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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 2000)
Lincoln Calling the bands takes on a new twist at Knickerbocker’s tonight. A&E, PAGE 9 k Young Blood^L UNL student Philip Erdman is planning a Tuesday, February 22,2000 dailyneb.com Vol 99, Issue 107 ^e^iature^ I V NEWS, PAGE 8 g Regent defends research By Lindsay Young Senior editor The line dividing NU Regent Drew Miller of Papillion and three prominent anti-abortion leaders was clear on Monday morning. In one argument during a radio debate, Miller asked the leaders whether they would change their stance against aborted fetal tissue research if UNMC used a supplier other than Dr. Leroy Carhart, the state’s only partial-birth abortion doctor. Without conferring, they answered quickly in uni son: “No.” If Carhart’s status as a faculty member were dropped? One responded for the group: “No.” Then using the argument that the use of Carhart plays a part in making the research immoral, the anti abortion groups’ main argument against UNMC’s research, is pointless, Miller shot back. During the debate Monday morning on Omaha’s 1290-AM (KKAR), Miller and his opponents, Julie Schmit-Albin, Metro Right to Life leader Bob Blank and Rescue the Heartland leader Larry Donlan, reiter ated and expanded upon their arguments for and against the research. ^^Mfflermvrtod die leaders to the debate in part to clear up what he claims is misinformation spread to senators and Nebraskans, hindering their abilities to make a well-informed choice. In a telephone interview, he said the debate let him address some of those issues, such as clarifying that die tissue does not come from partial-birth abortions and that the research is not connected to abortion. “A lot of misinformation is out there, and I just couldn’t get through it,” he said. During the debate, he directed listeners to the University of Nebraska Web site, http://www.uneb.edu, for more information. But Blank said the information Miller is trying to fix wasn’t broken. Blank said the misinformation lies in die university. “We’ve seen their story change so many times, yet we’re the ones accused of misinformation,” Blank said in an interview. During the debate, Miller said the anti-abortion leaders’ efforts would backfire. He said if anti-abortion leaders and the senators backing LB 1405, a bill that would ban the use of aborted fetal tissue in research, stopped UNMC’s efforts, other sources of the tissue wouldn’t be readily available. “Give us a chance,” he said. So the research could leave the state, and what Miller’s opponents don’t want to happen - a tissue Please see FETAL on page 3 ment Heath Melb close to bng-time goal Lydia S. Gonzales/DN EMPOWBtPRESIlBmALCAIIHDATE Heath Mello hopes to serve students with programs to affect the campus climate, academic and student services and tin future of ASUN. Editor’s note: This is the first of Jour pro files looking at die presidential candidates for the March 1 ASUN elections. Today is Empower candidate Heath Mello. Tomorrow we will profile Impact candidate John Conley. BySaraSalkeld Staff writer As a freshman, Heath Mello sat and wrote goals about what he wanted to do while he was at the university, and his top goal was to be an ASUN senator. He won a spot on the Arts and Sciences advisory board his sophomore year and final ly fulfilled his desire to be senator this year as ajunior. “After that, I yearned for the next level,” Mello said Now Mello is the Association of Students of die University of Nebraska presidential can didate for the Empower election party, and he is taking vice-presidential candidate Cecity Rometo and second vice-presidential candi date Mike Butterfield along for the ride. “This is the organization I have put my Please see MELLO on 7 Hurricane Carter addresses racism, years in prison By Margaret Behm Staff writer Mayor Don Wesely presented Rubin “Hurricane” Carter with a key not to a jail cell but to the city of Lincoln last night at the Lied Center. Carter, a boxing icon, was wrongly impris oned on triple murder charges in 1966 and spent nearly 20 years in prison before being found innocent. “He persevered and stayed strong where many of us would have withered,” Wesely said. Fifteen years after his release from prison, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter encouraged students to fight injustice in the system. “Some people feel as though I ought to be dead,” Carter said. “And I don’t agree with that. And some people think I ought to be in prison, and the courts don’t agree with that.” Carter spoke to approximately 2,200 people at the Lied Center. He was invited to speak by the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska as a part of the celebration of Black History Month. Carter spoke about people taking an active role in society, racism and his newly released movie. Juanita Page, a freshman film studies major, said speakers like Carter should be brought to die university throughout the year, not just for one month. "The university needs to fund speakers like him more often instead of just during February,” Page said. "What he said wasn’t a Black History Month thing, it was for all year.” Carter said he wasn’t trying to persuade peo ple to think he is innocent. “You cannot convince everybody of any thing,” Carter said. “And I don’t intend to con vince anybody of everything.” darter said he is not concerned whether or not die real murderers are found in the triple murder case in which he was convicted. “I don’t care,” Carter said. “It’s the police men’s job to do it. If I had anything to do with it, do you think I would be sitting here today?” When Carter was wrongly imprisoned, he felt a lot of hate, but hate only consumes people, he said. “When you realize that hate put you in there, hate only generates further hate,” Carter said. “Then you realize that if you hate, it will destroy you, too. “Hate put me in prison, but love busted me out,” he said. Carter encouraged people to take action in theirtives because what they do today will affect their future. “You have got to seize every opportunity that comes your way,” Carter said. “Because small doors often open up into large rooms.” Many people want to take the easy road in life, Carter said. Even when he was a boxer, he said he wanted the fights to end quickly. “When I was a prizefighter 1 never liked going the distance,” he said. “I would rather get that fight over as quickly as I could. I mean, they didn’t call me the Hurricane for nothing.” He said he was not able to take the easy road while he was in prison because he had to fight for his life. “I escaped execution and by that factor alone my innocence remained alive,” he said, “and I Please see HURRICANE on 7
