Opinion
/M/vNebraskan
Since 1901
Editor Sarah Baker
Opinion Page Editor Samuel McKewon
Managing Editor Bradley Davis
Family matters
Taking a stand against 4 7 6
empowers Nebraskans
While eating dinner with family and Mends in
Omaha one night, a knock came on the door.
The family’s eldest child was one member of
the Daily Nebraskan’s Editorial Board; her best
Mend, another member of the board, was there,
as well.
The woman knocking on the door was a
neighbor who lived up the street
She held a clipboard and pencil in her hand,
and the daughters in the family smiled at the
woman. They both baby-sat her two daughters
years before. She smiled, too.
Then she asked the family to sign the paper in
her hand, a petition supporting Initiative 416.
More than 100,000 Nebraskans signed this
very same petition. This family, though, was dif
ferent
Hie mother and father said: “No/
The two daughters said: “No.”
And the rest of the six on the Daily Nebraskan
editorial board have said “No,” too.
We advise you to do the same.
You see, those signatures are one strong rea
son why, on Nov. 7, we’re going into the voting
booth with heavy hearts but empowered hands -
hands that will vote against the abominable 416.
The initiative’s wording is simple. Easy to
understand. Damning to all
“Only marriage between a man and a woman
shall be valid or recognized in Nebraska,” it says.
“The uniting of two persons of the same sex in a
civil union, domestic partnership or other simi
lar same-sex relationship shall not be valid or
recognized in Nebraska.”
The wording is careless. It’s problematic,
seemingly homophobic and, maybe worst of all,
it exposes many Nebraskans for what they really
may be-full of fear, hate and the kind of values
no one wants to bring out of the closet
The pro-416 camp attempts to sell the initia
tive on the idea that marriage-an old and sacred
tradition, to be sure - would in effect be ruined if
this initiative were not to pass.
One of its leaders, Guyia Mills, claims gays and
lesbians can be “reformed,” that she knows
many who have been “reformed,” and, at a
debate held on the UNL campus, said people
wouldn't vote for 416 because of religious values.
We don t believe any of this as far as Mills
could throw us. And we bet that isn’t far.
Many Nebraskans, we think, will most defi
nitely vote for this amendment because they
believe it is a moral issue. They will vote for it
because they believe that gay people are sinners,
that the Bible is the way, and theywill also believe
they are well-informed.
We hate to inform them of their confusion.
You see, the initiative affects more than just
gays and lesbians entering into civil unions.
It changes the way a father and son can run
business. It affects families with gay and lesbian
sons or daughters. It affects insurance, hospital
ization and visitation rights. It affects self worth.
But more than all that - if that’s even possible
- it poses the question of whether it is right for the
state to mandate a particular set of beliefs onto
the entire populous of a state. Beliefs that some
are ashamed to even have to vote against
Moreover, it asks Nebraska if it wants to look
like the backwater, dark-ages, small-minded,
behind-the-times cornfield the rest of the nation
thinks it might be. Don’t let that be the truth.
Think about the domestic, suburban, upper
middle class fully functional, somewhat non-tra
ditional happy family mentioned in the begin
ning of this editorial. Think about what they did.
Then vote no.
Editorial Board
Sarah Baker, Bradley Davis, Josh Funk, Matthew Hansen,
Samuel McKewon, Dane Stickney, Kimberly Sweet
Letters roncy
The Daly Nebraskan welcomes briefs, letters to the etfltar and guest columns, but does no* guar
antee their pubtcabon-TTie Daly Nebraskan retains the ri^rt to edit or reiect arty material submitted.
Submitted material becomes proparty of the Oaty Nebraskan and cannot be returned. Anonymous
submissions w* not be pubished. Those who submit letters must identify themselves by name,
yeer in school, major and/or group affiSabon, if any.
Submit material to: Daily Nebraskan, 20 Nebraska Union, 1400 R St Lincoln, NE 68588-0448. E
mai; tettereOuninfo.uni.edu.
Editorial PoRcy
Unsigned editorials are the opinions of the Fall 2000 Daily Nebraskan. They do not necessity
reflect the views of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, its employees, its student body or the
Urtwrsty of Nebraska Bcwd of Regents. A column is solely the opinion of its author; a catoon is
solely the opinion of its artist The Board of Regents acts as pubieher of the Daily Nebraskan; poS
cy is set by the Daly Nebraskan EdRorial Board. The UNL Pubications Board, established by the
regents, supervises the ptottoction of the paper. According to policy set by the regents, tesponsi
b*y tor the edtarial content of the newspaper lee solely in the hands of its employees.
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Letters to the editor
Notpro-dioke
Thank you very much for the endorsement of the
Daily Nebraskan for my re-election to the House of
Representatives to represent Nebraska’s 1st
Congressional District I do appreciate it However, I
must respectfully disagree with die characterization
of my position in this endorsement as being one of
“pro-choice.” “
I am morally opposed to abortion and will do
nothing to encourage its use. During my 26 years as a
legislator (four as a state senator and 22 in Congress),
I have always voted against die use of public funds for
abortion, except to save the life of an indigent
Furthermore, I have never sought and do not
intend to seek die political endorsement of groups on
any side of this issue. However, I respect the political
role these organizations pursue in the upcoming elec
tion, and I am always willing to share my position with
my constituents who contact me.
