EDITOR
Erin Gibson
OPINION
EDITOR
Cliff Hicks
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Nancy Christensen
' Brad Davis
Sam McKewon
Jeff Randall
Bret Schulte
.
• ■ - ■
Our
VIEW
In the
buffer zone
Ordinance won’t
deny freedoms
There is a very fine line between free
speech and harassment.
Next week, the City Council will vote
on whether or not a buffer zone is necessary
at the Westminster Presbyterian Church,
where Rescue the Heartland has held
protests every Sunday for the last 20
months.
The reason for the protest is that a mem
ber of the church’s governing body, Dr.
Winston Crabb, performs abortions, and
Rescue for die Heartland wants him to dis
continue the practice and repent.
We will not take a stance on abortion,
because we’re divided as an Editorial
Board on that deeply personal matter.
Neither will we, as the governing voices of
a newspaper, place undue limits on free
speech. But we support this narrowly tai
lored buffer zone.
In accordance with their First
f Amendment rights, which we support, pro
testers have held up large signs with very
graphic images in front of children and
adults in public. But the verbal assaults
church members claim have occurred,
including personal threats, are criminal
offenses and not protected in the Bill of
Rights.
Church members say they are con
cerned about their children and claim pro
testers have attacked both them and their
children by physically shaying 6-foot pic
tures of bloody, mutilated fetuses in their
faces and by yelling at them with a ferocity
that has driven some churchgoers to attend
other churches.
Some in Lincoln have said a buffer zone
moving protesters across the street from the
church’s entrance would protect protesters’
rights to free speech while protecting the
churchgoers’ well-being and their right to
assemble peaceably and worship.
Others said a buffer zone would be
unconstitutional, because it is directed
against a particular viewpoint and wouldn’t
give protesters the ability to promote their
message.
We support a buffer zone that prevents
harassment while protecting free speech.
The protesters’ viewpoint is not an issue —
their tactics are. The protesters can promote
their message from across the street.
Until the ordinance’s fate is decided...
To the churchgoers of Westminster: If
you think you are being harassed or assault
ed, notify the police. While protesters do
have die right to protest, you also have the
right to protect yourself and your children.
To the members of the protest: While we
understand your dedication to your cause,
and while we support your freedom of
speech, we urge you to be careful not to
harass rather than protest, or to assault
rather than educate.
A little wise judgment on both sides of
this issue will help.
Editorial Fodlp
Unsigned edttorials are the opinions of
the Spring 1998 Daily Nebraskan. They
do not necessarily reflect the views of the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its
employees, its student body or the
. Unwereity of Nebraska Board of Regents.
A odumn is solely the opinion of Ms author.
Tte Branl of Regerts serves as publisher
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.?f Jp pQ ffl
; Board, established by
. the regents, supervises the production
of the paper. According to poficy set by
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content of the newspaper lies solely in
the hands of Ms student employees.
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* - Mook’s
Houses of the homeless
Finally someone has had the
courage to stand up for the proposed
homeless removal act that has cap
tured the attention of die campus for
the past three weeks. In his letter,
printed on Wednesday, A1 Koenig did
a wonderful job of explaining why
those who support this measure do
so; and guess what? It really is a case
of simple hatred and ignorance just
like most of us knew all along.
In his letter Koenig actually does
a fairly effective job of suggesting
that there may be something to the
argument that the homeless in the
union are a danger to the students
who attempt to use it. However, his
argument is rendered impotent by his
heavy use of hate-filled references to
groups that range from the homeless
to illegal aliens. Dr. Koenig’s hate is
truly alarming, and the ignorance dis
played by someone responsible for
the education of young minds is hor
rifying.
Not all homeless people are
bums, and while I do not know for
sure, I feel safe in saying that some of
those who use the union to tret nut of
the elements were once hard-working
individuals who were dealt a rough
blow by life.
I am in agreement with Bill Roby,
executive director of Daywatch, that
the answer to this problem lies not in
making the union more homeless
friendly, but in providing them with
someplace else to be, where they can
receive professional assistance. I for
one would love to have some of my
student fees diverted to this cause, or
better yet, have Koenig’s salary
diverted to it. These are the kind of
pro-active helpful suggestions that
are needed to solve this problem. The
university has a choice that is simple.
