Root canal ruins prize column I
I was going to spend all day
yesterday writing this column. My
plans were to go to the library, do
some research and put out a really
first-rate, well-thought-out essay on
world peace — or something
equally profound.
Instead, I had a root canal.
So ... along with a numb mouth
and an empty pocketbook, I also
have no cognitive power left in my
brain. (Not only do dentists put you
through intense, toe-curling
physical pain, the psychic agony of
hearing the receptionist say, “That
will be $415; can you pay that
now?” is truly stupefying.)
So my treatise on peace, my
explication of the election or my
profundity about gender role
confusion will have to wait until
next week.
Today, I plan a simple, “stream
of consciousness” column. In case
you’re not familiar with the term,
it’s a literary device defined as “the
presentation of thoughts and sense
impressions in a lifelike fashion —
not in a sequence arranged by logic,
but mingled randomly.”
You know, the way 1 usually
write. But this column was going to
be different. This was going to be a
prize winner.
Oh, well.
Life always gets in the way of
my best intentions. If it hadn't been
for my achy, breaky tooth, I
probably would have been side
tracked from my quest for the
Pulitzer Prize by hunger pains or
sleepiness.
Anyway, no more excuses.
Except... my mouth is still a bit
numb from the Novocaine, so I may
drool as I write. And my conscious
ness may not be streaming like it
should because of the Tyienol
codcine mix, but bear with me.
That reminds me of a joke. (I’m
drifting.)
“When is the best time to go to
the dentist?”
“2:30.”
Tooth-huit-y, get it?
Bet you can guess who did have all
the dental decay in the family—
and glasses to boot (thick ones);
yep, that's right, it was me.
When I was a kid, I ate lots of
candy (just an aside).
My brother (who just popped
into my consciousness in a “lifelike
fashion”) ate lots of candy, too. And
once he pushed me against a hot
stove burner, and I had coil marks
on my arm for weeks (rambling).
Do you see how this stream-of
consciousncss thing works? You
just think and write, think and
write. You freely express yourself
— attempting to fill up the page.
So anyway, back to my brother.
He’s a lawyer now — same guy that
pushed me against a red-hot burner
— but that's beside the point. As a
child, he very rarely brushed his
teeth. (And now he's a professional
person, works with the public and
all.) Anyway, he never brushed; he
actually had a layer of stuff growing
on his teeth. And did he have
cavities? Heck no.
Bet you can guess who did have
all the dental decay in the family —
and glasses to boot (thick ones);
yep, that’s right, it was me.
1 also was a middle child — the
firstborn girl — prone to chubbi
ness and pimples.
Oh, the angst — tooth pain,
childhood pain, pocketbook pain all
flowing freely through my con
sciousness.
My point — loosely — is that
lawyers can afford root canals;
thiftysomething-aged college
students cannot.
Was that really my point? I’m
not sure.
At any rate, not only can they
afford root canals, but to stretch the
point — and the column — even
further, perhaps they (at least my
brother: older, smarter, slimmer)
deserve them.
When I was a child, I brushed. I
brushed a lot. And what did it get
me? I’ll tell you what it got me: a
mouthful of heavy metal fillings
and costly crowns. When I die, my
children can each have a piece of
fine jewelry made from all the
tinsel in my mouth. (A pair of
mercury-plated hoop earrings for
Anna and matching watchbands for
the boys.)
On the other hand, — what
other hand, you may or may not be
asking; she didn't have a first hand,
(picky-picky!) This is stream of
consciousness, remember: wnot in a
sequence arranged by logic, but
mingled randomly."
But if there were another hand,
what about lawyers who didn’t
brush their teeth as children? And
what about dentists who charge
$415 an hour to torture innocent
people? And what about candy and
children and Halloween and red-hot
burners on stoves?
And what about world peace,
partisan politics and gender roles?
I didn't mention dental floss. 1
use it religiously.
What about dental floss? What
about it? What?
