EDITOR
Paula Lavigne
OPINION
EDITOR
Jessica Kennedy
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Erin Gibson
Joshua Gillin
Jeff Randall
Julie Sobczyk
Ryan Soderlin
Our
VIEW
Set sail
for office
Democrats need
stronger leadership
Rub-a-dub-dub, three Republicans in a tub
... and they’re sailing away with the governor’s
job.
U.S. Rep. Jon Christensen has made it
clear: He wants to be governor, and so does
Lincoln’s Republican Mayor Mike Johanns
and Nebraska’s Republican State Auditor John
Breslow.
See something missing?
As the Republicans float happily along
with their coffers stuffed with cash, the
Nebraska Democratic Party is standing along
the shore, holding its sail in hand.
Lt. Gov/Kim Robak’s announcement that
she would not run for governor took the wind
right out of the Democrats’ sails. Her reason
ing was sound; she didn’t want to put her fam
ily through a potentially nasty campaign.
These are sentiments echoed by one-time
Republican Senate candidate Jan Stoney.
As it stands now, the Nebraska Democratic
Party is in a shambles; a wasted, shadowed
debacle. Today’s party is a far cry from its
proud days as a grass-roots organization which
monopolized local and state offices every elec
tion cycle.
There were days when the organization
reached out to the people, supported the neigh
borhoods and spoke up for the little people.
It was back when the Democratic Party had
some real leadership; Helen Boosalis, David
Hunter, Ken Haar, DiAnna Schimek, Jim
Exon, James Hoppner. But they are the old
blood, people who have already put in their
time.
So where is the young blood? Youth to lead
the Democratic Party in to the 21st century are
desperately needed. It needs strong leaders to
challenge a vibrant Republican Party and party
leaders.
Nebraska needs - deserves ideological
diversity in gubernatorial options. A single
party race fails to provide Nebraskans with the
choices to which they are entitled.
Now is the time for the Democratic Party to
revive itself and provide Nebraska with some
alternatives. Set fire to the driftwood, put some
wind in the sails, build a new boat.
Gary Randall, 2nd District chairman of the
Nebraska Democratic Party, named three pos
sible candidates in the race for governor;
Maxine Moul, state Sen. Ardyce Bohlke, Bill
Hoppner, and speculated an “independently
wealthy western Nebraska businessman”
might join the running.
But no one’s made the commitment.
The Republicans have been gearing up for
this race for four years, but the Democrats have
been sedate and complacent.
lncia Binning, executive director ot the
Nebraska Democratic Party, said the party is
eager to recruit candidates. This eagerness
should have been acted upon earlier. Three
Republicans have announced their intentions
to run, several are still considering entering the
contest and two have publicly announced they
won’t run.
Where are the Democrats?
The harm caused by the slow start during
this particular race may be irreparable, only
time will tell. But let this be a lesson to
Democrats: organize, revitalize and set sail.
EOMMNkl
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of
the Fall 1997 Daily Nebraskan. They do
not necessarily reflect the views of the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its
employees, its student body or the
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A column is solely the opinion of its author.
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Haney’s
VIEW
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DN
LETTERS
You’re wrong
In response to Trevor
McFarland’s letter to the editor (Art?
9/9/97), I’d like to set a few things
straight. First of all, students DO
NOT pay for any of the “so-called
artwork through campus.” Student
fees cover things like use of the
health center,, campus recreation,
ASUN and half-price tickets to the
Lied Center. The Sheldon Art
Gallery is one of the few organiza
tions on campus that does not
receive student fees of any kind. The
art is acquired through donations and
a private bequest that the Sheldon
has had for die last 60 years. So
please, Mr. McFarland, if you are
going to complain about something,
at least get your facts straight.
Tracy Welshans
UNL Alumnus
Lincoln
One for all
It is interesting that eric e.
crump’s compelling editorial on
racism should appear in the same
issue of the DN as the splashy article
entitled “Nebraska Barbie Scores
Big.” The advent of the blond, fair
skinned Barbie adds yet another
Caucasian icon to those revered
symbols of Nebraskanism; Little
Red and Herbie Husker, none of
whomappears to be bright enough to
attend any university. The explana
tion for Barbie’s blondness given in
the article .. that the original
Barbie doll has always been a blonde
and Caucasian doll” seems blatantly
inadequate when multiracial Barbies
have been made for a number of
years. An inquiry to the UNL
Athletic Department confirmed that
- the Nebraska Barbie is available only
as a blond Caucasian, “because that
determinatiotlwas made by Mattel.”
While all of these vanilla mas
cots may reffect my ethnic group
(English/Swedish), they most cer
tainly ignqj’e the large number of
non-Caue'asians who attend the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It is
no wonder that minority students
feel unrecognized at this university,
when so much emphasis is placed on
only the white members of the stu
dent body.
A number of international stu
dents have commented to us that
when they have tried to make friends
with white American students, they
have been met with cold responses.
Fortunately, the population of
Nebraska is becoming an increasing
ly diverse one. It is incumbent on the
university and its students to enjoy
the benefits that this diversity brings,
and to provide an interracial and
international milieu for everyone
who is part of the university family.
Jan Gradwohl
Visiting adjunct Professor of
Law
Sweet thoughts
Wednesday I spoke to Gregg in
class to let him know how much his
story touched me. I actually cried
when I read “Tiny Details.” I read it
more than once and I cried every
time. I guess these are the kinds of
things that make me emotional. I
think it’s a great thing when people
show their feelings of love and devo
tion to people that they care about,
sometimes they even care enough to
put it down in black-and-white. The
article was a wonderful portrayal of
new life and the love of this particu
lar brother and now uncle. Being the
older sister of a little brother, I hope
that my little brother remembers
“Tiny Details” as Gregg does and
with the same fondness.
The article has been cut out and
put up in my office and sent to a
friend who became a mom last week
also. I’m sure it will be redistributed
more than once. Uncle Gregg, how
great it will be when Kianna can
express the same love for you that
you have for her. I promise it won’t
take long.
Renae Drewel
Senior
English
Enforce it
While I share ASUN’s concern
with the pedestrian problems at the
intersection of 14th and Vine, as a
driver who crosses that intersection
at least twice-daily, changing the
streets to a one-way or installing
speed bumps does not address the
overwhelming problem of pedestri
ans who have not yet differentiated
the subtle difference between
“Walk” and “Don’t Walk” or a green
or red light. Perhaps the risk could be
minimized by making the intersec
tion “No Turn on Red,” and enforc
ing it. That way those who still insist
on walking against the light would
have a little more protection.
A second element of risk at the
same intersection is the large number
of drivers who are headed south
bound on 14th Street making a left
turn east on to Vine Street. They
assume that even though they were
just passing the recreation center lot
entrance when the light turned yel- •
low, they were “in the intersection,”
and proceeded to turn left long after
the light had changed to red, placing
pedestrians at risk. Again, I see this
as an enforcement problem.
ASUN might do well to turn their
efforts to pedestrian education,
encouraging pedestrians to heed the
lights, use crosswalks, use the side
walks (yes, they are there for some
thing besides drainage, bicycle race
ways, and access roads for universi
ty, construction and now Pepsi vehi
cles), rather than cutting through
parking lots or walking (or biking
against the traffic) in the middle of j
the street at the 14th and Vine loop.
A collision between a car and a
pedestrian (or bike) is really an
uneven match, regardless who’s at
fault. I’m amazed that injuries don’t
happen far more often given the vol
ume of traffic on campus.
Jerry Frobom
Associate Professor
University Libraries