COMMENTARY

Messing with Texas politics adds twist to redistricting in Lone Star State

Who says politics aren't interesting? On Monday, demonstrating that the loyal opposition might actually be showing signs of life, a courageous group of Democratic state Legislators in Texas united to confront a shifty partisan redistricting plan by Republicans in the Texas Legislature. By emphatically walking out of the state legislature, these Democratic lawmakers deprived the Texas House of a quorum and prevented the Republican majority from passing a new Congressional redistricting plan. In order to avoid a forced return by Texas law enforcement, these bold legislators fled to Ardmore, Okla., outside the jurisdiction of Texas Rangers, thus providing a noble example of lawmakers who are willing to risk their careers for the sake of upholding democracy and the intent of the U.S.

COMMENTARY

Everyone should get equal rights

Recently, I stumbled upon an online column in The Daily Journal titled "'Lifestyle' of homosexuals can be changed" (TDJ, 05/08/03). Like every single one of the "ex-gay" pieces I have read, be it an article, book or letter to the editor, this one was laden with pure hatred, ignorance and disgust.

COMMENTARY

So far, so good for Granholm, which isn't good for local Republicans

I think Gov. Jennifer Granholm's doing a pretty decent job as governor and that pisses me off. As the top College Republican operative in the state, one of my main duties is to help lay the groundwork for defeating her in 2006.

COMMENTARY

Vulgarity is becoming an ugly norm

There was an old hermit named Dave who kept a dead ____ in his cave. Now if you can fill in the blank and finish the limerick you definitely are showing your age.

COMMENTARY

Life is easier for men than their female counterparts

"The only way to treat a woman is to make love to her if she is pretty, and to not if she is plain." This absurd quote, from the hilarious play "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde, somehow found its way into my head this weekend.

COMMENTARY

Patriot Act far from patriotic

Imagine a society where free speech is just a mere phrase with little significance. Imagine a society where people are incarcerated simply on suspicion, with no evidence of wrongdoing.

COMMENTARY

Anti-war doesn't equal anti-American

Many Hollywood celebrities have recently been under attack by media sources and the public for simply verbalizing their anti-war opinions. While actors in Hollywood often get ahead of themselves when it comes to world issues, some also believe that just because they make millions of dollars then for some odd reason, everyone in America cares that much more about what they have to say.

COMMENTARY

Protesters have worked hard, give them respect they deserve

It was an unusually warm March day and nearly 1,000 people, myself included, thought it fit for a rally.

COMMENTARY

United Nations needs to be involved in rebuilding Iraq

With states across the nation struggling to balance their budgets, cutbacks have negatively affected nearly every conceivable state-funded program. Not even Springfield Elementary School is immune to the decline in government revenue.

COMMENTARY

Partial-birth abortions inhumane, unsafe; ban long overdue

It's about time. Senators and congressmen from both sides of the aisle probably said this when the bill to ban partial-birth abortion passed with a 64-33 vote in the Senate on March 13 and sailed through the House.

COMMENTARY

Singled-out abortion doesn't exist; ban a step backward

On March 13, the U.S. Senate took a colossal step backward, not only in terms of reproductive rights, but as an institution, it undermined the health and well-being of every woman in this country.

COMMENTARY

Golden Rule doesn't just apply to kindergarteners

First things first - I must confess. In my column last week ("Word-bumbling president a genius; turns out we are fools" SN 4/16), I attributed a quote concerning the ability of war propaganda to both boil the passions of patriotism and narrow the mind to Julius Caesar; however, those words cannot be traced back to the great Roman general. I wish to thank the number of people who responded to that column and directed me to www.snopes.com/quotes/caesar.htm, a Web site that explains the quote's urban legend status and traces the saying to unknown Internet origins in 2001.

FEATURES

Final exams leave brains feeling fried

It's that time of year again. Time to dismiss being a nonsensical layabout, put away the whiskey and turn my attention to the books.

COMMENTARY

Departing wisdom from a seasoned columnist, Spartan

Over four years, I've written around 100,000 words asking you to think, if not in a certain way, about certain things.

COMMENTARY

Manners have fallen by wayside

I know many of us have tried to take a closer look at our actions because of the happenings of the past months.

COMMENTARY

Nothing comes from war except death, destruction

As the heavier fighting and conflict in Iraq seem to be winding down, one message that I keep hearing over and over again from this country's administration to Middle Eastern countries and effectively the rest of the world is to learn from this war.

COMMENTARY

Newspapers are obligated to print all sides of an issue

I heard their stories. Muslims. Jews. Young. Old. Israelis. Palestinians. Arabs. Caucasians. Foreigners.

COMMENTARY

Irreligious minority needs to be respected in society

I agree with Darrell. For those of you curious about this message, which has appeared in numerous places around campus, Darrell Lambert is a 19-year-old former Boy Scout.

COMMENTARY

Word-bumbling president a genius; turns out we are fools

I used to think our president wasn't a bright man. But he's really not the word-bumbling buffoon we often see on television.

FEATURES

Nonsense lesson plans key to American dream

In a continuing scheme to make money by doing as little work as possible, I've found inspiration to do something decidedly different. The realization came in class one day as I was reviewing various aspects of theories in fields ranging from film to music to politics. During my college career (one likely to be roughly the duration of an average doctor's time in school), I've been taught and taught and taught with little insight into the origins of many of the things I've learned. Now, many members of the faculty know how to teach.