DougBereuter
Nebraska congressman
Ist District
Bad association
In regard to Mark Buhrdorf s letter to the editor
(Wednesday): Associating homosexuals with
pedophiles is as absurd as calling all men rapists or all
white people members of the Ku Klux Klan. (Though I
am sure there are more people who belong to those
groups than there are members of NAMBIA)
There is a difference between two mature adult
individuals in a consensual relationship and a person
molesting a child, and there are plenty of married
people who choose to molest children or animals or
who have even joined NAMBIA Just because a per
son is married does not mean that they are of better
moral character than anyone else.
Yes, it is your right to vote any which way you
choose. No one is trying to deny you the right It is
even your right to defend (Confirm?) your sexuality in
die Daily Nebraskan (as if we really wanted to know).
And don’t worry, there will probably never be legal
same-sex civil unions performed in Nebraska.
The reputation of ignorance and backwardness in
Nebraska will be upheld. You claim that you do not
want to “sweep homosexuals under a rug,” yet you do
not want to give diem any “official recognition” or let
them have “advantages.” Doesn’t this sound a little
contradictory at all? But enough about you...
As of respect of marriage, obviously more than 50
percent of heterosexual people who participate in die
institution of marriage have litde or no respect for it
The supporters of 416 don’t have to worry about
homosexuals “attacking” marriage; us heterosexuals
are doing a fine job of it ourselves. Perhaps we need
more laws against abuse (physical, sexual, psycholog
ical) of spouses and children, infidelity, pornography,
stupidity, etc.
There are real issues that people are choosing to
ignore. Instead, a group of people are blamed for
“attacking” marriage, as if they are the ones who
caused all these problems. I’m not even sure how 416
is supposed to “defend” marriage or what marriage is
being defended from. That is why I will vote against
416.
Makenzie Brown
psychology/pre-medicine
freshman
The words of petaluma
There’s Cedra, the pool
of-blood girl, and
Christianne, with her long |
blond hair. She wears this *
visor all the time; it’s got* |
shoe company on it. I don’t *
know why. She survives on a
diet oi jelly Bernes. *
They surround me ^Bufft*
and right, as I lay in rty bed, m
curling my feet unllir the
sheets.
1 LL HP
e Woid ofetaluma
K *jf
petaluma
watson
watson?”
I GetlAjIysto me.
^petaluma watson...” Chnstianne says like a par
rot
The word?
“The word,” Cedra answers, though I haven’t spo
ken a word, “of petaluma watson.”
“of petaluma watson ..."Christianne says again.
Cedra sits down on my bed in die clinic; she cross
her legs and dabs at her eye.
“Have you heard?” she says.
I get it Of Petaluma Watson.
“You capitalized it” Christianne says.
"They’re all down,” Cedra says. m
What^dbwn? * *****
* ^Piewoicfe.” « *
m “Tlffe words.1
H
V »H« jlF
f “tM whole
**"A «fit* TaJ
like nft. * • C
“(tme* %
“She’s been put to you for a reason.”
“It's a sign.”
“They placed her in front of you for something.’
“For a reason.”
What possible reasoiJj |* **
“It isn’t for me to knovi”
“For neither she nor I."
“We just send the message.”
“The whole lot of us.” *
“Everyone one of us here.”
“The whole lot of us.”
“As I am to puke blood and drool... ’
“And I wear this visor.”
"That’s what’s meant to be here.”
.V
petaluma watson. pttaluuuuuuuuuuma watson.
pet pet pet pet. The first name gets caught and all
jumbled up intHe tongue, the last follows like this
weak, little jeepers. It’s some name. Beats the mind
lessness of Calgary Johnson.
I want to dig my eyes out because this means
nothing to me. My brain feels like a tub of purple goo
- it's moved past the Idly stage a long time before -
and my purple sheets can’t heat them back to solid
state. Human Gumby natter. A plash-cosmic joke.
I'd go down t! ie use of it throws into
A\
question everything-Is it me going down the hall? Is
who I meet meant to be? Is it chance? If I stay right
here, was it intended? In my brain this thought of a
quest drives me like a dirty gnat To discover some
thing of the mess this universe has suddenly become.
It calls me like I’ve been chosen to peek behind
the curtain for all time; the golden girl, the child of
perfection. Like all those eyes that never moved for
me meant I was like supernatural, mifiyim* past them
at a speed they could detect regardless dfrrifr appear
ance. Like I’ve been floating between the lines of
movement for awhile now. Like I’m ftifftn the iceberg,
but just far enough above wateyfo see tlfe spores
nobody else can, to feel the walkfereitlWfri lavender.
