_National_
Spotlight
Clinton prepares America
for airstrikes against Iraq
WASHINGTON (AP) - President
Clinton, preparing Americans for possi
ble airstrikes against Iraq, said Tuesday
that military force is never the first
answer, “but sometimes it’s the only
answer.”
Cautioning that an attack would not
be risk free, the president said, “I know
that die people we may call upon in uni
form are ready. The American people
have to be ready as well.”
Clinton used a Pentagon setting and
a nationally televised speech to define
military goals and a rationale for action.
He said airstrikes would leave
Saddam “significantly worse off than
he is now.” And if one attack does not
achieveUS. goals, “we will be prepared
to strike him again,” the president said.
Clinton said U.N. inspectors
charged with dismantling Saddam’s
biological, chemical and nuclear
weapons have encountered “lies,
stonewalling, obstacle after obstacle
after obstacle” in the seven years since
the Gulf War.
If Saddam is not stopped now,
Clinton said, “He will conclude that the
international community has lost its
will. He will then conclude that he can
go right on and do more to rebuild an
arsenal of devastating destruction.”
“And some day, some way, I guaran
tee you, he’ll use the arsenal,” the presi
dent said. He said Saddam “could end
this crisis tomorrow simply by letting
the weapons inspectors complete their
mission.”
“Iraq must understand that our
patience is not infinite,” Defense
Secretary William Cohen said. “And at
some point we will have to act to reduce
the menace posed by Iraq’s weapons of
mass destruction and to reduce Iraq’s
ability to threaten its neighbors.
Clinton is expected to continue his
public focus on Iraq in coming days,
and theWhite House said he may even
tually address die nation from the Oval'
Office.
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Quality Jobs bill questioned
Recent criticism of the Nebraska
Legislature spurred new debate on an
economics bill in its final round Tuesday.
LB939, a bill sponsored by
Omaha Sen. Pam Brown, would
restructure the state's Quality Jobs
Act to attract a $50 million
Caterpillar plant toOmaha.
The Quality Jobs Act was a failed
attempt to lure a computer software
plant to Omaha in 1995.
But on Tuesday Sen. Ernie
Chambers of Omaha introduced a
measure that would essentially kill
the bill for this session.
Chambers said his motion was in
response to criticism from a group of
49 Nebraska business leaders who
said they no longer have confidence
in the Legislature's effectiveness at
cutting the state budget
Earlier this month the group
announced it would seek to bring a
constitutional amendment to voters
in November. The amendment would
set guidelines for die Legislature and
governor in planning the budget
Chambers said their criticism was
“inappropriate and off-base.”
“What they’ve done is at least
ungrateful... and it’s unfair,” he said.
Several other senators, including
Sens. George Coordseo of Hebron, a
co-sponsor of the bill, and Jennie
Robak of Columbus said they were
confused and perplexed by the
group’s criticism and would support
postponing the bill until understand
ing between the business community
and senators could be reached.
The Legislature adjourned before
voting on die motion.
Provisional licenses debated
The Legislature debated LB320, a
bill sponsored by Sen. ArdyceBohlke of
Hastings, that wodd create aprovisional
driverfe license for teen-age drivers.
Instead of a full license, a provi
sional operator’s license, or POP
license, would be issued to 16- to 18
year-old drivers. The license would
be valid for one year, during which
the holder would be limited to driving
between 6 a.m. and midnight, unless
traveling to or from work or school.
License holders would be required
to complete a driving course or 50 hours
of driving practicewith a licensed driver
before receiving a full license.
An amendment introduced by
Chambers would lessen die charge for
violation of a learner’s permit or farm
permit from a misdemeanor to a minor
infraction, which would match the
penalty for violation of the POP license..
Under another amendment intro
duced by Sen. Curt Bromm of
Wahoo, licenses issued to minors
would expire on their21st birthday.
A new license would be issued
with a different colored background,
and the word “minor” would be
removed, indicating the holder is old
enough to purchase alcohol.
Both amendments passed and the
bill moved to final reading.
