Opinion
Thursday, November 9, 1995 Page 4
Daily
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoin
J. Christopher Hain.Editor, 472-1766
Rainbow Rowell.Managing Editor
Mark Baldridge..Opinion Page Editor
DeDra Janssen.Associate News Editor
Doug Kouma.Arts & Entertainment Editor
JeffZeleny.Senior Reporter
Matt Woody.fr..Senior Reporter
James Mehsling...Cartoonist
No choice
Powell’s potential added interest, spark
You can still hear the whiny little voice from a tiny little man,
standing between George Bush and Bill Clinton.
Ross Perot transformed the 1992 presidential election from an
other two-party, lock-step campaign into a three-way race filled with
enthusiasm.
Perot’s supporters believed in the man. And his candidacy brought
issues to the presidential campaign that would not have otherwise
surfaced.
Similarly, the same type of excitement potentially existed with
Colin Powell. But Wednesday Powell announced he would not run
for president.
Powell’s support wasn’t from the lesser of two evils mold. But
rather, a large portion of the electorate felt excited about Powell and
the idea of him leading the country.
roweu wasn t seen as anotner unappealing politician-by-trade.
To many, Powell was a statesman in the traditional sense. He was
nonpolitical. He was a man of conviction. He was a leader.
Many Americans felt they shared his values, if not his views.
Without Powell in the 1996 presidential campaign, the race for the
White House becomes much more drab—the sitting president vs. the
senate majority leader.
Powell would have brought a new choice to the voters of the
Country and most importantly enthusiasm in a political system that
continues to turn off the country’s voters.
Listen in
FBI desires more wiretapping power
The FBI wants Ma Bell to play Big Brother for Uncle Sam.
And you’re the patsy.
In 1993 the Federal Bureau of Investigation received fewer than
1,000 authorizations to tap into private phone conversations —
though no one’s claiming that’s all the wires it actually tapped.
Those are just the legal ones.
Now it wants the government to spend an estimated $500 million
(industry estimates run in the billions) to finance its plan to force the
telecommunications industry to include a “back door” so it can go on
listening — as service goes digital.
That’s $125,000 per wiretap in dog years, and it’s a bad buy, for
several reasons.
The most alarming of which is the possibility, make that the
certainty, that somewhere down the line some group less trustworthy
than the FBI will learn how to take advantage of this centralized
wiretapping capacity.
The FBI does have a problem.
But it is not a problem of the American people — who have
learned, through bitter experience, what a Frankenstein’s Monster
the FBI turns into when given too much sway.
Next it’ll want all houses to contain secret video cameras.
The FBI may have stumbled over the formula known for years in
countries like Singapore: Crime is drastically reduced with the
removal of even one basic freedom.
Editorial policy
Staff editorials represent the official
policy of the Fall 1995 Daily Nebras
kan. Policy is set by the Daily Nebras
kan Editorial Board. Editorials do not
necessarily reflect die views of the
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or the NU Board of Regents. Editorial
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ing to policy set by the regents, respon
sibility for the editorial contort of the
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RIGHT
-
i n
Processor
elimination
You have to admire Paula
Lavigne. After all, it takes courage
to display before some 25,000
students her “Kelly Bundy” ap
proach to foreign policy.
I’m going to spell it out nice and
clear what would happen if America
chose to become isolationist.
1. America would be just fine.
2. The rest of the world would
experience complete economic ruin.
3. Little countries like Kuwait
and Israel that rely on our protection
would be destroyed, bringing peace
to regions through elimination of
opposition.
Yitzhak Rabin was a fool fighting
for a lost cause. Peace will never
come to a region where Jews and
Muslims are living side by side. The
only way peace will come is for one
side to be eliminated.
The Middle East has problems
but they are not America’s problems.
Scott Knutson
Sophomore
English
In a handbasket
Regarding Mr. Vance’s letter
printed on Nov. 6 — the athletic
department is not 100 percent self
sufficient. Each person on this
campus contributes to the university
in one form or another.
Many contribute in support
services, on advisory boards and
through philanthropy projects.
Then of course there is you who
plays a game for himself, the most
selfish reason I can think of.
I have a question. What about the
team? Don’t you want to play in the
hopes that your contribution, big or
small, will benefit the team?
Regarding funding: I, along with
25,000 others, help fund the
university through our tuition and
fees.
Alumni and ticket holders help to
support the athletic department. Try
playing a sport with no one in
attendance.
James MehsKng/DN
You feel you should be judged as
normal students, I believe that too.
But then you suggest the “UNAD” is
a campus not to be counted with the
university.
That is asking for special
treatment.
As you hope, I do support
people’s right to make their own
decisions. But if you believe I
should support someone who
assaults another, repeatedly breaks
the law, or sexually violates another,
you can, as you so eloquently phrase
words, go to hell.
Jennifer Pickinpaugh
Senior
Management
via e-mail
Character
Is quality control an issue for DN
columnists? Mark Baldridge has
consistently bored or offended me
for the last few issues without any
apparent repercussions. His inane
State of the Addict column a few
weeks back was the beginning of my
disgust with the man’s character.
The Fried Piper — dancing alone;
leading his faithful, drooling masses.
His Nov. 6 column, Wastin’ Time
in a Hazy Mind was once again
cornin’ up a zero.
Does anyone appreciate intelli
gence anymore? His trite collective
consciousness philosophy was as
flaccid as his understanding of the
word “personification.”
Give this English major (?) a
quarter for the but.
Let his space be filled by a
person with something intelligent to
say.
Matt Cook
Freshman
Undeclared
Sticks and stones
In response to Debra
Cumberland’s column of Nov. 8,1
would like to remind her that the
right does not have a sole monopoly
on demonizing political rhetoric.
The left wing mastered the art of
divisive language years ago. They
are experts in the creation of class
warfare.
Any Republican plan in Congress
is instantly labeled “mean spirited”
and “taking away from America’s
poor children.” Presidential aides
claim Republicans want to see
America’s elderly disappear.
How much more vilifying can
you get? Anyone who disagrees with
the left is instantly labeled a racist,
sexist, tyrannical monster who wants
to toss Americans to the arms of big
business.
It seems that in today’s open, free
thinking society it is OK to label
someone, as long as that someone is
a conservative.
In the column itself Debra claims
she wants to see words used for
peace and healing, yet she herself
uses words for her own political
rhetoric.
Yes, this kind of talk is nothing
new, and it comes from both sides
whenever someone does not want to
debate issues. Take a bit of your own
advice and quit tossing irresponsible
labels about.
Michael Blum
Freshman
Biological Sciences
via e-mail
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