I usually read The State News Opinion Page only to see the various Bush-bashing pieces typically seen by the reporters and editors of this paper. They usually sing the same song, stating that the majority of the United States can not decide what is in our best interest.

However, in Tuesday's edition, music reporter Lindsey Anderson shared her view that 51 percent of America is obviously not capable of deciding a better leader. I believe that I am a free-thinker who can decide what is in both my country and my personal best interest. And yet discrediting Republicans and Bush supporters for being homophobic, religious zealots or simply kids voting for who their parents voted for, is perhaps one of the worst cases of ignorance I've heard.

But what I fail to understand is how hypocrisy validates an argument. Of course, I am none of the aforementioned types of conservatives, and many Bush supporters I know would not fall into any of those categories either. Anderson would seem like someone who would disagree with stereotypes and name-calling, however, she groups 59,054,087 people together using every conservative stereotype I've heard. I enjoy hearing debate from both sides; however, I would hope the next opinion piece in this newspaper will not resort to hypocrisy and whining.

Jeff Nichols
international relations sophomore