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Tuesday, November 14, 1995 Page 4
Daily
Nebraskan
Editorial Board
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
J. Christopher Main.Editor, 472-1766
Rainbow Rowell.Managing Editor
Mark Baldridge.Opinion Page Editor
DeDra Janssen.Associate News Editor
Doug Kouma.Arts & Entertainment Editor
JejfZeleny.Senior Reporter
Matt Woody.Senior Reporter
James Mehsling.Cartoonist
Long haul
Campaign ’98 kick off comes too early
The pundits have started their banter.
The supporters are beginning to fall into line.
The field of candidates is taking shape.
With the election drawing ever near, the campaign is underway.
Campaign ’98. that is.
Already; Lincoln Mayor Mike Johanns and state auditor John
Breslow, while not making official announcements, have made
known their intentions to seek the 1998 Republican nomination for
governor.
Jan Stoney, the 1994 GOP nominee for U.S. Senate, became the
latest quasi-candidate Friday.
The Democrats are surely posturing, too, but announcements from
that side will likely be delayed by Gov. Ben Nelson’s bid for the
U.S. Senate. If Nelson is elected, Lt. Gov. Kim Robak would take
over the office, thus facing election herself in 1998.
But don’t worry. The sound bites, the attack ads, the stickers and
balloons at Husker football games—they’ll all arrive soon enough.
In the meantime, there’s that little matter of the 1996 election,
featuring heated Senate and presidential races — hence more sound
bites, more attack ads and more stickers.
And long before decision ’96 is over, decision ’98 will be in full
swing.
“Three years is a long time away; a lot can happen,” Stoney said
Friday.
Don’t you know it.
Different strokes
News, opinion two distinct disciplines
You are on the Opinion page.
Most days you could look across to the facing page and see page
two of the opinion section, sometimes called “commentary.” Not
today, but most days.
The opinion page exists as a forum for opinion. Ours and other
people’s.
Strictly speaking, the only opinion expressed anywhere on these
pages that represents the position of the paper is right here, in the
unsigned editorials.
They’re unsigned because no one person is responsible for shap
ing the editorial stance of the paper — our Editorial Board (made
up of senior staff) oversees that.
The columns, editorial cartoons and other material on these pages
represent solely the opinion of their authors — with a catch.
The opinion editor or the editor in chief reserves the right to edit,
change, shorten, improve or totally reject anything submitted to these
pages, however they see fit.
Everything else in the paper is news. And that’s a whole differ
ent ball game.
Editors and reporters have to make a million ethical and journal
istic decisions every day — which stories to pursue and which to
drop, how to approach sensitive issues and what constitutes news
as opposed to the merely trivial.
Disagreements, even loud ones, are common. Still, the paper
continues to come out.
The difference between opinion and news is not always clear,
even to those who have made a career of reporting.
But it’s important to realize there is a difference and to make a
distinction between the two.
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 the editorial 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 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.
r t
THE NAMES.
CtlNTONj&IlL
Ci INTON
Turkey time
Crisp autumn air conjures festive feelings
I have this weird, sentimental
fascination with fall.
A soft spot, if you will, for the
distinct emotions and feelings
October and November bring.
Just call me Mr. Sensitive
Season-Loving Guy.
The guy who always seems to
resurface around this time of year.
As soon as the trees begin changing
color, ol’ Mr. Sensitive Season
Loving Guy rears his ugly head and
starts gettin’ all mushy.
But 1 haven’t always been like
this.
When I was five, I couldn’t
believe my kindergarten teacher
didn’t know her seasons. So I took it
upon myself to spell it out for her:
“Football, basketball, baseball and
hockey.”
uun.
But as I’ve grown, my apprecia
tion of our land’s mystical change
from one season to the next has too.
And I find the memories and
feelings they each create amazing.
Everybody has their own
personal favorite season. The season
you fell in love, the time of year you
were married, or the season you
canoed naked down the Niobrara.
Whatever.
