Opinion
ZM/yNebraskan
Since 1901
Editor Sarah Baker
Opinion Page Editor Samuel McKewon
Managing Editor Bradley Davis
“I know all of you have seen what’s been in
the newspaper. I take full responsibility for
that. The decision was mine. I apologize for
the bad press. I know many of you may be
hearing about it from the people you see.”
ASUN President Joel Schafer on the Daily
Nebraskan story saying ASUN sold a list of
addresses of freshmen to the Lincoln Journal
Star for its back-to-school issue
“It was through my pro-life eyes that I
watched director Lasse Hallstrom’s ‘The Cider
House Rules.’ The same flick that earned
writer John Irving a Maggie Award from
Planned Parenthood.
“And it was with my pro-life mind that I
decided ‘Cider House’ is the best film social
commentary about abortion this country has
ever produced. A great film.”
Columnist Josh Knaub on the experience
of the film “The Cider House Rules”
“It was the right decision. We had a quarter
back that had completed three passes up to
this point. I don’t think any magic was going to
come down from the sky and all of the sudden
we are going to throw the footbalfup in the air.
“I would do that again, and I didn’t ask any
one’s opinion on that one. That was my call.”
Notre Dame Coach Bob Davie on his deci
sion to run out the clock against Nebraska
instead of going for the victory in the fourth
quarter
“Those are the kind of games you dream of,
the kind of games you want all the time. You
don’t want them until you’re done with them.
It was just amazing the way it ended up. It was
amazing the feeling I had. It was a feeling of
greatness, a feeling that you accomplished
something that maybe^not a lot of people
think you would have and in front of a nation
al broadcast with all our fans there. It means
so much more than I ever thought it would
have.”
Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch on
NU’s 27-24 win over Notre Dame
“Out of the 9,000 institutions in the United
States, only 750 are accredited. Once a gallery
is accredited, it’s important to keep it up. It’s
very rare that we revoke that status. We want
to make sure institutions are still performing
at the same level they were accredited at.”
Sheldon Art Gallery Director Janice
Dreisbach on the possibility of losing accred
itation for the museum
“We talk a lot about diminishing morals,
and the Boy Scouts stand up to that and hold
true to the values that make us who we are.”
Craig Reinsch, a UNL sophomore civil
engineering major and leader of Boy Scout
Troop 72, on supporting the ban against gays
in the Boy Scouts
“Don’t get me wrong, bonding isn’t always
bad (and it doesn’t have to exclude males), but
women seem to have to get away from the
creatures with penises in order to release
themselves. Women are just as mean to each
other as men are to women.”
Columnist Karen Brown on the pratfalls of
bonding
“By all means, keep the laughter in your
hearts and keep the poetry in your mind and
souls.”
Poet and writer Maya Angelou on lessons
on life
Editorial Board
Sarah Baker, Bradley Davis, Josh Funk, Matthew Hansen,
Samuel McKewon, Dane Stickney, Kimberly Sweet
Letters Policy
The Daily Nebraskan welcomes briefs, letters to the editor and guest columns, but does not guar
antee 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: Da*y Nebraskan, 20 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St Lincoln, NE 68588-0448. E
mart: letters@unlinfo.unl.edu.
Editorial Policy
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Fall 2000 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; a cartoon is
solely the oprnton of its artist. The Board of Regents acts as publisher of the Daily Nebraskan; poli
cy 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, responsi
bility for the editorial content of the newspaper lies solely in the hands of its employees.
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Misscarcrash
I would like to respond to Mr. Hieb’s letter regard
ing petaluma watson. While I certainly agree with his
opinion of miss watson’s column, I had hoped there
might be a more articulate and well-presented case.
Rather than allowing his letter to dissolve into
obscenities, Mr. Hieb might have pointed out miss
watson’s atrocious grammar, which she excused piti
fully by explaining that she is beautiful. He might also
have mentioned her jolting writing style which has
minimal flow and almost no continuity.
There is also the fact that miss watson’s clumsy
attempts at symbolism and obsession with pimples
and her “hail damage” detract from her already prob
lematic writing.
watson’s contribution for this paper is a gimmick,
and like all gimmicks, it will pass. Whoever created
miss watson will probably not care about this article.
Should miss watson actually exist in this vapid
form, her egoism and narcissism will protect her from
taking any of the negative commentary to heart.
Perhaps if she attempted to present herself as less
judgmental and with more depth, I would feel sympa
thy for her insecurity. Instead, her column holds the
same fascination for me as a car accident.
I know that I should turn away and avoid the dis
turbing images, but I can’t keep myself from looking
because I want to know exacdy how bad it actually is.
It truly is sad, I don’t care about her opinion, I just can’t
believe that the DN is actually giving in to what this
person wants - the most attention.
Patricia Scott
Senior
Geology
Scouts honor
The DN editorial “Scouts blunder” contained so
many holes it was nearly laughable, if it wouldn’t have
been so incredibly sad. What tried to pass as an argu
ment had no logical basis whatsoever.
