The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, November 15, 1996, Page 4, Image 4

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OPINION . ..
EDITOR
Anne Hjersman
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Doug Peters
Matt^&ite
Paula Lavigne
Mitch Sherman
Anthony Nguyen
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“If you drop a dead cat from high enough,
it will probably bounce back. But it’s prob
ably not in the cards for prices to be back
up where they were this summer."
— George Pfeiffer, UNL professor of
agricultural economics, on hopes that grain
prices will rebound
“Their defense is like bees. They have 11
shirts to the ball every time."
— Missouri University tailback Brock
Olivo, on the Huskers
“It’s kind of like an insult to your man
hood if they can run the ball right down
your throat when you’re going out there
to prove them they can’t."
—Comhusker rush end Grant Wistrom,
on the motivation behind Nebraska’s No. 1
defense
“My wife asked me what it tasted like, and
I said it tasted like vodka because I chased
it with a shot of vodka."
—Political science professor Bill Avery,
describing the taste of the boiled sheep eye
ball he ate while visiting the former Soviet
republic Kyrgyzstan
■ v
“I would feel comfortable saying someone
could lose fingers if they were holding
one.”
—Fire investigator Brian Nelje, on pop
bottle bombs
“If Coach Pettit would have told me at my
my house to walk on and/edshirt, I would
have done that in a heartbeat.”
—- Toie Young, star volleyball player at
Kansas State University, on Pettit’s reluc
tance in recruiting her
“It’s tough to go into the sea of red two
?*>; years inarow.” ? - .-v
—Missouri Footbali Coach Larry Smith,
on playing in Memorial stadium
“Vengeance is for God, not for us.”
— Mennonite Rev. Steve Ratzlaff,
speaking to German Russians on the anni
versary of Russia’s 1917 Bolshevik Revolu
tion and calling for remembrance of their
ancestors’ suffering, but not revenge
“I don’t mind sitting on the bench. I've
got to pay my dues.”
—Former Husker Erick Strickland, now
the fifth guard on the Dallas Mavericks’ ros
ter, on his first season in the National Bas
ketball Association
“The Chinese say ‘There is danger in ev
ery opportunity, and there’s opportunity
with regard to every danger.’”
—Beverly Ledbetter, a consultant hired
by UNL to scrutinize the climate for women
athletes on campus, on the university’s high
profile image ^ g
“We aren’t scared of Nebraska.”
— Minnesota Soccer Coach Sue
Montagne, prior to her team’s NCAA Tour
nament match-up with the Huskers
Editorial Policy
Unsigned editorials are die opinions of the
Ftll 1996 Daily Nebraskan. They donot nec
essarily reflect die views of the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its stu
dent body or the University of Nebraska
Bond of Regents. A column is soley the
opinion of its author. The Bqard of Regents
serves as publisher of the Drily Nebraskan;
policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Edito
rial Boaid. The UNL Publications Board, es
tablished by the regents, supervises the pro
decrion of the newspaper. According to
policy set by the regent, responsibility for
the editorial content of the newspaper lies
solely in the hands of its student employees
Letter Policy
..... *;
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief let
ters to die editor and guest columns, but
does not guarantee their publication. Tbe
Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit
or reject any material submitted. Submit
ted material becomes the property of the
Daily Nebraskan andcannot be returned.
Anonymous submissions will not be
published. Those who submit letters
must identify themselves by name, year
in school, major and/or group affilia
tion, if any. Submit material to: Daily Ne
braskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St
Lincoln, Neb. 68588-0448. E-mail.
Vettm@unlinfo.unl.edu.
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Bevy of beverages
Coke, Pepsi or 7-Up? Person
ally, I don’t like any of the above.
One of the things that I love the most
about this institution of higher
learning (apart, of 9ourse, from the
excellent education I’m getting) is
the fact that there are at least three
pop machines on campus where I can
purchase DIET DR. PEPPER!!!
Seriously, I think it is wonderful
that we currently offer so much
variety, and I don’t think that it
would be worth any money involved
to take away this choice from
students.
Barbara Zach
sophomore
mathematics and education
Bandaged bigotry
Well, here we have another guy
(notice, no racial description) crying
about affirmative action’s opponents.
I am writing in regard to Reynaldo
'Anderson’s ignorant response (DN,
Nov. 13) to Nick Wiltgen’s column
on the reverse discrimination that is
rampant in today’s society.
Anderson’s claims of white
supremacy are totally unfounded—
just because our ancestors made
mistakes in the past with minorities
doesn’t mean that we have to put
certain groups above others or give
them special advantages. The
thought of living as an individual
foremost is also very much in line
with the belief in God. We all have
the choice to believe in the one and
only almighty being, and if we do,
then we should be concerned with the
beliefs of others. I am, however, in
■ ' - 1
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i'
Natalie Linstrom/DN
agreement with Anderson on one
point. The pinion that affirmative
action is “only a band-aid for a larger
problem” is very true. Some minori
ties have the feeling that, because of
past persecution, they should receive
this preferential treatment in many
areas of life—not only employment.
I, being a minority myself, feel
that rewards should be based on
qualifications through equal opportu
nity rather than appointing a select
few to posts because of their color.
JJ. Harder
sophomore
broadcasting
vt‘ * .
‘Vitriolic diatribe’
I wanted to write a well-reasoned
response to Reynaldo Anderson’s
response to Nick Wiltgen’s column
regarding affirmative action. Instead,
I’m going to write another “angry
.
white guy” response.
Mr. Wiltgen wrote what appeared
to be an insightful, well thought out
personal opinion about the possible
negative implications of a govern
ment-sponsored affirmative action
program. What he got in response
from Mr. Anderson was vitriolic
diatribe. Wiltgen tempered his
writing with phrases challenging the
implication that “the solution to
bigotry is more bigotry,” and he
charged people with the “responsibil
ity to judge people only as individu
als.”
Anderson chose to pepper his
response with phrases like “angry
white guy,” and “neo white suprema
cist, sexist.” Anderson then implied
that all of “you” discriminate based
on gender, “you” participated in
Native American genocide, “your”
own Constitution regards black
people as three-fifths of a human
being (animals?), and “yet still(?)”
rape black women behind “your”
white women’s backs. Who is “you”?
Is it Wiltgen? Is it all “angry white
guys”?
Affirmative action may have a
benign purpose and it may serve to
remedy past inequities. Then again,
maybe it will only serve to perpetuate
separateness. In any event, one thing
it will probably not eliminate is ill
thought out, venomous, foul
mouthed, bastardization-of-vocabu
lary-and-history “opinions” like
Anderson’s.
I’m an “angry white guy.” But I’m
not angry about affirmative action.
I’m angry that people like Anderson
believe that by labeling someone else
a racist or a bigot, it gives them free
license to be one themselves.
Joel J. Agena
third-year law student