Lincolnite

72 degrees. That's the highest expected temperature for this Labor Day weekend. A good portion of the crowd at today's Husker game will be wearing jackets. Jackets at the first game of the season. I'm speechless. 72. Wow.

It's game day, ladies and gentlemen, as the Huskers return to Memorial Stadium to kick off the 2006 season. And that means it's time for one of my almost-never-accurate score predictions: Huskers 52 La. Tech 17 There you have it. If you picked that score, you can rest assured you're going to lose the pool this week. Go Big Red!

Mr. T and I dropped by Phreddy's Phillies (or whatever Papa John's is going to be called) for a couple philly cheesesteaks. For five bucks ($5.50 to add mushrooms and jalapenos) you get a bunch of meat, onions, and green peppers stacked on a fresh roll, along with a pile of seasoned french fries. Healthfood it ain't -- Mr. T likened his post-eating condition to having raw egg yolks flowing through his veins -- but if you're looking for a good cheesesteak, you aren't really interested in its healthfulness, are you? I've been hankering for a good cheesesteak in the Downtown area for a few months. I think I've found my place.

Note to Lincolnite readers: I'm not Phuong Phan who wrote in to the Journal Star today, but I've said these basic words before:

To get to my house, I have to take a few turns first through the neighborhood. Now, we all know that the law states: at a residential intersection, the car to the right of you has the right of way. I’ve noticed some people decide that it’s the car on the "road most traveled." The first couple of intersections in the neighborhood are the ones that worry me the most because they’re the busiest. Turning into a neighborhood from a busy street that has a 40-mph speed limit, it’s hard to maintain a slower 25 mph for the first couple of blocks. People assume that since they’re on a "main road" that shoots straight through the neighborhood, they have the right of way all the way through. I think we should regulate this better by putting in a couple of yield signs. If we don’t, accidents are bound to happen and it will be harder to determine who’s at fault.

The case of Former Nebraska State Patrol Trooper Robert Henderson is fascinating to me. Long story short, Mr. Henderson is a member of a group associated with the Ku Klux Klan. The State Patrol didn't think that was consistent with its principles, so it fired him. Now, Henderson has also been fired from the Nebraska Safety Council. The fascinating part, to me, is the question of where the line is drawn regarding which organizations a person can belong to, and which beliefs he can profess, before it is OK for the government to act against him. There are easy cases: a person who has expressed a desire to kill the President probably shouldn't be allowed to work with the Secret Service, no matter how qualified he may be. Henderson's case is somewhat fuzzier. He hasn't broken the law, he hasn't been accused of failing to properly do his job. Instead, he was fired only for his association with an organization. It's easy to understand why the Patrol wouldn't want a person associated with the Klan among its ranks. The missions of the Patrol and the Klan are, shall we say, inconsistent with each other. I don't think I would have any problem with the Patrol not hiring a person like Henderson. But firing him for his association with an organization feels very wrong. I don't expect many of you agree with me, and that's fine. But if you don't, I ask this of you: Where is the line? Who gets to draw the line? Which organizations and beliefs are OK, and which are not?

I always used to think it was an innocent accident when bus drivers left a student on board. Although I still consider it an accident -- albeit occasionally with tragic consequences -- I'm now more inclined to think of it as an act of negligence rather than an accident. Why? Because it happens all the time, and bus drivers (and others responsible for helping with buses) ought to know better. The latest such incident in Lincoln happened on Monday. LPS procedures require bus drivers and bus aides to check the bus to ensure this doesn't happen; they didn't, and it did. Checking the bus ought to be as automatic as stopping at railroad tracks. Why isn't it?

Five things I love about Husker football season in Lincoln:

1. Anticipation. I love the jittery anticipation evident in Lincoln before the game.
2. Red. I've been conditioned to love seeing throngs of people all wearing red. I miss red.
3. Game day snacks. Nachos, cocktail weenies, buffalo wings... I love 'em all, and they are much more common during football season.
4. Pride. Nebraskans are so proud of Husker football. Some scoff at the pride as "childish" or "unrefined", but I think it's fun.
5. The game. Win or lose, I love a game of well-played college football more than any other sport.