My world plays like a stagg/Fhe lighting seems
obvious and dramatic. Roomfleem backlit People
talk to me at angles that p rovide die desired optimum
effect upon me, andltalktetfiematthe same desired
angles, providing th^isail»€ffect I speak in auips and
phrases, f stop and sfartlcap over the boumary slip
ping toward the goal lip. The sequences pllf |>ut in
my head seconds befcie they occur, like I’m getting
into character. ,1
Ik yie Lam a charac|er. Which is, quite possibly, just
p*what I’ve becbihl, or what I’ve always been, what
i f’m turning into after all these years of shuttj||g down
R and zonipgout. I know me. I knew me, anyway. I had
these rhemdries, lifts and faces, stops and starts, tears
m and joys. They haven’t gone anywheyefThey’re still
right heel. Built’s as though I’ve qnframed, taken
* fnyself - or been taken - out of thlpicture, to some
m where behind it, or before it, or after it
All1 kribw^s there’s a frame. And I’m not in it any
ldhger. For wfiat greater good, for what purpose,
remain^tobl seen, by me, by you
I’m readiftfyou, reading me.
And two questions I'm asking are this: What in the
fuck does that mean? And why am I asking it?
The questions persist And does this have mean
ing? Have I been lost in the midst of plot twist, of
meandering references drqppingyou back into lost
words from previous entries|Are my secret confes
sions a exercise ill bloated porosity to myself?
Who is pet^fumawat^onSWhy do I know that
name? Why have people, it seems in an alternate
time, asked me If I|vasJ^||:?JHow many minds am I
playing with here? ~ m
Or is it just me; feeing me again, locked inside the
compartments of my own shitty little philosophy, try
ing to crawl my way out from my shitty litde pre
dictable tales of sullen, beautiful destined to rot in
public view? I*
It’s enough to make you want to throw up. And,
well, as you can see, that’s exactly what I’ve done |
I tear you petaluma watson. «
l hear you.
Df wniseethis?
Do^sefhe?
It’s time we met Again, the first time, whatever. It’s
time.
A political
primer
for Tuesday
Election day
is fast approach
ing (Tuesday!),
and for those of
you who are
going to vote,
there’s a lot of
junk on this
year's ballot Seth
So, here’s a Felton
quick run down
on some of the more pertinent (and
bizarre) items. Be warned, I will make
no effort to conceal my biases, but will
at least attempt to provide some basic
information.
Presidential ticket: If you don’t
know, if you’re one of those pesky
undecided voters, quit stalling!
If you know nothing about the can
didates, bone up quick. Bone up like
mad. Your choices are: George W. Bush
(Rep.), A1 Gore (Dem.), Harry Browne
(Libertarian), John Hagelin (Natural
Law) and of course Ralph Nader
(Green). There are also two by petition,
Pat Buchanan and Howard Phillips.
Vote for your favorite. You know
how I feel (Go Nader!).
Senatorial ticket: Ben Nelson or
Don Stenberg. Not an easy choice.
Both leave a film like old sweat socks in
your mouth. Basically, if you’re against
gay and abortion rights and for a Bible
in every classroom, go Stenberg. If
you’re not comfortable with all that, as
in, you want more grainy, harmless
mush in your senatorial diet, go
Nelson.
Congressional ticket: Your options
- Doug Bereuter, Alan Jacobsen or
David Oenbring. I don’t know how long
Bereuter's been there, but as far as I
know he hasn’t done squat since he got
in.
Vote Oenbrmg, just tor kicks
Congress needs a Libertarian.
Initiative 416:1 know, anymore
about this one, and your eyeballs will
melt and drain out of your skull
Seriously though, vote this down. Your
personal feelings on homosexuality
can be put aside.
The wording of this bill jeopardizes
any same-sex partnership or same-sex
business venture, even between sib
lings. And, because this is the "Defense
of Marriage Amendment,” you have to
ask: How exactly does rewording the
Constitution defend this institution,
no matter the wording?
Does Initiative 416 defend mar
riage from its true foes -alcoholism,
poverty, domestic abuse and infidelity?
If I were to pose an initiative that
read "Marriage is cool! Marriage is
kick-ass! The monkeys at the zoo are
brown and stinky,” the “Defense of
Marriage” would be comparable to the
defense Initiative 416 will provide.
The firefighter thing: This is a
bizarre local issue that has its origins in
City Council politics.
Basically, last year the firefighters
offered to provide ambulance service
cheaper and faster than the previous
service providers. The city accepted.
The previous service providers
were pissed and started claiming that
the city had mismanaged the bid
process.
They proposed a charter amend
ment - adding a new article X-B
which essentially nullifies the firefight
ers’ bid. For those of you not native to
Lincoln, this is the most confusing
thing on the ballot. It's confusing foi
natives.
My opinion: Vote no on the chartei
amendment X-B.
And that's all I've got room toi
Again, if you plan to vote, please get all
the information you need on the
issues, more than the meager chunks
of partisan blather I've supplied here
Get a sample ballot, call the eler
tion commissioner if you need infor,
mation, read the local papers. Then go
vote.
Correction
Because of an editing error, the
word “faggot” was misplaced in Jake
Glazeski’s column on Wednesday entl
tied "Painful Questions Answered.” The
word can be found within quotes when
Glazeski intended for it to be outside
those quotes - implied by the speaker's
tone, not said by the speaker himself
tell US
what you
think
letters@dn.com
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