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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 26, 1995)
Qhndn Nebraskan Editorial Board University of Nebraska-Lincoin JeffZeleny.....Editor, 472-1766 Jeff Robb...Managing Editor Matt Woody.Opinion Page Editor DeDra Janssen.Associate News Editor Rainbow Rowell.Arts d Entertainment Editor James Mehsling...Cartoonist Chris Hain.... .Senior Reporter Under siege Terror in small doses fails to shock We are a violent nation that abhors violence. Time and again we are shocked to learn that someone among us could possess the cruelty to murder and terrorize our neighbors and ourselves. The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Okla homa City sent shock waves that will be felt for an eternity. But as a nation, we have been under siege for 17 years. One man has been using the United States Post Office to mail out terror. The Unabomber, as he is called, struck again Monday, killing a 47-year-old lobbyist for the timber industry. A package, sent to the president of the California Forestry Association in Sac ramento, Calif., exploded, sending fragments 140 feet into the building’s reception area. Golbert Murray was the third person killed by the Unabomber. Twenty-three others have been wounded. True, those numbers pale in comparison to the horror developing in Oklahoma City, but they serve as a reminder. The images on our television sets for the past few days are shock ing. They confine the terror to a one-square block area. They evoke all the anger and hate and fear and insecurities we live with every day. They tie it all into one package* and deliver it at our doorstep. The Unabomber never has been identified. At first, he targeted university and airline officials. Now he targets society. If he holds to past behavior, another bomb will explode in the next few weeks. The Unabomber is no better or worse than the Oklahoma City bombers. He is the same. Taking even one life is intolerable. He has invaded our homes and our lives, yet his 16 shoe-box sized bombs have failed to shock us. We pay little notice to terror in small doses. French fried Parisian press takes look at candidates After years of the United States stealing from the French, the tables have turned. We grabbed the French fry, ripped off French bread and usurped Perrier. Now the French have stolen the American treasure of the prob ing press. They’ve seen the Pulitzer Prizes Mid decided to get in on the game. But this is one robbery where we won’t run to authorities. For years, French journalists have generally stayed out of the private lives of their public officials. However, the recent French presidential campaign has seen an increasingly aggressive French media dig into the candidates’ pri vate lives. Candidates have had their bank accounts opened up to inspec tion. And they’ve seen their wives plastered on the front cover of a news magazine. Some critics blame the media in the United States and Great Brit ain for having spawned this new trend in the French press. But, more likely, the media and the public have reexamined then attitude toward public officials because of recent scandals. Americans have long considered a free and aggressive press a safeguard against corruption. Perhaps, the French have caught on. EdKorlal 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 notnecesiarilyreflectthe views of the university, its employees, the students orthe NU Board ofRegents. Editorial columns represent the opin ion of the author. The regents publish the Daily Nebraskan. Tiny establish the 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 die hands of its students. Latter 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. CUCKOO. cmkoo. J V. W Wfe Lmen Ff^AK 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. Snubbed This past Friday and Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the Shades of Leadership Program and the Racial Minority Leadership Conference here at UNL. Both events were sponsored by the Office for Student Involvement. On Friday, the keynote speaker for Shades of Leadership was Naimah Latif, a 1982 graduate of UNL and co-author of the book “Slavery, the African-American Psychic Trauma.” Latif gave a motivational speech, telling those in attendance that persons of color were only minorities because we were led to believe that by the predominantly white society in which we live. Latif said there was nothing minor about persons of color and that we shouldn’t think of ourselves as such. I was also able to congratulate students of all shades for receiving student leadership awards and congratulate Jake Kirkland, assistant director of UNL’s Career Services Center, for receiving the most outstanding faculty/staff award for his contributions to persons of color. Saturday’s keynote speaker was Virgil Armendanz, executive director for the Latino Forum of Nebraska and regional manager for the Nebraska Association of Farm Workers Multicultural Human Development Corp. He gave an inspirational speech based on his experiences, telling those attending that we were the future and what we did now would benefit ourselves and the generations to come. As a former Daily Nebraskan staff member, I wanted to trust that the paper would write something about, if not these two events in their entirety, the two very inspiring keynote speakers. But the Daily Nebraskan failed me—again. It is too bad the editors did not find these two events newsworthy enough to write about, when more than 100 people, including staff members and students of all colors, felt these events were important enough to attend. What do student leaders of color have to do to get a little recognition for their contributions, become Homecoming King or Queen? Oh, I guess that won’t happen either, will it? Kimberly Spurlock senior broadcasting 'Women not piny* things9 I was saddened to read the article (April 24) about Cindy Roubal, the UNL student who works part time as a topless dancer. The article portrayed her choice to become a stripper as a good and positive decision. Although Roubal is perfectly within her rights to do as she pleases with her body, I fear she may be contributing to the general attitude in society that holds that women are sex objects. She refers to her dancing as nothing more than “a normal job to pay the bills” and as something that is not sexual to her in any way. However, while it may not be demeaning to her as an individual, this nonchalant attitude toward how she is treating herself might under mine efforts to direct the public’s attention to the fact that women are more than mere “playthings” and to the fact that we, too, are real people. The attitude expressed through the article was that stripping is a perfectly normal job for a self respecting woman to hold. It is attitudes such as this that hold in place the structures that support sexual discrimination. I can’t tell Roubal to stop dancing. If she wants to make a living by taking off her clothes, it is her right to do so. I can, however, urge young women to think twice before being drawn into a career of “dancing.” Just think of the types of attitudes you might be helping to form. Teresa Austin freshman pre-med No tact This letter is in response to Robb Goffs April 25 column, “McVeigh a thorn in our side.” Goff's tacky, cliched rhetoric may work for some things, like movie reviews and top 10 lists, but he should try to remember quality writing when it comes to giving' commentary on human tragedy. The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was not given a “face-lift” or a “makeover.” It was violently leveled by a big bomb, and up to 200 people died. Hardly anyond could attempt to fathom what evil possesses a man like Timothy James McVeigh. Surely, Goff didn’t expect that calling him a “stupid-idiot-moron jerkhead” would somehow contrib ute valuable insight on the situation. And maybe we should tattoo “DUH” across his forehead and “smack him across the noggin. Really hard. Repeatedly. With a big rock.” That would certainly boast the integrity Goffs article does. Goff should show a little com mon sense and journalistic tact. Not every story is a candidate for'such a humorous way out. Marissa Jorgenson senior advertising