Opinion
Wednesday, October 12,1994 Page 4
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
JeffZeleny. . . ..Editor, 472-1766
Kara Morrison.Opinion Page Editor
Angie Brunkow..Managing Editor
Jeffrey Robb. Associate News Editor
Rainbow Rowell.Columnist/Associate News Editor
Ki/ey Christian..Photography Director
Mike Lewis.Copy Desk Chief
James Mehsling....Cartoonist
Break the silence
Public has right to know about autopsy
As Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey calls for a special
prosecutor to investigate the Oct. 1 death of a Hispanic man, his
office remains mute about the cause of the man's death.
Francisco Renteria died after a struggle with Lincoln and
University of Nebraska-Lincoln police. Witnesses have said they
saw officers hit and kick the 29-year-old, whom police mistook as
a man wanted for violating a protection order.
Lincoln and UNL police departments say they did nothing
wrong.
But actions coming from the attorney's office seem to indicate
that the events surrounding Renteria's death arc questionable
Information about the actual death has been kept secret.
State Sen. Ernie Chambers said on Tuesday that the autopsy
indicated Renteria suffocated “Unlawful application of excessive
force" led to Renteria's death. Chambers wrote in a letter to U S.
Attorney Thomas Monaghan.
Tuesday, Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady said he had one
word about Chambers remarks: “Wrong."
Whether Chambers is right or wrong, the public has a right to
know what happened to Renteria. The Hispanic community has a
right to know whether one of its members died unjustly.
The county attorney's office should break its silence about the
investigation and release the autopsy report.
The media are calling it a backlash to the “Year of the Woman,”
saying women candidates will not be as successful in 1994 as they
were in 1992. But has anyone considered the backlash might have
whipped in a different direction?
It has. The media — which, let's not forget, coined the term
“Year of the Woman,” after women made amazing strides in the
1992 elections — arc saying women won't fare so well in Novem
ber. This might be true, but attributing this entirely to gender issues
ignores the facts.
Has anyone considered that the reason might go beyond gender
— that maybe some women candidates arc not satisfying their
constituents, or that most of them belong to the floundering
Democratic party?
The fact is. women — and men — get elected because of their
♦ stance on certain issues; assuming anything less merely portrays
the voting public as a herd of apathetic sheep that votes on single,
inherent characteristics. Saying women made groundbreaking
progress solely because they were women ignores the fact that their
constituency agreed with their positions
Assuming there is a homogeneous block of women voters who
can carry a candidate's campaign is nothing short of myopic. It's
time to move away from the labels and start concentrating on the
issues.
— The Daily mini
University of Illinois
-1 I
Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1994 Daily Nebraskan Policy is set by
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Affirmative
Action
! want to thank Michael Justice
for his thoughts on equality,
diversity, and affirmative action on
the UNL campus (DN, Oct. 5,
1994). I am sure his views reflect
the beliefs of many students and
faculty members.
Unfortunately, Mr. Justice
incorporates the time-honored
tradition of exploiting one or two
discrepant events and generalizes to
the whole. I do not argue that the
possibility exists for errors in
judgment by hiring officials. In
fact, to err is all too human.
I do argue that poor employees
exist of all shapes, sizes, colors and
genders; but when that poor
teacher, worker, or what-have-you.
is a white male, no discussion takes
place as to the reasons he was hired
in the first place.
There is, 1 believe, a more
disturbing issue, and that is the
subtle and insidious bias to Mr.
Justice's thinking. For my entire
adult life, society has proclaimed
that my accomplishments in life
have occurred because of my last
name. Going to college, getting my
first teaching position, being
appointed to boards and commis
sions, entering graduate school, and
now becoming a UNL professor
have all been gifts’ meted out to an
undeserving member of the outer
edge of society.
Does Mr. Justice realize that in
his mind-set, I, or women, or other
people of color, carry no individual
worth as human beings? Can we
never take pride in our own
accomplishments because we exist
only as ‘token material?’
1 pray that Mr. Justice never
rears daughters, or adopts children
of color, for he can never give them
the power of self-worth. They will
always wonder, as I have wondered,
whether they arc really good
enough to take their place in
society.
That is the insidious nature of
bias.
William Lopez
assistant professor
curriculum and instruction
Coming Out
Way to take a stand Jamie Karl!
Call off the queer festivities!
Anyone in the vicinity may be
risking their health just by listening
to the speakers and breathing the
same dirty air that THEY do!!
We certainly don't want to
“educate and enlighten” those
naughty homosexuals about safer
sex and disease prevention. No!
They need to know about a better,
straightcr. enlightened HETERO
SEXUAL way.
BretGottshall/DN
We're nol pushing anyone into a
specific behavior pattern arc we?!
Of course not! In fact, everybody
knows that no one in the hetero
sexual world advocates multiple
partners, particularly the entertain
ment industry. None of US get
AIDS; all of US practice safe,
monogamous, moral sex. Right,
Jamie?
Shoot Jamie ... next time, why
not go even further back to get out
of-date statistics? I mean, who
really cares that in 1978 the term
AIDS was unknown to the gay and
straight population? Even though
your statistics arc 1X years old.
certainly no one in the gay commu
nity has taken notice and changed
their sexual habits They’re not that
smart, right Jamie?
You say “no one is doing
anything to curb the behavior of
those responsible.” I’m not sure
what the Nebraska AIDS project is,
but I’m sure its got NOTHING to
do with AIDS prevention. In fact, I
bet it’s a secret club where all those
gays, lesbians, and bisexuals gather
in their “celebration of sodomy” to
plan new, improved diseases to
spread to the heterosexual world
So what can those of us who
“truly care(s) for the present and
future well-being of all its students.
both straight and homosexual do?
MAKE IT GO AWAY!! Call the
chancellor a coward for daring to
challenge the heterosexual world
order! Those Queer Festivities arc
going to grab hold of our youth and
force them, without any free will,
into an irresponsible and destruc
tive lifestyle, dimming all hopes of
a better, straighter life.
Tell THEM they won't be
allowed to do any “educating and
enlightening on OUR campus.
What we can’t see or hear doesn't
afTccl us ... right. Jamie?
Mary Hill
freshman
European studics/Gcrman
Opinion page
Boy the opinion page of the
Daily Nebraskan sure was lioppin'
and a-boppin’ on Oct. 10. I particu
larly liked the juxtaposition of the
Mensling cartoon — clearly bigoted
in its comment on gays and
Coming Out Week and Liz Dodd's
letter on homosexuality, not to
speak of “DN Explained.”
I applaud Ms. Dodds on the
overall integrity and coherence of
her letter. Sure, she perhaps didn't
choose the best of terms (“ignorant
fools”) to describe homophobia: in
a sense, she's preaching to the
choir as far as the dominant UNL
attitude goes, and she's certainly
not making any pals at the Daily
Nebraskan, which apparently
hastened to distance itself from its
student columnists' opinions in
“DN Explained.”
But. you know, most bigots arc
ignorant, and certainly no one
could argue that bigotry applied is
the act of a fool, or at least the act
of someone who wants to be seen as
a fool. As for the DN’s statement
on what it docs and does not
endorse — well. I go along in
general with what was expressed.
But a cartoon marked “Copyright
1994 Daily Nebraskan,” and
occupying the prominent position
on the page it docs? Come on guys,
get real: accountability has to stop
somewhere.
I count it as a fortunate accident
that the last words of Ms. Dodd's
letter “the stupidity and
homophobia we deal with every
day”. — appeared directly under the
Mchsling cartoon. Too bad they
couldn't have been enlarged.
Tim Bryant
junior
water science