Monday, January 30, 1995 Page 4
Daily
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
JeffZeleny.... ■.Editor, 472-1766
Jeff Robb.Managing Editor
Matt Woody....Opinion Page Editor
DeDra Janssen..Associate News Editor
Rainbow Rowell.Arts & Entertainment Editor
James Mehsling.. .Cartoonist
Chris Hain..Senior Reporter
Culture shock
NEA should be preserved, supported
In 1799, scientists unearthed the Rosetta stone — a tablet of
black basalt engraved with Egyptian hieroglyphics — which un
locked the secret to deciphering ancient Egyptian writing.
Without the stone, much of Egypt’s culture would be locked in
the past.
So far, unlike ancient Egypt, the importance of our artistic ex
pression has not been lost over time. However, if a proposal in
Congress passes, this could change.
House Speaker Newt Gingrich has proposed to cut most, if not
all, federal funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.
The amount of money the NEA gets from the federal govern
ment, $167 million, is less than .0002 percent of the national bud
get. Cutting it would have a miniscule effect on the deficit But
$167 million is not a price tag the private sector can pick up.
Members of Congress like Gingrich are using the NEA as an
example in their efforts to cut government spending. The NEA is
viewed as a liberal organization and is therefore an easy target for
the Republican majority.
Gingrich and others—including all of Nebraska’s senators and
representatives — have said some cuts are justified because the
NEA supports “controversial” works.
What they fail to see is that only 40 of the roughly 100,000
programs that the NEA funds have generated controversy, accord
ing to the Endowment.
Because of media hype, the NEA’s entire scope was limited to
three or four grants that offended a small number of people.
What people aren’t shown are the artist-in-residence programs
that the NEA brings to rural towns. Without that support, most
children in those areas would not have access to the arts.
Apparently Gingrich and the rest of the GOP don’t see the ben
efits of the arts;
The Omaha Magic Theatre, in cooperation with domestic-abuse
counselors, toured Sarpy County High Schools with a production
showing the realities of domestic violence.
After every performance, the domestic-abuse hotline phones in
Sarpy County rang off the hook.
Perhaps Gingrich also foigot that many of the NEA’s laigest
grants go to metropolitan operas, ballets and symphonies.
But the Endowment’s funding is not limited to elaborate sym
phonies with petit fours and champagne at intermission. Such or
ganizations do thrive from high ticket prices and wealthy patrons.
It’s about the struggling artists in Smalltown, U.S.A. It’s about
arts-education programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
It’s about the inner-city children who will never see the Mona Lisa
smile or hear Dizzy Gillespie play the blues.
Some countries — like Australia, which spends up to $12 per
person—give more support to the arts. Americans spend $.64 per
capita to preserve its heritage. That’s about the price of a cup of
coffee.
The Egyptians relied on painted figures for their language.
American Indians communicated through dance. African tribes used
drums to “speak” to other tribes.
Ours has been an era of violence. We will obviously be remem
bered by our wars, but we should also be remembered for our
music, art, theater, film and dance.
Our culture.
It’s time we abandon political rhetoric and save it.
Editorial policy
Staff editorials represent the official
policy of the Spring 1995. Daily
Nebraskan. Policy is set by the Daily
Nebraskan Editorial Board Editori- •
als do not necessarily reflect the views
of the university, its employees, the
students or theNUBoardofRegents.
Editorial columns represent the opin
ion of the author. The regents publish
die Daily Nebraskan. They establish
die UNL Publications Board to su
pervise the daily production of the
paper. According to policy set by the
regents, responsibility for the edito
rial content of the newspaper lies
solely in the hands of its students.
Letter policy
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the
editor from all readers and interested others. Letters
will be selected forpublication on the basis ofclarity,
originality, timelinessand space available. The Daily
Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all material
submitted. Readers also are welcome to submit ma
terial as guest opinions. The editor decides whether
material should run as a guest opinion. Letters and
guest opinions sent to the newspaper become the
property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be
returned. Anonymous submissions will not be pub
lished. Letters should included die author’s name,
year in school, major and group affiliation, if any.
Requests to withhold names will not be granted.
