to their next round. We watched
ice skating didn’t we?
Tennis furnishes tabloid material,
but how much fun can you have when
the PA guy is whining for silence?
Both games have senior divisions,
enough said.
Life, January 2 through July, sucks
for thoscof us who truly bleed red. But
we’ve survived.
College previews are out and the
Huskers arc leading the pack in many
of them. Photo day is on the horizon.
Hype! Hype!
Pulses in Nebraska stopped as the
final seconds ticked off ot the 1993
season. Hearts once again bled. Even
OJ. failed to stop the Weeding.
But we’re alive. Once again hun
gry for Orange Bowl victory videoc as
set tes to feed on through next July.
Stuck It ■ junior new»-edltorl*l *>*Jor
and a Daily Nebraikaa columnist.