But I don’t think I am alone in
taking a great fondness for this time
of year.
Come to think of it, a better name
for the person that lies within me
might be The Fall Guy.
There is just something about the
fall in Nebraska that makes me
happy.
The abundance of squirrels is
hard not to notice, and they are even
harder not to find intriguing.
It’s not that they try to be so dam
cute just a runnin’ and a playin’ wit!
no cares in the world — they just
can’t help themselves.
They honestly look like they are
having a good time.
The cutest and most daring of the
furry little creatures (they take turns
darting in front of my bus every
morning), squirrels somehow add to
the beauty of the season for me. Cal
them November’s version of
reindeer.
And indoors, too, there are
reminders of autumn. Especially at
my house; my mother has as a skill
equalled only by Clark W. Griswok
in matching decor to the season.
k_-• •\___*m
Ted Taylor
“/ have just two words
to describe my family’s
feast: large ay id brown”
Paper turkeys stuck on every
wall, napkins with turkeys on them,
decorative Smurfs dressed as
Pilgrims — only a mom could make
orange, brown and yellow look
attractive.
My mother even dons shirts with
the holiday themes —just to add to
the holiday spirit.
Most of you probably enjoy the
season merely for the kick-ass meal
your family prepares each and every
year. I am no different.
But I have just two words to
describe my family’s feast: large
and brown.
Brown?
The turkey is brown, stuffing is
brown, mashed potatoes are sort of
brown, the gravy is brown, the yams
are a brownish-orange, bread is
usually brown — and, at our house,
the tablecloth is dark brown.
A potentially drab sight indeed,
but spiced up by mom, who thaws
out some peas just to throw in a
i splash of color and keep my brother
from commenting on just how
depressing her table looks. (Which
has become a Taylor family tradi
tion.)
But please don t get me started
on the pumpkin pie.
You can’t tell me the last time
you gutted a pumpkin on Hallow
l een, you didn’t almost gag and say,
“Man, this is gross!”
So then why all of a sudden —
after you take out the seeds, mix in
some brown sugar, put it on a crust,
call it a pie — it becomes a tradi
tional Thanksgiving treat? Call me
un-American.
And let us not forget the ecologi
cal contribution of the season. The
glorious colors the trees take on.
Sure we all like the green trees
and nobody likes to play golf on a
dead golf course, but the colors fall
creates immediately stimulate the
eye.
Heck, even the trees get tired of
wearing the same thing all summer
and gleefully take the opportunity to
trade in that boring green ensemble
for a saucier new fall wardrobe.
(Before they go and “get naked.”)
The reds, yellows, oranges and
browns—delicately intertwined to
create that signature fall color.
But there is one reason I love fall
more than any other season: The
weather in the fall can be roundly
described as crisn.
Like a Vlasic pickle or a celery
stick, the temperature of fall is just
cold enough. You finally get to take
off the T-shirt and shorts you wore
all summer and slip into your
favorite jeans and sweat shirt.
If the choices are muggy summer,
biting winter and soggy spring, give
me crisp autumn every time.
(How can anyone really enjoy a
soggy season?)
Give me the temperature of
football Saturday, the temperature
where every person alive says, “This
is perfect — if it stayed like this all
year, I’d be happy.”
DUi mat lemperaiure won i ue
around for much longer.
As we all know, living in
Nebraska allows us to throw the
concept of equinoxes out the
window and realize that winter
comes when it’s damn good and
ready.
Like last week. So enjoy the fall
while you still can.
And there you have it. My
reasons for loving the fall — my
simple reasons for feeling happy
during this time of year. I hope they
make you think of the season,
reminisce a little, and smile a lot.
Or maybe you think you’re just
too cool to admit you smile and
giggle whenever you see a cute little
squirrel running across the street
with a nut in its mouth.
Oh well, Happy Thanksgiving to
you too.
Taylor is a junior news-editorial major
and a Dally Nebraskan staff reporter.