First, there was the description of the situation:
“On one hand, on the other.” Both of these statements
were the same thing: the Scouts losing some status
because of their stance. It wasn’t a stating of both
sides, merely the liberal, one-sided view.
Next, the DN exemplified the same behavior for
which it was chastising midland organizations: failure
of another party to accept another’s views. The Scouts
are expected to conform to a different view without
considering the reverse.
Finally, the DN used the age-old (but still wrong)
argument of “do it because everyone's doing it.” I won
der if the DN is also eagerly awaiting the murder and
crime rates of our “more socially conscious coastal
cousins”?
And to top it off, they accuse the Midlands of hav
ing no backbone. Funny, but I thought people who
stood up against the crowd and pressure were usually
applauded for their backbones. Perhaps the DN could
actually put some thought into future arguments
instead of just jumping on the cultural bandwagon.
Jayson Bishop
Senior
Computer Engineering
Scouts, Part II
On the opinion page of Sept. 14, an opinion was
expressed extolling the virtue of forcing the Boy
Scouts of America to rescind its ban on allowing gays
into its ranks.
You know, I learned a long time ago that if I want
ed to be a part of a group or organization, I had to
accept and agree to abide by its chartered rules or I
could not participate.
Accordingly then, your opinion is now to require
me to adopt your beliefs, even though I am not in sup
port of them. I have nothing against gays, whites,
blacks, creationists, evolutionists or others. Just don't
require me to accep t its beliefs because I have opted to
join a service-oriented organization such as the Boy
Scouts of America. Discrimination?
Maybe. But isn’t it my right to choose? Aren’t you
suggesting the same thing? Discrimination against
the Boy Scouts because they are not willing to adopt
your belief?
Mark Smith
Lincoln
Upholding the greek image
Last year I arrived at UNL as
a relatively naive freshman and
allowed my mind to be inundat
ed with the wonders and excite
ments of a high-level institution.
I lay prostrate before the stu
dent body and shouted: Teach MmL }
me! Show me the way!” ®,BI ‘
I wanted to experience it all Simon
- the parties, the Chinese food, Ringsmuth
the gratuitous Internet access at
the union and of.course, the
learning. It’s all about the learning. Or so they say.
I had heard of the greek system in high school and
rumors of endless parties where booze flowed like
wine and condoms, both used and unused, littered
the floor as if they were confetti at a parade. Frats were
havens for immorality and studiousness both, as
young men strove toward the only two things that
mattered in life: scoring with chicks and passing final
exams.
Once in a ff at, you would still have your old friends
to hang out with once a month or so, but now you
would have brothers. TFue friends who stood by you
through it all, no matter the consequences, provided
your dues are paid up.
cromers wouia never lei a mug run ary or a Keg go
empty, and brothers would always be there if your girl
friend of the week ran off with another guy before her
time (or sexual usefulness to you) was used up.
After a few days I decided to get up and actually
experience life at UNL instead of keeping my old
stereotypes about frats and college life in general, and
besides, I was getting hungry.
During the following months, my ideas and opin
ions began to take shape and crystallize, and I learned
much more about the ffat scene than I ever wanted to.
And boy, was I ever wrong.
Like I said, my ideas were just stereotypes with no
basis in reality. I, just like any other precoilege guy,
thought frats were about drinking and satisfying our
oh-so-primal sexual urges like the animals we are, but
this was nowhere near what I imagined.
And I didn’t like it one bit. As it turned out, frats
were mostly about the drinking. Frequent drinking.
The concept of a three-day weekend (Thursday,
Friday, Saturday), which meant three morning hang
overs, was introduced to me, and I didn’t like it.
When I heard frat guys talk in class, it would be
about the same subjects every single time: how much
they drank last weekend or the sordid details of their
latest sexual escapades the week before.
It began to disgust me, and I decided to take mat
. • x
ters into my own hands. I started my own fraternity. If
I sound like I’m contradicting myself, read on faithful
reader, for it will become clear momentarily.
After explaining my plans to three of my closest
friends (or, rather, three guys I knew with large-.
enough bank accounts), we decided we would buy a
house and make our fraternity official.
My three new brothers and myself became the
original members of Alpha Sigma Sigma fraternity. We
would be a frat that broke the stereotypes and
changed the negative image frats had gained through
the years. Here at ASS we don’t practice the three-day
weekend. We practice the five- and six-day weekend.
The drinking isn’t frequent, it’s constant. Beer is.
emitted from every faucet, socket and orifice in our
building, thanks to a contract with Coors and our
landlord. Once a month, for two days, we move out,
and he moves in with the girls we supply for him, and
in turn, our rent got lowered, and the extra taps were
installed free-of-charge.
We pour beer on our cereal, which is made, of
course, from barley and hops. There are three faucets
in the bathtub: warm water, wine and club soda. Like
myself, my “brothers” were tired of the bad image that
frats had. We gave frats a truly horrible image, and
man, it’s so cool.
Of course it drunkenness were all we had, wen,
there wouldn’t be a whole lot of value to our frat.
Anyone can go anywhere to get drunk, so at ASS, we
created an entirely new atmosphere. Drinking isn’t
encouraged, it’s mandatory. With that comes girls.