Compiled by Assignment
Reporter Todd Anderson
j
“I live paycheck to paycheck just
like you do, but people appreciate a
politician who goes through the good
times and bad times just like everyone
aIca ”
CISC.
An easy choice
Shoecraft said his stepfather con
centrated on molding him into a
responsible, disciplined man
Shoecraft said his stepfather saw
something in the young high school
athlete - something different than in
t’s two older brothers who
out to lead a life on Munciefc
“He was an ex-military man,”
Shoecraft said, “I didn’t figure out until
after I graduated from high school and
got a scholarship - he was always
yelling at me and focusing mi me -then
I realized he was trying to instill disci
pline and focus in me, and it worked.”
On his fast recruiting visit to UNL,
Shoecraft said, he experienced culture
shock because people were so friendly.
Shoecraft quickly called home to
tell his family he would accept NU’s
scholarship offer.
He told his parents he accepted the
scholarship not because of the coaches
or the basketball arena, but because of
the people.
“I was walking down O Street, and
people kept saying, ‘Howdy,’ and ‘Hi,
how are you?’ and I was just shocked,
thinking, ‘What did they want from
me?’ because I wasn’t used to that”
When it can’t be done
Though most of his time here has
been positive, Shoecraft said, he has
experienced adversity in Lincoln -
including racism.
“I’d be foolish to say some people
here don’t look at your skin color,
because I know they do, but not so
much as other communities” te said
, Shoecraft was met with skepticism
when he announced his candidacy for
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I’m young, and I’ve got a lot of skills and
talent, and I’ve got to keep focusing those in
the right direction and keep working hard.”
Jerky Shoecraft
Lincoln city councilman
an at-large city council position.
He said people told him a black
man would have no chance in a city that
hadn’t elected a Mack person in more
than 20 years.
“When someone says it can’t be
done, that’s what motivated me in poli
tics,” Shoecraft said
Ed Wimes, a senior assistant to
Mayor Mike Johanns, has known
Shoecraft for more than 10 years, and
worked with him in the city council
“He stays involved with what’s
going on in the community,” Wimes
Said.
Wimes said Shoecraft was an
“instrumental” leader in the cityls mul
ticultural advisory committee - a group
that reports on the cultural climate of
Lincoln.
Some of Shoecraft s greatest
accomplishments in city council,
Shoecraft said, include raising
$100,000 in six months to build an
indoorplayground at 27th and A streets,
making child care more accessible and
securing a$l million grant for commu
nity-based policing.
“I hope I give people - other
minorities - encouragement to nm for
public office,” he said. “Andthatis one
of the biggest things I hope tiiat came
about by me being an elected official
here in Lincoln, Nebraska.”
Confidence for the future
Shoecraft said he was considering a
run for the Lincoln mayor’s seat, but
with a real estate venture he is pursuing,
hefe put future politics cm hold. But the
Legislature may see Shoecraft in its
chambers one day, he said.
For now, Shoecraft is concentrating
on completing real estate school, after
which he will work for Lincoln’s
HOME Real Estate.
This real estate position, along
with a plan to market basketball T
shirts through Shoecraft, Me., will
help Shoecraft meet his goal of “build
ing capital wealth” for him, his wife of
eight years and his four children.
“I don’t have everything I want in
life yet,” Shoecraft said. “I’m young,
and I’ve got a lot of skills and talent,
and I’ve got to keep focusing those in
the right direction and keep working
hard.”
The real estate business will go
well, Shoecraft said, because of his
honesty, integrity and sales skills.
“It will work out,” he said. “I can
sell an Eskimo a swimsuit. It will
work out - I’m confident about that”
In anything Shoecraft does, he
said, he has a confident, cocky atti
tude, something he tries to pass along
to his children.
Buchanan said his old friend h^$
always been a “go-getter.”
“He wanted to make a statement
in life,” Buchanan said, “and these are
the things he’s done to make that
statement”
Through racism, political adversi
ty in the city council and negative
media coverage, Buchanan sai4
Shoecraft has “kept his head up and
kept moving on.”
Shoecraft said, “People
throw punches, but no one will
never, ever knock me down -
ever. v.; -. f.
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