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EDITOR
Doug Kouma
OPINION
EDITOR
Anthony Nguyen
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Paula Lavigne
Joshua GiUin
Jessica Kennedy
Jeff Randall
I,-- -.
Guest
VIEW
Dissolution of NBA
would hurt society
From The Iowa State Daily
AMES, Iowa (U-WIRE) — Congress is
about to consider severing the lifeline of the
cultural heart of the United States.
Although the National Endowment for the
Arts has survived drastic budget cuts during
the past few years, it now faces the threat of
complete elimination. Appropriations hear
ings won’t begin until March, but conserva
tive Republican Congress members had al
ready developed an informal agreement with
House leaders back in 1995 that said the
agency would be terminated in October, ac
cording to the Feb. 2 issue of The Washing
ton Post.
The details of when and where battle lines
will be drawn have not yet emerged, but poli
ticians and activists are already choosing
sides. Rep. Frank Riggs (R-Calif.), who
chairs the Education and Workplace subcom
mittee that has direct jurisdiction over the
NEA, said he plans to conduct a hearing about
whether arts funding is an “appropriate fed
eral mission,” according to The Washington
Post.
But what kind of message will the United
States send about its priorities if even the fed
eral government doesn’t support the arts? We
can’t expect children to grow up with values
their role models don’t even display. Without
government support, the often subtle beauty
of the arts will drown in today’s tidal wave of
flashy commercialism.
Children growing up without exposure to
the arts will lack a fundamental part of then
education because art forms such as litera
ture, dance, theater, opera, film, music, paint
ing, photography and sculpture provide in
sight into history and human nature textbooks
can’t offer. Both President Bill Clinton and
Hillary Rodham Clinton endorse the NEA’s
value as a valuable educational enricher.
Without these art forms woven into our
culture, life would be a dull, flavorless exist
ence, and the NEA seasons our culture with
beauty through its efforts to foster excellence
in the arts and broaden public access to them.
To achieve this mission, the NEA provides
grants to oiganizations and individuals, and
establishes partnership agreements and lead
ership initiatives.
Since the Endowment’s inception in 1965,
the number of nonprofit theaters has risen
from 56 to 425, large orchestras have grown
from about 100 to more than 230, opera com
panies have gone from 27 to more than 120
and dance companies have expanded to more
than 400, according to the NEA’s web site.
But without the NEA’s support, this growth
would not have been possible, and our lives
would not have been enriched by opportuni
ties to leave the mundaneness of everyday life
and leap into the magical world of the arts.
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Editorial Policy
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Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the
Spring 1997 Daily Nebraskan. They do not
necessarily reflect the views of the Univer
sity of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its
student body or the University of Nebraska
Board of Regents. A column is soley the
opinion of its author The Board of Regents
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rial Board. The UNL Publications Board,
established by the regents, supervises the
production of the paper. According to policy
set by the regents, responsibility for the edi
torial content of the newspaper lies solely
in the hands of its student employees.
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Mehsling’s
VIEW
iL.
DN j
LETTERS
Not for Everyone
God. What other name stirs up
more controversy, more arguments,
debates and shapes peoples lives?
_ J.J. Harder could be a start.
He introduces his column “Praise
‘The Man’,’’ with references to a
series of professional athletes who
gave glory to god, and in particular,
the Christian god. OK, big deal.
What about the multitudes that deny
Christ or what about those that
recognize another god?
I also can give examples of
professional athletes who recognize
their religion publicly. Cassius Clay,
heavyweight boxing champion who
changed his name to Muhammad
Ali in respect to his Muslim life.
Or Chris Jackson, who is now
known as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
because of his faith. So, do I now try
to promote Islam as the one al
mighty religion? No, just like I
wouldn’t with Christianity. Harder
uses Don Beebe’s hat with John 3:16
on it as an example of Beebe’s
thanks to Christ.
If the Bible is used as the
backbone of Christianity, then
“God” help us all. I know of no
other books that are as openly sexist
and unprosecuted as the Bible.
Why are there no hats with
Genesis 3:16, which speaks of the
man ruling over the woman? It is
amazing how people claim to be
“Christians” Mid after being
informed of many themes of the
Bible, openly criticize it.
In today’s society of being open
to vast cultures and ideas, how does
Leviticus 20:13 apply? It speaks of
killing anyone who commits a gay
act. How about all the people that
| claim
pate in parties and become drunk?
Ephesians 5:18 openly rebukes this
“evil” act.
What we haye here is a religion
that many claim to be in, but I know
of very few who actually understand
the whole Bible arid follow it. For
those few who follow the Bible’s
actual intent, I wish you the best and
hope you find inner peace. I just
regret those Christians who feel
Matt Haney/DN
morally obligated to impose their
views on others.
I find Christians that lecture
others on morals very hypocritical
and I personally am repulsed by the
Bible. I find those who follow verses
such as those mentioned beforehand,
need as much moral lecturing as me.
I am not sure what makes Hdlyfield
and Danny Wuerffel heroes. Is it
because they accomplished good
athletic careers? Is it because they
proclaim their religion openly and
are good citizens? Or is it because
they are Christians? I dare not hope
the latter.
Jason Shearer
freshman
undeclared
Stop Digging
-In the=column ‘‘Praise- ‘The- - -
ari
again get to hear J.J. Harder’s love
for Jesus Christ.
Since J.J. likes telling me all
about the warm fuzzies his savior
gives him, maybe it’s time that I get
to force some of my views back in
his direction.
Jesus Christ and the religion that
he has spawned can be attributed to
more needless death and violence
then any other institution known to
man. Millions of innocent men,
women and children have been
needlessly tortured and butchered in
the name of your savior, J.J.
Be it the Spanish Inquisition, the
Crusades, bombings in Ireland, Nazi
Death Camps (yes, the Nazis were
Catholics, and they used your Bible
to justify their acts), or pointless
witch hunts, your savior has been
behind most of the atrocities our
world has seen since his death.
But let’s not forget the mass
suppression of knowledge caused by
the church. The Dark Ages, a bitter
period caused by none other then
your savior, set humanity back
hundreds of years in almost every
scientific field, and left our entire
species intellectually dormant for a
long period of time.
Don’t forget the bias, racism,
sexism and hate that your culture
breeds still today. The negative
effects of your religion have man
aged to seep into nearly every crack
of modem day life.
i nomas jenerson unaerstooa tne
problem, too, when he called
Christianity “that religious intoler
ance under which mankind bled for
so long.”
Your savior is hardly a role
model. -I
So what is my point, you may be
asking?
It’s great that you love Jesus
Christ, JJ. Now realize that there
are many people who don’t. All you
do by writing articles about your
faith is work to dig that trench that
separates Christians from everybody
else even deeper.
Instead of going around and _
preaching your religion to every
anM^^c^^^l^eref^s^a?
people have.
Stop the preaching, start accept
ing. I’m sure you didn’t like it when
I forced my views on you iq) above.
That is the same way I feel when
you force yours on mine.
Jason Nord
freshman
English and philosophy
. -.Q i-i-jrt Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 14^0 "R" St., Lincoln,.
» 472-1761,ore-miil<letters@un]info.unl:edu.
. aSaa> dude a phone number for v . ification