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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 1998)
EDITOR Erin Gibson OPINION EDITOR Cliff Hicks. EDITORIAL BOARD Nancy Christensen Brad Davis Sam McKewon Jeff Randall Bret Schulte i Our VIEW Public nuisance Cal Thomas ’attack on schools ridiculous In the last few years, it has become com monplace to criticize the effectiveness, the safety and the overall quality of public schools. Indeed, test scores and random bursts of violence have given fodder to this rhetoric, and voucher programs in several states have turned the rhetoric into action. But a few weeks ago in Omaha, syndicat ed columnist Cal Thomas - a man whose pen chant for the religious right and moral conser vatism has been duly noted - crossed all lines of reasonable debate when he spoke at a fund raiser for Central Christian Schools. In his keynote address to about 600 CCS supporters, Thomas vehemently lambasted public schools across the nation, at one point claiming he didn’t want to criticize public schools; he wanted to “bury them.” Putting the blame for the behavior of American youths on a lack of moral instruc tion, Thomas called for an injection of good old-fashioned Christianity into curriculums across the country. He trashed multicultural education, claim ing that learning to appreciate (or at least toler ate) other cultures was taking time away from the basic readin’/writinV’rithmetic education. He lamented the removal of the Bible from the public school system and the arrival of the metal detector. AncUfter he left, the debate raged on, cul minating Friday with a decision by the Elmwodd-Murdock School District to with draw from all high-school athletic competi tions with CCS. While it would be easy to point out the countless flaws in Thomas’ argument for the Conversion of public education, we at the Daily Nebraskan would rather use Thomas’ comments as an opportunity to illustrate the unfair maligning of public schools, particular ly by right-wing politicos. as proponents oi iamiiy yaiues ana me teachings of the church, moral conservatives - seem to place an unwieldy burden on public schools to be guiding lights for children. And on the fiscal side, many of these con servatives call for tax cuts and reduced fund ing for federal programs that would help the * schools they seem to despise so thoroughly. If Thomas and his ilk had their way, Christianity would run roughshod through government and education on an equal level. Their disregard for those with conflicting beliefs, their lack of sympatlw for those less fortunate than them and their lack of compe tency when it comes to cause-effect relation ships are the institutions that should be buried. For now, Thomas’ ignorance and CCS’ compliance with it has only resulted in the cancellation of a few sporting events. V But if such ideas are left unchallenged, we may face the cancellation of much more, including some of the very ideas upon which this country was founded. Editorial Policy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Fall 1998 Daily Nebraskan. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its student body or the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. A column is solely the opinion of its author. The Board of Regents serves as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by the Daily Nebraskan Editorial 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 editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its student employees. Letter Policy The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief letters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guarantee their publication. The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to edit or reject any material submitted. Submitted material becomes property of the Daily Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous submissions will not be published. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name, year in school, major and/or group affiliation, if any. Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 34 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St. Lincoln, NE. 68588-0448. E-mail: letters@unlinfo.unl.edu. I* ix ;T? ! v- *». ■ '■ ' - 'Mook’s VIEW f LXfiCQLtJ gny council Mccr-cN6.. • l -XtCAi TB UHCoUi P / <■ cMT^P' $mT TO TWO WMV> j t'-,, / 2.M>te Anaper^mj^R~ r—^ % PS ■ . //j P'S? /—JUtt£JWTb TBp none OF/'JPr-rti Tffl ^ J f-——-^-jggWAV Ml -—M DN LETTERS Rockin’ in the school world Right on. Todd Munson hit the nail on the head in Tuesday’s Daily Nebraskan col umn “‘Rocky’ road: The Huskers have taken a turn similar to Balboa’s fall from grace.” I want to say that I am in full agree ment. The Husker football team needs to quit getting involved in other things outside of school and football. After all, they are college students, and if they want to take time to get involved in pro motions and other activities, they will have time after they leave UNL or grad uate. I am still confident my favorite football team will beat Kansas State and go on to the Big 12 championship, but they aren’t going to get it done going at it the way they have been. As for the fans of Nebraska football, remember, it isn’t the end. We’ve been down before. We have a young team, a new coach and we still have a winning record. Sam Mortensen sophomore agriculture education s Save it Qfy In Monday’s issue of the 'HfjsL' DN, the column “Double Standard” (Tasha Kuxhausen) ( brought forth some troubling « T issues to me. I’ll be honest, I] *41lL disagree with many of the \ rff* author’s opinions. f\ \ 11 Q , First of all, the state- / . \ y* / ment that “kids are going / % \f to have sex” seems to be \ V the notion of today’s [ society. WHY? Why as a || culture do we have to accept this? Can we not, as an advanced civiliza tion, change the accepted V:j norm from pleasure seeking I: to one of morality? Yes, we 1 can. ' If parents won ’t teach their \* | children, then the author is cor- <||| rect in saying the schools must. '# Children should be taught about the diseases and the conse- W quences, but why not focus the jwj education on the purpose of sex? For those who may still not know the intent of sex, let me tell you, and in doing so, I will use a religious stand point The purpose of sex is twofold. 1) Procreation, and 2) An expression of love between two married people. Many people only take a portion of this explanation to justify having sex. Using an excuse, such as “I really love this person, and I want to share with them in this special way,” is not what God intended sex for. The objective is rather the acceptance of both reasons together. With sex comes the responsibility of procreation. If people are not ready for that responsibility by using contra ceptives, they should not be partaking in sexual activity, and if they are ready for die responsibility, they should love each other enough to be married. As humans, and the more intelligent beings on earth, shouldn’t we stop abusing sex just to seek pleasure? The author also states that “Marriage is for monogamy.” I would like to add to that. Not only is marriage for monogamy, but sex is for monogamy, meaning one partner, for ever. This brings me to die idea of sav ing oneself for that special person you will marry. The idea is known as absti nence. Schools should be teaching chil dren to wait until they find the one they love enough to marry and are willing to create life with. Sex is a “natural thing” and “part of life.” More than that, however, it is a gift, a privilege two married people can share with each other. I am a virgin. I’m proud of my choice to remain abstinent Through my faith and my parents instilling in me die morality and educa tion about sex, and the choices that come with it I have made my decision. Maybe I’m just a-lucky exception to these times, but why can’t we make the exception the norm? Are we afraid to set a new standard? Think about it. Anthony Egelhoff junior civil engineering Peru State the facts We here at PSC read your editorial on why Peru should close its doors. As die editor of the Peru State Times, may \ I compliment you on your \.JW"—X' writing style and mili •V » '"'“''7^ tant delivery. We X:..., appreciate good writ ing. However, there were a few things mentioned that we were confused about. We ||; \v debated over how to 7 inform you of your . j miscommunica *1 tions, and finally decided a trip to Peru W State College might be an educational adventure for you. So, ; with that, we, the staff of the Peru State Times, would like to extend a formal invi tation to you and your staff to visit our campus in the near future. We would love to give you a full tour and show you what makes our college so special. . ~ , i Harold Davis V editor in chief > Peru State Times __:_._._X 1 ; i vl