Obermeyer’s
VIEW
EDITOR
Josh Funk
4
OPINION
EDITOR
Mark Baldridge
EDITORIAL
, BOARD
Lindsay Young
Jessica Fargen
Samuel McKewon
Cliff Hicks
Kimberly Sweet
I
EditerialPalicy
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 erf its author.
The Board of Regents serves as publisher
of the Daily Nebraskan; policy is set by
the Daily Nebraskan Editorial Board. Tne
UNL Publications Board, established by
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the hands of its student employees.
Our
VIEW
Future
investment
Debt cancellation
step an admirable one
On the 30th of September, President
Clinton announced that the United
States would cancel 100 percent of debt
owed to the United States by the world’s
poorest countries, provided the money
was spent on basic human needs.
His statement was made at a joint
meeting of the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund and laid
down a direct challenge to other credi
tors to do the same.
Explaining the decision, Clinton
said: “Simply put, unsustainable debt is
helping to keep too many poor coun
tries and poor people in poverty.” He
called debt cancellation a “moral and
economic imperative at this moment of
global consensus.”
On October 5, both the New York
Times and The Washington Post came
out in support of the president’s bold
pledge.
“Debt relief is not expensive” stated
the Times. “It is hard to believe that
Congress would balk at that...”
The Washington Post was more
emphatic:
“Debt relief is a bargain for the
United States, which had lent compara
tively little to poor countries and has
already written off most of the loans.”
America’s prosperity is paralleled
by poverty in countries where 40 mil
lion people die of hunger annually and
1.3 billion survive on less than a dollar
a day.
As the world leader, the United
States is poised to take a necessary step
in aid to poor countries, but if it acts in
time it need not act alone.
The Jubilee 2000 Coalition is an
international movement in more than
40 countries advocating a debt-free
start to the millennium for a billion
people.
Taking its name and message from
the Biblical book of Leviticus, the
group has earned wide attention for its
radical program of global debt forgive
ness to poor countries.
It is partly in response to this move
ment that Clinton made his promise.
The DN wholeheartedly supports
the premise that debts forgiven to poor
countries constitute merit for our coun
try, both now and for the future. Debts
which can be collected only at the
expense of badly needed humanitarian
aid are not just debts.
If, in the long run, Third World and
developing countries can take their
places on the world stage, it will be
partly because richer countries like the
United States would not let debt stand
before humanity.
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Eleven “Planets”?
This is for all those Bible-read
ing/believing people like myself:
Ever wonder why Jesus compared
“lilies of the field” to “Solomon in all
his glory” (Matt. 6:28-29). I did until
I was sitting in Genetics 301 and
learned that lilies, or at least some
types of lilies, have around 10 times
the genome size as humans.
Ever wonder why Joseph
dreamed that “the sun and the moon
and the eleven stars made obeisance”
(Genesis 37:9). I have had a feeling
for a long time that “stars” actually
means planets. So, I was not sur
prised to read that some scientists
think that there is some evidence that
indicates a massive 10th planet
beyond Pluto.
Maybe 10 years from now they
will find the eleventh planet that I
think is out there.
John M. Engelman
senior
biology
A Christian Perspective
Addressing Jeremy Patrick’s col
umn (DN, Oct. 14), I agree with him
that religion is a crutch for many peo
ple and can cause more harm than
good. However, not for all of ,us.
I am a devout Christian, but I hate
to tell anyone that anymore because
of the negative connotation the term
has.
It’s sad, really, that people like
Jeremy are ridiculed and held down
by people who pretend to preach love
and unity.
Do these people really claim to be
doing God’s work? I’m from
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DN
LETTERS
Wyoming, and last year’s murder of
Matthew Shepard got to be a hot
topic. It made me sick that
“Christian” leaders were protesting
outside his funeral.
It made me hate to be associated
with people like that.
However, after a trip to check out
the UNL campus, I was flying home
and happened to be sitting by the
Episcopal priest who oversaw
Matthew’s funeral.
After meeting him and many
other great people, I can say that,
even if there is no God or heaven or
hell, I’m glad to be a Christian
because of the great deeds and morals
that lie in the true practice of the reli
gion.
I just hope more people realize
this and stop tying their political
agendas and hatred tQ Christianity
just to get attention. Maybe then peo
ple like Jeremy won’t have to defend
their beliefs to 4-year-olds and other
people with the same mental capaci
ty.
Greg Hartman
freshman
computer science
Cartoon Universe
In a universe of possible ways of
knowing, potentially understanding
and respecting others, what Jessie?
Flanagain (DN, Oct. 14) actually
demonstrates with shrill prattle, cari
catures and slights at gays and les
bians is that it requires a willful and
practiced ignorance to reduce
“homosexuality” to “immorality”
and defamation.
It remains unclear to my mind
what it is about two adults of the same
sex attempting to love and respect
one another that could cause such dis
may.
Apparently, the high volume of
protestations against homosexuality
must be sustained to drown out the
most obvious: THIS collegiate com
munity includes gay and lesbian folks
living fruitful lives that do not resem
ble the cartoon narrative in Jessica’s
mind.
Layton Brooks
graduate student
A Different Agenda
The foremost goal of the homo
sexual community, Jessica, is not to
redefine the American family. It is to
be accepted. Notjoved, liked or
embraced by all.
Of course not everyone is going to
be willing to accept homosexuals.
There are many people out there who
are unwilling to accept others who
exhibit any characteristic that may
differ from their own. There are so
many of these people that there is a
name for them. They are known as
ignorant bigots.
You take one author who makes
the claim “Americans were thinking
and acting like gays by participating
in a number of short-lived sexual
adventures either in place of or along
side long-term relationships” and you
leap to the preposterous conclusion
of die societal “acceptance of sexual
immorality.”
If you are to attribute the origins
of one-night stands and adultery to
the gay community, I think your para
noia should be monitored and possi
bly treated.
Jon Bonge
alumnus
We Want You as a New
Recruit
Nebraska should, address a hidden
concern: recruiting talented football
players. Chris McAllister, a rare
three-time, first-team All-Pac-10
selection and two-time All-American
came to Lincoln on a recruiting visit
but chose Arizona instead.
If we would have had him at cor
ner last year, we would not have lost
to Texas or Texas A&M or Kansas
State but rather we would have played
for the national title against
Tennessee.
Jamal Lewis, a junior at
Tennessee, said that his decision
came down to Tennessee or
Nebraska.
He chose Tennessee because he
felt that its style of offense would uti
lize his athletic talent.
Nebraska would be damn near
unstoppable if it had him at I-back
because he is as powerful as
Alexander and has equal if not better
(4.4) speed than Buckhalter.
But these two fail to compare to
the gem that they missed four years
ago. Peter Warrick was left with a
decision to play ball at one of three
schools: Florida State, Florida or
Nebraska. He did not come here.
Jake Beideck
freshman
undecided