Opinion
Friday, November 11,1994 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
Mike Lewis...Copy Desk Chief
James Mehsling.Cartoonist
On guard
Police pro-active on gang problem
The Lincoln Police Department has taken a commendable, pro
active approach to a potential gang problem in Lincoln.
By admitting that gang activity docs indeed exist in the Capitol
City, Lincoln residents and police will have a better chance of
protecting the city before the problem becomes severe.
Lincoln, which has been thought of as an overgrown small
town, is changing. It seems police are trying to keep up with these
changes.
Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady said Thursday that 153 police
reports noted at least 23 different gangs in Lincoln. He said police
would be stepping up their efforts to keep a choke hold on gang
activity.
Mayor Mike Johanns stands behind the police department and
said additional funding was needed to combat the problem.
“In Lincoln, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel (when it comes
to policing),” he said. “But I hope the community is prepared for
the needs we’re going to express.”
Taxpayers may have to be willing to bite the financial bullet to
help fight the problem, if they don’t want other bullets to start
flying in the city.
According to a summer 1993 cover of Time magazine that
depicted teen-age gang members with guns in Omaha, one Ne
braska city already is in trouble. We don’t need another.
With a pro-active approach being planned by police, Lincoln
has a better chance of remaining safe and keeping the gangs quiet.
“Tonight we witnessed a miracle. Democracy has
worked. We may not like the outcome, but we
cannot deny the results.”
—Jan Stoney, Republican senate challenger, after conceding the
- election to Sen. Bob Kerrey.
“We’ve known for a long time that I was a long
shot We were prepared for a trouncing — and we
were trounced.”
— Republican gubernatorial candidate Gene Spence, after conced
ing to Gov. Ben Nelson on Tuesday night.
“That gives new meaning to the term 'Landslide
Ben.’”
— Lt. Gov. Kim Robak after hearing the gubernatorial election
results on Tuesday night.
“It’s a fragile thing, the trust that people have In
you, and we lost It tonight. The entire Democratic
party received a rebuke this evening.”
— Sen. Bob Kerrey on the Democratic party losing control of
Congress.
“Allen Beermann has done an outstanding job in
his 24 years. I wish to compliment him. I only
hope that — I don’t plan to be there for 20 years —
whenever I step down that people across the state
will speak as kindly of me as they have of Mr.
Beermann.”
— Scott Moore, netvly elected secretary of state.
“We’re excited to be the people’s representative.
Hard work, right timing, anti-incumbency and Bill
Clinton” led to the win.
—Jon Christensen, newly elected Republican congressman for the
2nd District, explaining his win over Democratic incumbent Peter
Hoagland.
Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Fall 1994 Daily Nebraskan. Policy is set by
the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the
university, its employees, the students or the NU Board of Regenu. Editorial columns represent
the opinion of the author. The regents publish the Daily Nebraskan. They establish the UNL
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.
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available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all material submitted. Readers
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Step forward
I couldn’t help but be totally sick
and angry after reading the Daily
Nebraskan editorial on Wednesday.
Your one-sided view on politics is
frustrating and just plain bad
thinking.
The vote on Tuesday that put the
Congress majority on the Republi
cans was a mandate for change, and
not for President Clinton’s change,
either. The Daily Nebraskan said,
“It’s a step backwards. It is an old
plan that had 12 years to work and
failed.” Not so fast there, you left
wing crybaby. The Democrats have
had 40 years of holding power in
Congress, and look where it’s
gotten us. It’s given us bigger
government, higher taxes and
people who want to depend on the
government instead of themselves.
Our senator. Bob K , talking
about Peter Hoagland i lesday,
said, “Peter has been counted out as
much as Freddy Krueger has, and
he comes back. But I say if Peter
doesn’t win tonight, Freddy
Krueger will.” Kerrey was referring
to Jon Christensen.
Look, Kerrey, the American
people have realized that the
Republican party wants a balanced
budget and a crime bill with real
backbone, not one with lots of pork.
That’s not Freddy Krueger, that’s
the American people.
Give the Republicans 40 years,
and we all will see this great nation
move two steps forward and not one
step backward like our liberal
newspaper wants you to believe.
Brandon Hein
junior
political science
Foolishness
Hello. 1 am a registered Republi
can. My family tree has roots in
Alabama and Tennessee. 1 was
raised in the Church of Christ, a
religion so conservative and
fundamentalist that I have always
accepted the fact that it is out of the
mainstream.
Now that I have confessed what
a Satanic, child-eating, sheep
I
fornicating, sex-crazed, atheistic
liberal I am, I need to say my piece
before I leave Lincoln and go on
with my life. (I was being tongue
in-cheek in that last sentence,
although you probably figured that
out on your own, unless you arc a
total dork.)
1 cannot for the life of me believe
the foolishness 1 have witnessed in
the DN over the past year. The
labeling, the jeering, the blatant
lack of civil disagreement and
friendly rivaliy has been appalling.
No, Jamie Karl, this Southern
belle does not feel guilty for the
slavery that thrived in my home
land more than 100 years ago. 1 did
not do any of it. Period. The fact is,
however, we HAVE been left with a
nasty mess to clean up. We are
bearing the consequences of the
sins of our ancestors. It is childish,
incompassionatc, irresponsible,
selfish and downright UN-CHRIS
TIAN to sit back, fold your arms
and say, “Well, I am not the one
who made the mess ” That is a cop
out phrase. Pure and simple.
Tucker, 1 do not wish for any
woman on the planet Earth to
experience an abortion. I might as
well wish they experience a
mastectomy. I adore babies. I have
two of the most beautiful babies in
the world as my nieces, and I love
them as if they were my own
daughters. One of them felt so close
to me that she addressed me once as
“Momma,” and I had to explain a
few things to her in the best way 1
could to a 2-year-old child.
I have been a firsthand eyewit
ness, however, to what occurs when
a woman is forced to have a baby
against her will. The consequences
are atrocious. I worry about that
child because I know his living
environment. He’ll be in jail in no
time, I guarantee, if he isn’t killed
in some gang war first. This is
reality.
Do not ever, and I do mean
EVER, confuse an unexpected
pregnancy with an unwanted one.
Women are smart enough to tell the
difference. Trust me on that one.
An unwanted pregnancy is a lonely,
traumatic experience. Forcing her
to have a baby against her will is
akin to forcing her to have sex
against her will. Both are intrusive,
a violation of her own body.
Just learn how to leave these
women alone. I have known good
women, good MOTHERS, who
have had to choose an abortion at
one time in their lives. You don’t
know them, so I would appreciate it
if you would stop judging them.
Your hateful words are tnc evidence
of your sheer ignorance of reality.
“Judge not. that ye not be judged,”
as the Bible says.
I would criticize a few others,
but they are no longer working at
the DN. I have been lead to believe
that the DN staff is actually a group
of liberals conspiring to give
conservatism a bad name. You
know, the way Carol O’Connor
used to do when he cloaked himself
into the role of Archie Bunker. Call
me paranoid. You’ve called me
everything else, albeit indirectly.
What’s one more name?
Nancy Lloyd
Lincoln
The Daily Nebraskan wants to hear from you. If you
want to voice your opinion about an article that
) appears in the newspaper, let us know. Just write a
brief letter to the editor and sign it (don’t forget your
student ID number) and mail it to the Daily Nebras
kan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R Street, Lincoln, NE
68588-0448, or stop by the office in the basement of
the Nebraska Union and visit with us. We’re all ears.