And oh, what girls there are. Once the word got out
about the booze supply, it didn’t take long for the usual
sorority girls at UNL to take notice.
By the fourth day of our frat’s existence, every
member of ASS was scoring at least twice a night, five
nights a week, and school wasn’t even in session yet.
Now that the semester is in full swing, the potential of
our frat is being realized to its fullest extent.
No frat at UNL has a chance of competing any
more, and their pathetic attempts at scoring with have
been forever defeated. In fact, it’s difficult for me to
write this with one girl quietly licking my toes and
another fondling my ribcage, but I’m a true man as
proven by my membership in ASS, so I can handle it.
Let this, then, be a challenge to all the greek hous
es at UNL: You’ve been outdone, so let’s see if you’ve
got what it takes to really compete. Do you, like ASS,
have enough balls to admit that you really don’t study
any more than any “schmoe” in college, and that you
really exist solely to provide insecure high-school
jocks (often, as I’ve heard, with small genitalia) with a
means of getting drunk, high and laid? Then prove it
True artists
would not
fear Napster
Life is based
on copying. We
copy DNA on the
genetic level.
Children copy the
speech and
behavior of par
ent£ Monkey see, __
monkey do. S©an
Copying, like Zehtab
thinking and mmmmammmmm
breathing, is an
uhenumerated inalienable right To take
it away would destroy the person.
One could argue that even though it
is in our nature to copy, restraining that
urge under certain circumstances is in
our best interest. In fact, the U.S.
Constitution states that it is in the scope
of legislative power “to promote the
progress of science and useful arts, by
securing for limited times to authors and
inventors the exclusive rights to their
respective writings and discoveries.”
Entertainment and luxury do not
qualify as “useful arts.” If people want to
copy entertainment to use in their
homes, they should have that right
But we don’t have that right and liber
ty in the new millennium because of the
Digital Millennium Copyright Act
(DMCA). Passed in 1998, Congress said
that the users of the Internet may not
transmit copyrighted material, essential
ly eliminating their nature to copy.
For example, one could make a
mixed tape or CD and give it to his or her
friends - that’s legal or feir use. But to put
that tape or CD on the Internet could be
considered pirating - the claim currently
against Napster.
The argument that artists would not
create art unless they were compensated
with money, fails in front of the court of
human nature. Good artists don’t make
art to make money. Ever heard of the
starving artist? Van Gogh didn’t make
much money from his art, but it endured,
and the originals are highly valued.
Britney Spears, on the other hand,
makes a lot of money, but she is not an
artist, and her music will not endure.
The same principle applies to inno
vative science. The people working on
cures for cancer and AIDS don’t go into it
looking for a glorious lifestyle filled with
fame and fortune.
They do it because they have a pas
sion for their work. Indeed, greed would
stifle the progress of many scientific and
technological endeavors because the
monetary payoff is not immediate, if at
all: The cure is still 10 years away while
the skilled scientist could be making
more money elsewhere.
Artists used to make a living primari
ly on patronage - commission paid on or
before the completion of the work. That
system produced some of the most won
derful works man has ever created.
We will benefit from laws that elimi
nate copyrights and royalties because
they place the emphasis back on patron
age and face-to-face meetings.
It would be a boon for local artists try
ing to get heard over Big Music. Now, in
the age of digital media, the medium is
free, storage on hard drives is fairly inex
pensive, and the production and distri
bution of art is limited only by band
width. Artists can now be heard without
compromising their styles to fit into
some bigwig's formula. Surf the Net, and
see all the free art and music on places
such as mp3.com and newgrounds.com.
The list grows on and on.
To sum up the Napster legal situa
tion, the Recording Industry Association
of America (RIAA) forgot the age-old wis
dom: Let sleeping dogs lie. When down
loading mp3s was an elite activity, the
harm to record companies was minimal.
With all the free advertisement from the
case, Napster usage boomed. With more
than 20 million users on Napster, the
educated class has shown it has no
qualms pirating anything it can.
Napster uses central servers to host
users, making it vulnerable to legal
action. This flaw created a demand for .
alternative file-sharing utilities. Of those,
Gnutella and Freenet are the most prom
ising because the users are decentralized;
and therefore, impossible to shut down.
Ironically, in the midst of this revolu
tion, the record industry reported
increased profits. Perhaps it was the
effect of price gouging: The RIAA settled
out of court with the Federal Trade
Commission in May. Now they are being
sued for damages by 26 states.
Copyrights have only been around
since England instituted the Statute of
Anne in 1710. Such laws were useful for a
previous age, but harmful in this one. The
blacksmith, the buggy whip maker and
the pony express were rendered obsolete
by progress in technology.
Now we have special interests such as
the Motion Picture Association of
America, RIAA and Time
Warner/America Online avoiding the
invisible hand of the free market by buy
ing the highly visible hand of govern
ment.
To progress further into the informa
tion age we will need to get rid of DMCA
and craft laws that are more in tune with
human nature, freeing Americans to pur
sue a more perfect union.
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