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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 15, 1996)
Opinion Friday, March 15,1996 Page 4 Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board University of Nebraska-Lincoln J. Christopher Hain ..Editor, 472-1766 Doug Kouma.L.Managing Editor Doug Peters.Opinion Page Editor Sarah Scalet. Associate News Editor Matt Waite.Associate News Editor Michelle Garner..Wire Editor Jennifer Mapes...Columnist “We tell them what to do in a car in the front seat through driver's education. It's time to tell them what to do in the back seat.'' — Fortner U.S. Surgeon General Jocelyn Elders, on the need for better sex education in American schools. I “If I’m not mistaken, we’re going to win every one of the seven.” — Sen. Bob Dole, accurately predicting the outcome of the Super Tuesday Republican presidential primaries. “Today, the American people in seven states chose the conservative they want to lead America, chose the con servative they want in the White House.” — Sen. Bob Dole at a victory rally in Washington, on his Super Tuesday sweep. “If instructors want to play career politics, they should save it for the faculty lounge.” — Columnist Fred Poytier, on professors' treatment of graduate, students. “Why stay on the Interstate and drive 200 mph and get a ticket for $250, when you can drive 200 on state high ways and only be ticketed $100?” — Stale Sen. Ernie Chambers, discussing provisions of the pro posed speed limit increase. “The best 64 teams are not in the NCAA.” — Nebraska fxisketball coach Danny Nee, on the quality of the teams in the NCAA basketball tournament. “We’re wild men! We’re crazy! We may be at a frater nity party tonight, we may be sleeping on the Interstate.” — Rich Bailey and Jonah White, purveyors of “Billy Bob 1EETH, ” grotescjue dentures that, according to them, are the key to popularity. “If they’re going to make (an estimated) $700 a square foot, like they say they will, then this convenience store sure as heck better be able to pay for itself without more student fees.” — ASUN academic committee chairman and Union Board member Jon Scheve, on a proposal to partially finance a union convenience store with student fees. “You’d have to live somewhere in a hole in the ground to not have come in contact with pornography.” — Karen Libman, director of “Miss Autobody, "a UNL Theater production that deals with the objectification of women. “It’s not about sexuality, it’s about the enslavement of women.” — Helen Moore, chair of UNL’s sociology department, on pornog raphy. Editorial nolicv Staff editorials represent the official policy of the Spring 19% Daily Ne braskan. Policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the university, its employees, the stu dents or the NU 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 super vise the daily production of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, responsibility 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 die 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. \0O 6ET %U fAlLWGW ?ER 'SENSOU TO WM Wteivw oPWfti^T —-ns;—^ When in Rome... How sad to see a university newspaper show its ignorance of history and psyehology. Sad also that Germany has not learned its lesson. As it did in the Third Reich, Germany is still trying to legislate attitudes, and it has the audacity to enforce it in a world arena. It is very disturbing to me that an American citizen, guilty of no U.S. crime, can be arrested while attending a conference in Denmark and impris oned by the German government. You call this‘TOO percent pro tected”? You say you believe in free speech, but can “take guilty plea sure” in this instance where it is violated? You do not differ much from anti-Semitic Germans in the largely anti-Semitic western world o the 1930s. They also thought, “Oh well, it isn’t exactly right, but it has j certain poetic justice in this particu lar case, and after all, it doesn’t affect me, I’m not Jewish!” Nazi Germany began with small abroga tions of freedom enacted on indi viduals, one by one. It was many years, and many laws later, before the infamous landslides occurred. Human beings are seldom as clearly “good” or “bad” as Mr. Lauck — or Mr. Spielberg for that matter — might make you think. Read your history. And think again. Julie Jorgensei Nebraska Educational Telecom munications Commissioi Body art It was great to read Jody Burke’s column on tattoos (March 14). With the DN columns being so uptight and-whitc lately, it was a surprise that this subject was approached from a positive angle. A few comments: You appear to be justifying your activities, Jody. II these tattoos are something you arc A I Hi. -B-AC-UJ BretGottschall/DN 1 proud of, then you don’t have to. They are, after all, “symbols of things that I believe in,” as you say. If others can perceive and under stand that, great. If not, you don’t have to waste your time justifying this, just as you don’t have to justify your style of clothes, length of your hair, shoes, makeup, etc. Yet they are more than symbols. Don’t speak of them in the third person. They are a part of you — your tattoo and your skin ace one and the same. This is why prejudiced people see only a , guy with tattoos and not the whole . person. How ironic it is to have i people shut you off when a symbol of something that has meaning to you is out in the open. You don’t have to explain much to your children — so don’t try. Children will love you uncondition ally; they haven’t been taught yet to judge people by the color of someone’s skin (green in this sense). Finally, the guy who gave you your first tattoo — if it’s the person I think you’re talking about — is Japanese, not Chinese. He’s a great guy, very talented, and does all my work. Rod Rooi senioi geotogj Sensitivity appreciated Thank you Steve Willey for such a well written column (March 13). This is perhaps one of the best pieces that has ever appeared in the Daily Nebraskan. The sensitivity with which you wrote this column is evident, and the pain still appears in your words. I too have a story about suicide, though mine fakes the “upper road,” as I was able to see the results of my anticipated suicide just clearly enough and only for a moment. I have a loving wife and two beautiful daughters, and yet I still felt so alone and in such pain. It’s a depth of loneliness and pain that is not comprehensible for the well-of mind. I was not feeling selfish, quite the contrary, I felt that I had taken too much and was not able to give back enough. Our society doesn’t grasp the fact that severe depression can be fatal if not treated properly. All one has to do is turn the television set to any channel with a sitcom and soon the derisive remarks about mental illness begin to appear. I have been ashamed to say that I am depressed. Steve, if I can tell you any one thing about suicide, it would be that your brother will never hesitate upon your meeting again—he will hug you, and he will hug your oldest brother. Your speaking of such a personal topic has not gone unappreciated. David Bingell junioi anthropolog) Send your brief letters to: fr) the* Daily Nebraskan, 34 ... i 11 i Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., - Lincoln, Neb. 68588, or Fax to (402) 472-1761, or email cletters @ unlinfo.unl.edu.> L—^-=,- Letters must be signed and , Nebraskan 3S,srne“mteter