Either we can support small-minded
hatred and pass the motion as is, or
we can try to find a good compro
mise. I hope we do the latter, and let
Koenig and the other less brave indi
viduals who feel the same way know
their hatred will not become the offi
cial policy of this university.
v John Walters
first year
College of Law
Just doing my job
I am writing in response to A1
Koenig’s letter to the editor printed
Wednesday:
As president of the Association of
DN
LETTERS
Students of the University of
Nebraska, I am, as Koenig pointed
out, one of many elected to represent
the students of the University of
Nebraska - a difficult job, I readily
admit. I cannot be everywhere and
see everything. No one individual
person can. But that is why I am not
the only member of student govern
ment. Other students are elected for
the same purpose: to attempt to repre
sent the students to the best of our
ability. Collectively, we can aim to
better represent the students here.
At our meeting last week, we
voted to oppose the idea of restricting
certain areas in the union to non-stu
dents. I am not going to speak for the
rest of the representatives, but will
give you my opinion on the issue at
hand.
I understand the task of Union
Board is a difficult one. If there are
perceived safety concerns, then
Union Board has to address these
concerns and come up with possible
solutions. Address it as such then - a
safety issue. Stereotyping any group
of people and labeling it as dangerous
is not die answer. Address die individ
uals who create the problem, and
don’t look to restrict a group of peo
ple because it somehow seems easier.
Union Board and Director Swanson
have not done this, they do not even
have a motion yet to put such a policy
1« «%1nAA 12ll4 IfAll AAAtM 4a Unfl4«lir
^WVV. J VI* VWAU IV X WUXI UUUIUJ
to judgment.
I am often at the union until clos
ing time and by myself. I understand
the desire to feel safe in the Nebraska
Union. I have no way of knowing the
intent of anyone to cause me harm -
student or non-student.
But I do not believe that it is lim
ited to a safety issue. I believe it is
also a discomfort issue. People at the
university are uncomfortable with
certain people in the union. I do not
believe this is a valid reason to restrict
a group of people from the union. I
can be just as uncomfortable, for the
same or other reasons, with a student
at any given time as I can with a non
student. That is for me, personally.
But many people turn to the president
when they feel strongly one way or
another. I get phone calls and e-mail
and people dropping by to express
their opinions. I have heard opinions
on both sides of the issue and contin
ue to hear these things. Nevertheless,
the majority of what I am hearing is
that this is not the right solution.
Obviously, I cannot talk to every
one and get their individual opinions,
and when issues are at hand, I cannot
wait to act until I talk to EVERY indi
vidual on campus. I can only respond
when the issue is pertinent and I have
a good sense of where the students I
come in contact with are coming
from. If I wait, it becomes a non
issue. Then I am a contributing party
to the slow-moving bureaucracy of
this institution - and that is NOT why
I’m here. I am here to act, to put
things in motion and to promote cam
puswide dialogue. And, if you want
me to resign for doing my job to the
best of my ability -1 won’t
Sara Russell
senior
mathematics major
ASUN president
They’re our roads, too!
The young “ragtag” renegades
you witnessed downtown are part of a
movement called Critical Mass. The
purpose of Critical Mass is not neces
sarily to advocate bike lanes as your
editorial implied; it is to spread
awareness of bicyclists and to send a
message to motorists: We are not
blocking traffic, we are traffic.
Personally, we ride bikes as our only
form of transportation; we are not rid
ing for health or to anger motorists.
Some of us cannot afford cars, and
some of us see that it’s not practical
for each individual to drive his or her
VYTU VCU U/ VOIU|/U0.
In cities all over the world, includ
ing here in America, bike lanes have
been incorporated into city planning.
The real challenge would be to
change motorists’ attitudes, not the
lines in the pavement. You say the
answer to the problem is to simply be
a better cyclist. If you have ridden in
downtown Lincoln, you would know
it is the motorists who are most often
discourteous to bicyclists. My sister,
my best friend and I have all been hit
by cars while observing the rules of
courtesy and caution recommended
by Mr. Dockhom. It is NOT SAFE to
ride a bicycle in the streets of down
town Lincoln, and it is illegal to ride
on the sidewalks. A solution must be
found, and Critical Mass is working
toward one.
Olivia Brown
< sophomore
Spanish and education
Elizabeth Goodbrake
sophomore
" international studies
