EDITOR
Paula Lavigne
OPINION
EDITOR
Matthew Waite
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Erin Gibson
Joshua Gillin
Jeff Randall
Julie Sobczyk
Ryan Soderlin
I
Our
VIEW
From the execution of Robert Williams:
“Whatcan be said.I appreciate-I just
appreciate living long enough to be blessed
by so many people that God has led into
my life, and my last statement would be
that I hope that this incident will inspire
other people to find another way and I
thank you all, especially Mr. Stenberg, J.
Kirk Brown, Brother Nelson and Brother
Moore. I appreciate them. I have no ani
mosity toward them. I love them and I’m
on my way home. Thank you.”
the last words of Robert Williams, who
was put to death Tuesday for murdering two
women in 1977
“It just didn’t take long. I had to wait
20 years for this.”
Wayne Earl Rowe, who found his wife
murdered at the hands of Williams in 1977,
on the execution
“I am sorry, Mr. Rowe. I love you,
brother.”
Williams, to Rowe, while strapped to the
electric chair
“We have forgiven Mr. Williams, but
will never forgive, nor forget what he did
20 years ago.”
Tom Rowe, Rowe’s son
“When the curtains opened, he was
grinning, he was smiling, and he looked
like he was happy. It was incredible how
calm he was, how at ease he was... he was
ready to go.”
Brad Stephens, an anchorman for KETV
Channel 7 in Omaha, on what he saw prior to
the execution
was with him; God truly gives peace that
defies understanding.”
Joy Stevens, whom Williams requested as
one of his witnesses
“I just witnessed a birth into heaven of
the most good and beautiful man I’ve ever
known. This is an act of violence and despi
cability by the state of Nebraska -1 am
ashamed to be in the state of Nebraska.”
Marylyn Feilon, Williams ’spiritual advis
er *. . •
“It was a somber experience. It doesn’t
get easier with time. In a sense, it’s cumu
lative and becomes more difficult”
Gov. Ben Nelson, who has been governor
for all three executions this decade
“People are fascinated by power, and
taking someone’s life is about the most
powerful thing you can do.”
Richard Dienstbier, a UNL psychology
professor, on the level of public interest in
executions
“It’s a lose, lose, lose situation today.
Mr. Williams lost, his family lost, his
friends lost, the victims lost... Nobody
won today.”
Robynn Tysver, an Associated Press
reporter
9
Haney’s
VIEW
DN
LETTERS
Why should they care?
This is in regard to the article about
decreased buyback prices for students
because of faculty irresponsibility.
Why should the faculty members
care that they are causing the students to
lose more money than they already do
r on -textbooks? They do not have to pur
chase the books. The faculty members
are not affected in any way by this. They
can turn the lists in as late as they want
and no one is going to dock their pay or
fine them for not meeting a deadline, so
why should they care at all?
It is not enough that we pay their
salaries? I am sure that if there was
some way to “punish” them for missing
the deadline for the textbook list, like
ur\imicb” 11c miccinn norvar
-j i---~-o
deadlines, they would be able to get
them in on time with no problems.
It really disgusts me that the faculty
has such little regard for the financial
stress that is places on college students.
If they had any regard for our situa
tion at all, they would not be acting in
this manner. Wouldn’t it be nice to be
able, as students, to hold our professors
to the same deadlines as they hold us to?
Dawnel Morrissey
junior
biological science
Scientifically illiterate
In his recent book, “The Demon
Haunted World. Science as a Candle in
the Dark,” the late Carl Sagan made the
point that perhaps 95 percent of
Americans are “scientifically illiterate”
He goes on to describe the dire con
sequences of this majority achieving
positions in life where they might be
responsible for making public policy or
even writing newspaper editorials.
I was particularly dismayed at the
lack of understanding of quantitation
and logic in the Thursday editorial
which chastised faculty for not return
ing their book orders in a timely fashion.
The related story on Page 1 reported
that the bookstore has yet to receive 25
percent of the spring ’98 book orders
from faculty. The editorial manages to
translate this into “Only one quarter of
our faculty cares enough to...”
The editorial writer is farther indig
nant that “As of today, only two depart
ments in the entire university met the
book list deadline of Oct. 24.” Indeed,
that statement is true, but it will be as
true next year as it was on Oct. 25.
_r*___• i
x viuu^o 11 o 11111 v iv/i an vuiiuiiai
questioning whether our hundreds of
integrative studies courses actually
expose students to such topics as critical
thinking, creative thinking, analysis of
controversies, exploration of assump
tions and consequences of intellectual
bias.
Let me propose that my department
supply your editors with biochemistry
majors to proof your editorials. We have
170 of the highest ability students
attending UNL. In addition to being
adept at critical thinking, each and every
one can write poetry in the form ofXY
plots and filet a catfish with a graphing
calculator.
Think about it
John Markwell
professor of biochemistry
Historical repetitions
In his Thursday column, Mr.
Hickenbottom writes that basically the
United States is not using diplomacy. If
we would have treated Germany after
WWII as we are now treating Iraq, it is
very easy to conceive that Germany
would have again repeated history a
third time.
Having served six months during
Desert Shield and Desert Storm and
having lost friends to the Iraqi
Republican Guard, we should have
taken the steps we did with Germany
with Iraq.
Germany is still an occupied coun
try. The Canadians, Americans and
British still have troops stationed there.
Their constitution does not allow them
to deploy their army into an offensive
campaign, which is why Germany
could not supply troops to Desert
Storm. The German government after
the war was completely and totally built
anew.
If we would have done these things
to Iraq after their defeat, we wouldn’t
need to have the buildup we have there
today.
Also foreign policy and domestic
policy are inseparable. With us having
applied the measures used after
Germany’s defeat, the Ufciffed States i
would have a stronghold in'die Persian
Gulf area and would have secured an oil
source for the future. ; 5
Mr. Hickenbottom is young and has j
not done any military service, I assume, j
and is lucky to live in a country were he
only has to register and is no longer
required to serve, as many countries of
the world require of their young men.
So no, Iraq has not suffered enough.
Thomas Seberger
senior
computer science
Editorial Policy
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