Opinion
Wednesday, October 18, 1995 Page 4
Daily
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
J. Christopher Haiti.Editor, 472-1766
Rainbow Rowell...Managing Editor
Mark Baldridge.Opinion Page Editor
DeDra Janssen.Associate Hews Editor
Doug Kouma.Arts & Entertainment Editor
JeffZeleny.Senior Reporter
Matt Woody.Senior Reporter
James Mehsling.Cartoonist
United stand
March a positive message
Almost a million men marched on Washington, but much more
than a million should feel their footsteps.
As the fourth largest demonstration crowd ever, the Million Man
March is an impressive show of unity among the black community
in this country.
In and out of the black community, the Million Man March has
been the subject of criticism, much of which has been directed at
Louis Farrakhan.
But the message sent Monday by the show of unity in our nation’s
capitol speaks to much more than Farrakhan’s views.
Eric Shanks, one of the 42 Nebraskans who attended the Million
Man March, said he didn’t attend the march for Farrakhan but for
the positive message of black unity.
“I came looking for millions. It was not one man who brought
me here,” Shanks said.
Shanks’ focus on unity speaks to the challenge Nebraskans who
attended the march need to take to heart after returning to this state.
Racial divisions laid bare by the Simpson verdict, and the pre
dominantly white population of our state, make unity and racial
healing desperately overdue.
Melvin X, an Omaha minister who coordinated the group of
Nebraskans, perhaps said it best.
“We will have to challenge the community to see our view in
order for that community to grow and thrive.”
Forgotten ones
Police alienate city’s youth
This town hates kids.
That conclusion is undeniable.
Anywhere kids hang out is suspect—and the police will be near
at hand.
We saw it when After Shock, an all ages dance club, was bad
gered out of existence in the spring of 1994 — when citing anti
quated city ordinances didn’t work, the police staged elaborate un
dercover operations and a raid.
Sure enough, within weeks of their initial citations, the club was
closed.
v And we’re seeing it again with The Hurricane.
The club, which has sponsored 19-and-over shows, is currently
appealing the loss of its liquor licence for violations involving a
minor in possession.
The police have once again rid the city of places for kids to hang
out, hear music and dance.
Maybe some church group will sponsor a Bible and Kool-Aid
night — or the police themselves will offer “Cops and Kids” eve
nings, so they can keep a closer eye on the menace that threatens
our town.
More likely, though, another club, not yet wise to the cops’ plan
to alienate those under the drinking age, will start another all-ages
or 19-and-over night — only to be hounded and hunted and finally
destroyed by the vicious conspiracy against youth that holds Lin
*' coin in its thrall.
Editorial policy
Staff editorials represent the official
policy of die Fall 1995 Daily Nebras
kan. Policy is set by the Daily Nebras
kan Editorial Board. Editorials do not
necessarily reflect the views of the
university, its employees, the students
or the NU Board of Regents. 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. Accord
" ing to policy set by the regents, respon
sibility for die editorial content of the
newspaper lies solely in the hands of its J
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 material
submitted. Readers also are welcome to submit mate
rial 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 include the author’s name, year
in school, major and group affiliation, if any. Re
quests to withhold names will not be granted. Submit
material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union,
1400 R St Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448.
Just the fax, m’am
Vennila Ramalingam’s column
(“Global cries,” Oct. 17) contains
significant factual errors.
The “main culprit” in the
atmospheric greenhouse effect is
not, and could not possibly be,
carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide is the toxic gas
emitted by malfunctioning furnaces
and auto exhausts, and its levels in
the atmosphere are ordinarily
extremely low (otherwise, we’d all
be dead).
Carbon dioxide is the gas usually
thought to be involved in the
greenhouse effect, though several
other gases, notably methane
(emitted by such environmental
nightmares as cow and rice fields)
have also been implicated.
To blame this summer’s hot spell
on human causes is foolhardy. Many
of the Midwest’s record high
temperatures occurred during the
1930s dust bowl years, when carbon
dioxide levels in the atmosphere
were considerably lower than they
arc presently.
Finally, I am not aware of any
movement in the Republican Party
to reverse the Montreal protocols.
Such a reversal would be
pointless — domestic use of CFCs
has effectively ceased; refrigeration
systems have switched to other uses,
and the remaining production of
these chemicals occurs in other
countries.
Gerry Harbison
Professor of Chemistry
via e-mail
Chuck Chuck
Please do not try to foist off on
the reader partisan drivel under the
guise of a column. Chuck Sigerson
is the chairman of the state Republi
can party. He has a vested interest is
seeing no viable third party.
His column is closer to free
political advertising than an
insightful evaluation of the
situation.
There is nothing set in stone
about the United States having a two
party system. We have lately, but
i 1 1 ■■ 1 " -.. ■ .—- -
not by any design of our sagacious
forefathers.
Mr. Sigerson, I see no evidence
that the two-party system is what
made America great. There are
plenty of better candidates for that
credit.
And you are mistaken in believ
ing the current trend toward a third
party is because the voters feel
neither of the current parties are
moving fast enough to solve
problems.
The general belief is that both the
Democrats and the Republicans are
far more concerned with the
betterment of their parties (as
measured by contributions, polls
and votes) than the betterment of the
country.
A political party should be no
more than a private club with no
official status recognized by the
government.
Eric Bergquist
College of Law
via e-mail
Homeless
Ttxlay I watched Lincoln’s finest
take time out from a busy day of
stolen bicycle calls to harass a
homeless person at Broyhill
Fountain. The man’s crime was
being homeless at the same time and
in the same place as a couple of
bored authorities.
The capitalist powers that be
continually assure us that every
. person has an equal opportunity for
financial success.
But our country is more like an
economic oligarchy with a co-opted
police force.
It seems Marx was correct after
all.
Nick Hansen
Senior
Philosophy
AIDS
Krista Schwarting, I believe you
are right when you say AIDS should
be a human issue and not a political
issue (“Quilt can’t cover social
stigma,” Oct. 13) so why are you
blaming Ronald Reagan for the
problem AIDS has become? It’s not
his problem.
We must be responsible for our
own actions and not expect the
political system to right the wrongs
of our social structure.
If you want to place blame, try
these candidates:
1. Lack of monogamous relation
ships
2. Instant gratification (sex) with
no responsibility
3. Condoms being considered
“safe sex” and
4. Total lack of respect for
another person by engaging in such
activity while endangering the lives
of others by concluding “it won’t
happen to me.”
Change the behavior and control
the disease. Don’t depend on the
media or political system to find a
cure after the fact.
Vanessa Streff
Institute of Agriculture and
Natural Resources
Distribution
Ample ads
I am once again disgusted and
outraged that the Daily Nebraskan
continues to advertise various
Lincoln strip joints.
The DN goes beyond merely
giving ample information on
location and content, but it also
includes photos worthy of porno
graphic publications. By advertising
for these establishments, the Daily
Nebraskan is advocating an industry
that dehumanizes women and treats
them like sex objects.
I realize that advertising is a must
for financial purposes, but these
advertisements show complete
disregard for the female readers of
the Daily Nebraskan and the women
who arc students and faculty
members of the University of
Nebraska.
The women of UNL would be
wise to pass over the DN until it
decides to respect them. Daily
Nebraskan, get a clue.
Sarah Zulkoski
Freshman
Chemistry
via e-mail
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