Letters to the Editor-11/5

Study of climate change is science

As surprised as I was to see the Daily Nebraskan publish a column on anthropogenic climate change without any consultation from UNL's own Dept. of Applied Climate Science ("HARBISON: Global warming science questionable"), I was even more surprised to see the page on which it was published — not the Science and Technology page, not as a Feature, not even as a piece of local interest — but as an Opinion column.
Surely the matter of climate change — whatever your position in the debate — is a matter of verifiable physical reality, not a matter of opinion. While the science may or may not be settled, it is a science nonetheless, and the appearance of this material in an opinion piece gives the appearance of being an end-run around the journalistic and scientific obligation to support contentions with fact, and to air the opposing views of experts.
I applaud the DN for taking on the exciting and contentious subject of climate change — a subject upon which we should all be more educated — but shouldn't such efforts place more of an emphasis on our local experts in climate science, and less on the unsupported opinions of a professor with no expertise in that field? Shouldn't those efforts be held to a higher standard of fact-checking than what appeared to be the case in that column?
Justin Payne
Senior Biochemistry major
Lincoln is on a downward spiral

Attention Lincoln! Our governor ruined our tradition with the state fair of 140 years. First, he promised NO Nebraska tax dollars would be used to move the fair. He no more than took a breath and he agreed to take five million of our tax dollars for the move. He also mentioned he thought the tax payers of Nebraska voted to improve the fair they had by voting to use lottery funds, and not move it. He changed his mind with that too. So much so we've renamed our Govenor Pinocchio.
10/11 News talks about tradition and what a good place Lincoln is to live. But where are the jobs? More lies.
We're into alternative fuel, but what is Lincoln doing? Wind power, solar power, we could be doing something like that in Lincoln and that would bring jobs. It might fill some of those empty buildings too.
With the job market being what it is, how do you pay your taxes, insurance, electric, water and gas? How do you do all of that without a job? The agencies that help down and out people are too snoopy: If we had a job, we wouldn't need help!
I think this city has lost its compassion for its neighbor.
If something costs too much, like day care or health care, then it should be free. Print more money. I'm getting charged 13 percent on my unpaid property tax. I can't pay them because of the bad job market. I think the leadership should suffer for it, not me!
Why can't we impeach or recall our leaders? They're not doing their job. Mayor, governor, congressmen, the people in charge of the job market: Recall them!
UNL is making job cuts, so is Harvey Perlman taking a cut? NO! Harvey Perlman seems to be running this whole state. Heil Perlman!
We're missing more than 13 companies that have moved out of Lincoln. Lincoln Steel, Russell Stovers Candies, Weaver's Potato Chips, Foote Davis, Ace Hardware, Cushman, Meadow Gold and many more.
We're also losing things that used to make Lincoln a fun place to live, such as the State Fair, the Starship Theatre and Cool Crest. It's all being taken away so big business can make money. Sad to say, but it seems tradition has taken a back seat to the almighty dollar here.
We need a mayor and governor who will run things instead of letting the University and big business do whatever they want. We need representation.
Gary Brakhage
Lincoln

Husker athletes should not drink

I really empathize with Coach Pelini. It is extremely difficult to teach those football "kids" (that's what he calls them, and that's how they act) how to respect the priorities and responsibilities that having a great football team demands. The latest example is Mr. Suh being cited for wrecking two parked cars and his mother's car, and the police determined he had alcohol in his blood when it happened. Aren't these "kids" smart enough to realize that being loyal to the football team 100 percent of the time, including late nights on the weekends, is the only way to achieve greatness on the field? Who in their right mind would earn a once in a lifetime privilege like playing football for Nebraska, and then go out after a game and drink alcohol?
The moment that drink goes down you are essentially saying to the team and the world that drinking and being self destructive is more important than being loyal to the team in order to achieve bigger things than talking to the police at 2 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Drinking alcohol is so much more important than playing great football that you "kids" can't give it up for six months while you join the team? You have the rest of your lives to go drinking, but you only play football for Nebraska once! This behavior is symptomatic of the attitude that causes the football team to beat itself. If you think about it, the only team that ever really beats Nebraska is Nebraska!
There will be no more championship Nebraska football until Coach Pelini figures out a way to make these "kids" understand that. Football championships are not won by "kids"; they are won by young men who play football with integrity on and off the field. Maybe when the "kids" finally figure that out, the Coaches will start calling them "players" again, like Tom Osborne always did.
Signed, A Disappointed, Loyal Fan!
Gary Stephens
Lincoln