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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 25, 1995)
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 Dead right Doctors should focus on life, not death Over the last several years, one of the most debated issues in this country has been the right to die. This broad topic covers issues ranging from euthanasia to living wills to suicide. Perhaps the hottest argument has dealt with doctor-assisted suicide, which has made Dr. Jack Kevorkian a household name. The retired pathologist has aided or witnessed 21 suicides since 1990. He is the poster boy for those who clamor for the right to have a doctor present when they kill themselves. The state of Michigan has tried to prosecute the so-called Dr. Death for breaking the state’s law banning doctor-assisted suicide, but has run into court challenges. Kevorkian repeatedly and openly defied the law, in effect thumbing his nose at Michigan officials. But Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the state of M ichigan can prosecute Kevorkian, and that there is no constitutional right to suicide. Let s go forward quickly witn this prosecution, i ne law ot tne land has been set out, and correctly. Doctors, even retired ones, have no business having anything to do with suicide. Period. We turn to our physicians to save life, not destroy it. When we include suicide in the job of doctor, it will be the beginning of the end of our country, or our world, as a civilized one. Kevorkian has made itclearthatno law will keep him from assisting in suicides. But perhaps the concrete and steel of a prison will. Another View Regardless of partisan political beliefs, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives should be commended for their extremely active first 100 days in office. While some issues have provoked heated debate from both sides, Republicans were able to bring many points from the Contract with America to a vote in the House. Many Democrats jeered the failure to pass key term-limit legislation, but Americans should remember that Republicans did not guarantee passage of any of die points on the Contract. By pushing Contract legislation to a vote, Republicans fulfilled campaign promises while forcing a refreshing amount of efficiency. Republicans have transfonned the House into the populistforum it was designed to be. Much of the hastily passed legislation now will be examined more fully and carefully by the Senate, as the founding fathers wished. It should be noted that this activity has occurred as many top Republicans have declared their candidacy for the Presidency. Faced with the impending *96 election, House Republicans should be congratulated for working on current issues instead of concentrat ing onprojected campaign issues. While elite Republicans have begun campaigning for the incredibly distant ’96 election, most party members have remained firmly grounded in the present, an accom plishment in itself. — University Daily Kansan 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 ortheNU Board of Regents. Editorial columns represent the opin ion of the author. The regents publish the Daily Nebraskan. They establish the UNL Publications Board to su pervise the daily production of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility for die 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 for publication on the basis of clarity, originality, timeliness and space available. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject all mate rial submitted. Readers also are welcome to submit material 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 re turned. Anonymous submissions will not be pub lished. Letters should included the author’s name, year in school, major and group affiliation, if any. Requests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St, Lincoln, Neb. 68388-0448. r-— t£ GOT TC VIET- $ m feui^s... oh sm So ®b..M &rA$M! ] IA _ fiftnv ttALRftr I eUM ME... mu, \ do &U)£&~0l| >(tAVW.... ■ ■ 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 fck verification. East Campus One of the great ideas that Graham Spanier implemented was the idea of multicultural education. Reading the past few letters in the Daily Nebraskan about the college rodeo has proven to me that this idea has failed miserably. Students at UNL are required to learn about different cultures and different ways of life, yet there is a culture right here that most students know nothing about. Many students do not even know that there is an East Campus. It is the home of Nebraska’s best agricultural college, not to mention the College of Human Resources and Family Sciences, the College of Dentistry and the College of Law. It is a different culture. Students from East Campus who know this culture also have to learn the culture of City Campus by taking classes there. We can deny it all we want. Agriculture is die economic and social base of Nebraska. Many UNL students come from farms, ranches and small towns. Many more do not. These students should learn the truth about the traditions and culture of the majority of this state. Amy L. Vales junior agricultural journalism OfNtase article I am writing in response to both the April 19 article about Stacy Bartlett and the letter written by her friend, Brenda J. Hultine. .Brenda’s words came from the heart. Every sentence, every paragraph, echoed the confusion, the sickness, the sadness and the anger I felt after reading the Daily Nebraskan’s story. I was afraid that my shock was making me hypersensitive to the story. I want to thank Brenda for assuring me that I was not alone in my disgust. The article by the Daily Nebras kan was so off-base that I had to read it many times to convince myself it was about the person I knew. I am optimistic, though, that we can all learn from harsh lessons like these. I hope from now on the Daily Nebraskan will take the time to research its topics and keep in mind that is not reporting about far-off enigmas, but rather human beings. Please do not make the task of coping with the loss of a dear friend any harder than it has to be. Danielle D. Beck sophomore biological systems engineering Foreign languages I am writing in response to the Michael Justice commentary “Purpose of classes questioned” (April 24). It is not surprising to hear or read complaints about the university’s liberal-arts require ments. I often hear undergraduates complaining about this issue. I am surprised, however, that students do not appreciate the broad range of knowledge they are SUPPOSED to be acquiring. A degree from the university can do a lot more than simply prepare you for a career. It can prepare you for a lifetime of critical thinking, historically-based comprehension of current events, logical decision making and an appreciation for the arts and literature. If getting job training is all you want, why not go to a trade school or a community college? Complaints about foreign language requirements are particu larly disturbing, for they illustrate the conceit that runs rampant in our society. It is time to accept the fact that we live in a multilingual world. Citizens of many other countries know at least two languages, and so should the citizens of the U.S.A. The tragedy of Francisco Renteria’s death illustrates that necessity. Only when the students of this university begin to value every aspect of their education will they discover that ALL learning contrib utes to their lives’ success. Heather Tunender senior English ‘Racism’ In response to E. Hughes Shanks’ April 24 column: His attempts to correlate the Oklahoma City bombing with the plight of the African Americans can only be described as racist finger-pointing yahooism on his part. In particular, I wanted to concentrate on his paragraph about Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode and his state-sanctioned bombing of members of a commune known as MOVE. The notion of the bomb was acted upon after MOVE members barricaded themselves inside their rowhouse and killed a police officer. Several attempts to get com mune members to give up resulted in two more officers wounded. Even after the bomb was dropped and the fire burned out of control, the fire chief did not “choose not to put out the fires for no apparent reason,” but did so because MOVE members had shot and killed a firemen and were shooting at the rest. Shanks’ time would be much better spent verifying facts rather than manipulating them to expose racism where there is none. Joseph W. Zuggi junior history