Submit material to the Daily Nebraskan. 34 Nebraska
Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448.
m to ah the w- *fowl I S/aStwvnuts
FIRST Ufc'f A ft$> A Fox VN ft I 'MrMHTS, WIWOS
\ ftfUH ...2050 HEM HOUSE-.'loO 1 SCAR... W«K A\EAP
1 pouAR BONoS L^L ^ Lose A TbRM- V Tv^ee sfAces.
tflWAbF PftvAieim
f SWA/ PoUTjes
>,pnd foR THE WHOtt
*r FAWMf/
_
r Daily
Nebraskan
readers say:
' : ; 2 ^1
Send your brief letters to:
Daily Nebraskan, 34
Nebraska Union, 1400 R St,
Lincoln, Neb. 68588. Or fax
to: (402) 472-1761. Letters
must be signed and include a
phone number for
^verification.
RHA policy
I can’t believe that I have to do
this again this year. One, if Chad
Pekron wants to have an influence
on residence hall policies, he
should run for RHA. Two, Pekron
has served on the RHA Senate since
April and we have heard nothing
from him about cohabitation. He
doesn’t serve on the Residential
Enhancement Committee, and he
has not submitted any resolutions
or proposals to us to tackle this
issue.
Is it really an issue? In my five
years in the halls, I have not heard
anything but support for our
visitation policies.
Women don’t want their
roommate’s boyfriends spending
the night every night. Men don’t
want girls in their rooms every
night.
The policy outlines that a same
sex guest can stay for up to 96
hours in a month. UNL Housing, as
well as other living facilities, has
similar policies. It is to prevent
what happened last semester with a
friend of mine who didn’t get his
contract in early enough, then
moved in with his girlfriend (who
had a single) and stayed there for a
semester rent-free.
If we didn’t have this policy on
guests, people who blow their loan
money at the bars would be staying
in our rooms.
Why doesn’t Pekron do some
thing with the position he currently
holds (Neihardt president) to
change things his residents elected
him to do: get rid of the no-flame
policy, improve food service and
provide more programming. When
you do that, maybe this Neihardt
resident will even vote for you.
Andrea Casart
. RHA president
Amy Schrridt/DN
Life or death
Cindy Lange-Kubick’s pro
choice column in the Daily Nebras
kan was beautifully written. She
obviously took care and time in
compiling her thoughts, so I
assume the column to be a valid
expression of the pro-choice
mentality. In her own words,
however, she unwillingly screams
decibels of truth that many pro-life
organizations have attempted to
convey for years.
“I believe a fetus has a soul. And
I (have one) too,” Lange-Kubick
wrote, “and no one is going to tell
me which soul matters most.” She
is right. In choosing abortion, you
have indeed decided which soul is
most important.
Yet earlier in her column, she
wrote, “I love (my children) more
than my own life.” I don’t under
stand. The only way for both of her
statements to hold true fs to assume
that the fetus in her womb was not
her child. But it was her child, and
now he or she is dead as a result of
a choice.
This is absolutely not in any way
a condemnation of Lange-Kubick.
What she has or hasn’t done can’t
be judged by me. It takes great
character and courage for her to say
what she said. But children are
being butchered, burned and tom
apart even as this letter is being
read. If one is not prepared for a (or
another) child, then a child should
not be created. We must stop this
irresponsible behavior and start
defending life. 4
One day the thoughts of men’s
hearts will be laid bare. In your
heart, Mrs. Lange-Kubick, there
obviously is much beauty and truth.
We all need to seek this and use it
to choose life, not death.
Tony Fulton
senior
mechanical engineering
Big Red peace
One more word, please, about
The Game. For those of us who
remember the Huskers’ last
'national football championship
(and the myriad of heartbreaks
since), this year has been especially
rewarding.
I have kept a Daily Nebraskan
column by Bob Nelson from a few
years ago that nearly perfectly
defines two decades of what has
been, regardless of wins and losses,
a fabulous roller-coaster ride. I can
now remove it from my bulletin
board.
Congratulations to the team and
coaches for a tremendous victory
that is well-deserved. Bob, wher
ever you are, I hope that you, too,
have found peace.
Kelly Downing
graduate student
agricultural engineering
P.S. Write Back
The Daily Nebraskan wants to bear from you. If you want to voice your
opinion about an article just write a brief letter to the editor and sign it (don’t
forget your student ID number) and mail it to the Daily Nebraskan, 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.
