EDITOR
Josh Funk
OPINION
EDITOR
Mark Baldridge
EDITORIAL
BOARD
Lindsay Young
Jessica Fargen
Samuel McKewon
Cliff Hicks
Our
VIEW
Let
it ride
Fines for casino
punishment enough
OK, the government has made its
point.
The State of Nebraska has said it
will continue to fine the Santee Sioux
Tribe $6,000 a day for operating the
Ohiya Casino on its reservation.
The tribe’s crime? Refusing to shut
down a business that adds a $400,000
payroll to a reservation struggling to
become self-sufficient.
Too bad that business happens to be
a casino. Federal law dictates that
unless state law allows the gaming
activities, tribes cannot practice those
activities on their reservations.
Last Friday a federal judge sur
prised many by dismissing a civil con
tempt lawsuit against Santee Sioux
leaders, who were sued for refusing to
close the casino. The judge ruled the
leaders no longer had the power to shut
the business down and should not be
held accountable for it because of a
recent tribal vote.
On Aug. 3, Santee members voted
66-11 that the tribal council could not,
under any circumstances, close the
casino without permission of the
tribe’s members.
Even though the judge agreed to
release tribal leaders from liability,
state and federal officials will continue
to penalize the tribe with the daily fine.
The tribe is breaking the law, and
whether a law is enforced cannot be
dependent on who is breaking it.
But no further action should be
taken. Let it ride for a couple of years.
The government must remember
why the casino is so important to the
reservation. When the people voted to
gain control over the casino, they voted
to help sustain their livelihood.
The tribe runs the casino out of an
old cafe, a small blue building that
looks like a shack compared to the big
time casinos in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The casino’s less than $1 million in
profits may seem like pocket change to
major casinos, but Ohiya provides 23
reservation jobs and attracts tourism
dollars into the community.
The casino is a clear asset on a
reservation with about 77 percent
unemployment.
The reservation cannot make much
improvement without aid. It needs
some way of creating revenue.
Unless the government gives the
750 tribal members who live on the
reservation a boost, they will have to
rely on their casino.
The word ohiya in the casino’s
name means “to win.”
Right now, nobody is winning.
Editorial Policy
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of
the Fall 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.
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The Daily Nebraskan welcomes brief
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but does not guarantee their publication.
The Daily Nebraskan retains the right to
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Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 20
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Obermeyer^s
VIEW
"'SoRR'f p/S, VJE’R'c #5 MILLION ^
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Kiss Your $ Goodbye
The Stadium parking garage has
some serious problems with the way
it is run.
I, along with many others, had to
wait in line on the fourth floor for at
least 35 minutes, and then I was not
given a refund for that time period
when I asked, after finally reaching
the window.
“I can’t give refunds,” said the
gentleman at the ticket office. “And
I’m gonna need another dollar,” he
smirked.
I informed him, because of the
half-hour wait, that it wasn’t my prob
lem and that I would not pay it!
I escaped from the garage only
after forking over the extra dollar that
I would not have owed except their
incompetence. Suffice it to say I’m
not going to give the parking garage a
penny more of my money!
I will gladly go to a competitor, or
seek alternative parking. The more
people who defect from this daily
‘proctology visit,’ the less money
they will get!
Park elsewhere, and let ’em know
how you feel!
Nancy Berg
senior
history
You Can Pick Your Friends,
and You Can Pick Your Nits
In Wednesday’s editorial, the DN
stated that unless a person (Shevin
Wiggins) “is found guilty, he is inno
cent, period.”
Of course, that’s not correct.
If it were true, then all of the mur
derers, rapists and thieves who
haven’t been caught yet would all be
innocent.
And if they’re all innocent, then
clearly no crime was committed, and
obviously the police are wasting their
time looking for these “innocent”
people.
I think what you meant to say was
that in this country a jury must con
sider a defendant innocent until a
prosecutor establishes guilt.
A guilty person is always guilty
whether or not he’s caught and con
victed.
I realize this sounds like nit-pick
ing, but I think journalists (especially
opinion writers) need to be held to a
higher standard, and slip-shod writ
ing has no place in any newspaper.
Curtis Bright
UNL class of 1990
DN
LETTERS
co
»
w
1
Mind-hive Your Own
Beeswax
I am one of the J.D. Edwards
scholars - the people who will be liv
ing in the Kauffman Center once it
opens.
The concerns expressed in your
Thursday editorial, though well
founded, are nothing that I or the pro
gram’s directors haven’t considered.
A common living area does not a
“mind hive” make. Despite the pro
gram’s computer science and man
agement focus, there are almost as
many different majors as there are
students.
And as we all realize, computers
are important only as they relate to
people.
Despite what your editorial (and
the previous day’s cartoon) might
suggest, we’re as different from each
other and involved in the university as
any other students.
Matthew Beermann
freshman
computer science ,
Three Cheers!
Lazy and slow, not to mention
unenthusiastic, is how I would
describe the mentality of the current
Comhusker fans.
Instead of cheering and yelling
for that great team we all love (you
know who you are), they hav<jr
become complacent and happy witBI
another victory.
You have been handed a precious
gift, please take good care of it. I wish
you could feel my depression when
the television is louder than the fans.
Get loud, get obnoxious, stand in
the wells all game, but show me you
are glad to be there.
What are they going to do? Make
you leave for cheering your team on
to victory?
In the Texas game last season, the
time outs at crucial possessions for
the Longhorns were dead silent as
Cornhusker fans felt sorry for them
selves, watching highlights of team
members, and other assorted spot
lighted happy things that flashed in
front of zombie faces.
It is damn depressing. Do not let
this happen to you! It is a disease that
is catching.
You have much to be proud of this
year and much to look forward to.
Win or lose, your classmates will give
it their all. Will you?
Luke Finken
Glenwood, IA
UNL class of 1998
