Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1999)
EDITOR Erin Gibson OPINION EDITOR Cliff Hicks EDITORIAL BOARD Nancy Christensen Brad Davis Sam McKewon Jeff Randall Bret Schulte Editorial Policy Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Spring 1999 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. _J Our VIEW Fickle fans Nebraskans should support indoor football Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what the people of Nebraska really want. Politically, they’re predictably conserva tive. Socially, they’re almost stereotypically Midwestern - polite and mild-mannered. But when it comes to professional sports, the confusion sets in. Starting Friday, Lincoln will be the home of an active professional sports team. Say hello to the Lincoln Lightning. It’s a pretty big deal. It’s a small sign that this town is becoming a real city. It’s a sym bol of metropolitan maturity. It’s entertain ment. Not since the Continental Basketball Association was represented by the Omaha Racers has a pro team come within a rea sonable distance of this town. And we all know what happened to them. Low ticket sales and general public dis interest sent the team packing. For a while, it looked as though professional sports wouldn’t touch Nebraska for a long time to come. But now the people of Nebraska have been given another chance. Granted, it’s not a chance with some prestigious, traditions filled organization like the NFL, NBA or NHL. This isn’t even arena football. It’s indoor football. It’s a small game with players of less-than-heroic stature. It won’t be on prime-time TV. It probably won’t be on television at all. But what the Lincoln Lighting really is - and what the people of Nebraska should view it as - is a test. For decades, Nebraskans have bragged about their steadfast allegiance to sports. We show off the record-breaking atten dance figures at Memorial Stadium, the packed houses for NU volleyball and the fast rise of the Lincoln Stars and Omaha Lancers. And after all the bragging is done, we’ve complained about the lack of professional sports in this deserving part of the country. But all that doesn’t really matter any more. Now that there’s a pro team in town, we can let our pocketbooks and filled seats do some real talking. We can raise eyebrows the next time franchise talks begin in one of the old school big leagues. We can put forth a seri ous case for a major pro team with Nebraska’s name on it. So, if you’re one of the sports nuts who obviously are quite numerous in this area, this is your chance to contribute to the cause. Go to the Lincoln Lightning games. Cheer loud. Invite your friends. Because if we’re going to get to the next level in pro sports, we have to sit through a Tew games that aren’t the Big Thing. And who knows, we might even have fun while we’re at it. 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. Lupo’s VIEW \nI oe.pee. -to piSPEll hasty rumors, PRjESiPEHT feiuu CuttJTONl HAP to caul. a PRESS CONFERENCE, pEoPUE- OF THE- U-S.; RECENT MVSlC REuEASe> YOUR FEARS can *R£ AOTVAU-Y PART BE uAtP To R£ST A PtA^ TO “,'PP ^ ~ UTlNG IN KOSOVO <<v£a»-K J I vNgg „, IT ® /^CT s DN LETTERS Not MY view I certainly hope that my student fees do not go to a campus newspaper that touts “Our View” as being one of sup porting the homosexual agenda. In the March 31 edition of the Daily Nebraskan, the “Our View” section dis cussed the promotion of a lifestyle which labors toward an end to the pro family movement. The Daily Nebraskan editorial board apparently supports this endeavor. The Daily Nebraskan editorial board has chosen to follow the scraping of the American hard work ethic. The days of working hard to get ahead are gone, and in its place a policy of crying victim to get your way has come to the forefront In this new order, there is no toleration for the norm, but only those on the fringes of society. The gay pride movement has a quandary on its hands. On one hand it wants the government to stay out of its bedrooms, yet on the other, it invites the government in to assist them under the guise of homosexual rights. Acceptance of homosexuality does not mean that we must offer special rights to them. What’s next? Special rights for Sandhills natives that grew up without MTV? Anthony J. Ferate Vicechairman Nebraska Federation of College Republicans senior political science Bottle on I am writing in response to the pro posed bottle club. I am from Nevada wueic me oars know no “last call.” i It is always a sur-^ prise to have a bouncer take my beer at 12:30 when I’m used to party-|| ing until sunrise.! The solution for™ Lincoln partygoers has long been the “after-hours” party. nowever, mese migni require a drive across town, and you might run into problems if you live on campus. This semester I was disci plined harshly for being caught with alcohol in my room on campus. It’s very annoying to be punished for an alcohol violation at the age of 21, but since my actions were in conflict with the sacred Student Code of Conduct, my grievance was deemed unjustified. Thus, I was pleased to hear of the alternative late night party option offered by Mr. Webb. I am not surprised to see the conserva tive do-gooders of the Lincoln commu nity try to shoot it down, but I am appalled to see students against it. I can’t believe that Andy Schuerman, the individual voted to voice the views of the student body, would make a state ment such as this, which undermines the freedoms UNL students have to make decisions about their own lives. By attending this university we for feit many rights that other American cit izens enjoy simply because the adminis tration thinks it will keep us safe. This sort of baby-sitting and controlling of student affairs has been on the rise at UNL in the past few years. The frighten ing thing is that university officials (and apparently some students) are trying to spread these paternalistic practices out side of campus and into private busi ness. If the university wants to battle binge drinking on campus, they have enough unconditional control over us to do so, but this can’t be allowed to tran scend into the rest of the community. People maintain the right to abstain from drinking alcohol themselves, to refuse to sell it to others and to punish those who commit crimes while intoxi cated, but no one should have the right to tell anyone else not to drink. Please, stop trying to rob people of their indi vidual liberties and mind your business! And Mr. Schuerman, remember your responsibilities, and try to get a better feel for the student consensus on a topic before you make such statements or you might become the first ASUN president to be impeached. Damon Nelson senior biology The pot and the kettle JJ., if I may call you J.J., I hate to say this, but while calling Dr. Crabb (the father of a good friend of mine) a hyp ocrite, you commit the same act your self. If I may quote: “But to look the truth in its eyes and spit in its face is another (thing).” And one paragraph later “I’m not being judgmental here... ”. Well J.J., it seems that you ARE being judgmental. Harshly in fact, and to say that you “know” what he may be feeling inside, is BS. You have no idea what it is to worry about your children’s safety when you send them off to school. To wonder if your 21 - year-old son is going to have his car bombed. Did you know his son found a brick in his car one night with a note on it that stated, “This could have been a bomb”? Do you KNOW what that feels like? I really doubt it, sir. And also, as to the Web site, it is NOT shut down. A court case was won against die company that had it up, but they transferred all of the assets to another company, so they were “suit proof.” The site is on the Web to this day. You can look it up if you try hard enough. Do you know what that is like? Do you know what it’s like to have an open contract on your life for any wacko to pick up and carry out? J.J., next time you say you know some thing, be a litde more careful. Eric Rost sophomore mechanical engineering