Enough said; I’m starting to
drool.
Laafe-KaMcklsaBcatarnews
ed Mo rial and sodolocjr major and a Dally
Nebraskan columnist
Death penalty good but flawed
Murder is considered one of the
worst crimes a human being can
commit.
Throughout the ages, murderers
were shunned, and most of the time
they were put to death. Even the
Bible mentions a punishment for
murder: “Who so sheddeth man’s
blood, by man shall his blood be
shed,’’ or “He that killeth with the
sword must be killed with the
sword.”
The capital punishment system
the United States is using isn’t
fulfilling its purpose. We need to
make some changes and enforce
them in order to improve the capital
punishment system. Whatever
Happened to the old saying: “An
eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?”
Why can’t we include “a life for a
lifer
Capita] punishment is a contro
versial subject. Many people believe
the death penalty should be abol
ished. One of the many arguments
against it is that it doesn’t fulfill its
purpose as a deterrent to murder.
Another argument against
capital punishment is the sentiment
that it is used in a racist way. This
cannot really be proven, but there is
some evidence that points that way.
Since 1976, when the Supreme
Court reinstated the death penalty,
there have been 145 executions. Of
these, not one white person has
been put to death for the killing of a
black person.
Of the people who have been
executed since 1976, 86 percent of
their victims have been white. This
is a high percentage, considering
that almost half of the murder
victims in the United States arc
black.
There is even more evidence
supporting the theory of racism. Of
the estimated 16,000 executions in
U.S. history, only 30 of those
executed were white people put to
The death penalty might do some
good as a consequence for other
crimes — maybe for rape, for po
litical crimes or for drugs.I think
death for drug dealers is very real
istic.
death for the killing of black
people.
Another problem with the death
penalty is that we cannot be sure
how many innocent people have
been executed. There have been
cases of people who were eventually
found innocent, but the news
didn't reach the executioner until it
was too late.
When people think of capital
punishment, they think of using it
for murderers. l*he death penalty
might do some good as a consc
Sjuencc for other crimes — maybe
or rape, for political crimes or for
drugs.
I think death for drug dealers is
very realistic. After all, look at the
people who suffer. Look at the
number of murders committed in
which drugs are involved.
The death penalty could work as
a deterrent against drug users and
dealers. If we used capital punish
ment on convicted drug dealers, the
risk of dealing would be much
greater.
This, in turn, probably would
raise the price of doing drugs
because of the increased risk. The
cost probably would be so high that
many people would not be able to
purchase drugs. This might help
solve the drug problem in the
United States.
Is the entire world becoming
soft? I don't think so. Some say the
death penalty is inhumane and
cruel. It's kind of funny how our
society feels sorry for the criminal
and forgets about the victims. If
these people had someone close to
them murdered, it would be
interesting to see how many of
them would still take a stand of
opposition to capital punishment.
The death penalty has been
around since ancient times. In the
past, the use of capital punishment
was not questioned. It was one of
those things that society just
accepted. Today, in some parts of
the world, crime is controlled by
strict laws and punishments —
hence, there is almost no crime in
those countries.
The issue of capital punishment
has become a question of whether it
is right or wrong — whether or not
society should be able to decide to
take the life of another human
being as a punishment for murder.
The use of capital punishment
probably always will be questioned.
There are a few problems with
the current system, but we can try
to change that. There probably
never will be a perfect system of
capital punishment, but at least we
can Uy to improve the current
system.
Bashir is ■ senior food science major and
a Dally Nebraskan columnist
Clarkson College
NURSING
4 YEAR BSN DEGREE PROGRAM
Now accepting applications for January 1995 enrollment. Transfer
Students Welcome. Come meet our facutly, learn more about
Nursing as a career and tour our facilities during our
OPEN HOUSE
Thursday, November 17th at 7:00pm
For more information call:
1-800-647-5500 ext. 3041
or write to Clarkson College, 101 South 42nd Street,
Omaha, NE 68131-2739
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