Saturday, September 21, 2024

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Grant money for more police officers unneeded

The East Lansing Police Department, or ELPD, received $693,000 in grant money from the U.S. Justice Department’s Community Oriented Policing Services, or COPS, to hire three more police officers. Congratulations, that’s awesome. The grant is meant to help East Lansing maintain a level of quality service in spite of the budget cuts it’s suffered over recent years, according to East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert.

COMMENTARY

Bullying needs to be addressed now

Bullying used to be thought of as a right of passage; a way to teach a child how to stand up for his or herself and show others that they couldn’t be walked over. “Hit them back” or “boys don’t cry” have been the subconscious words replayed as harsh words or brutish lashes have crossed cheeks and destroyed pride.

COMMENTARY

Local resources contribute to community welfare

These days, everything on the grocer’s shelf is labeled fresh, even when it has been frozen and thawed, frozen and steamed or frozen and sauteed to reach its commercial state of “freshness.” That’s not a rub to the industries that create these foods, but it does raise an issue as to what “fresh” and “local” actually mean.

COMMENTARY

Recent searches need evaluation

During the weekend, the FBI carried out searches of several known anti-war activists’ homes throughout the Midwest, ostensibly looking for evidence indicating “material support” for terrorist organizations abroad.

COMMENTARY

Bill's extra pages raise concerns about process

There is a chance Michigan residents could follow drinking on Saturday night with a Sunday morning refill if a new bill is signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The true price of such legislation, which would allow stores to sell liquor as early as 7 a.m. on Sundays, might not immediately be known because the 50 or so other pages of the bill were added “in a matter of a few hours,” according to Granholm spokeswoman Katie Carey.

COMMENTARY

We need to have a high religious IQ

America has prided itself on being one of the most religious nations in the world. We see it at the heart of many political movements, in the soul of social movements and at the head of spiritual ones. It is an undeniable fact that in the U.S., religion, specifically Christianity, has played and continues to play a pivotal role in the shaping of this nation and its politics.

COMMENTARY

Asst. Attorney General's blog crossed the line

It seems tests to the First Amendment never sleep. Michigan’s Asst. Attorney General Andrew Shirvell recently was interviewed on CNN about his blog, “Chris Armstrong Watch.” The blog describes Armstrong, president of the University of Michigan’s student assembly, as a “RADICAL HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVIST, RACIST, ELITIST, & LIAR.” It appears in all-caps on the website as well

COMMENTARY

Shirvell's actions reflect poorly on state of Michigan

I recently was captivated by an interview Anderson Cooper conducted on CNN with Michigan’s Asst. Attorney General Andrew Shirvell. Shirvell, a University of Michigan alumnus, runs a blog devoted to smearing Chris Armstrong, current president of the University of Michigan’s student assembly, because he is gay, and accuses Armstrong of advocating a “deeply radical agenda” at U-M.

COMMENTARY

Group exercise is good for regimen

After I graduated from high school and began college, I realized my day-to-day routine would change dramatically. First of all, I cannot believe I ever went to class everyday at 8 a.m. Second, I realized I no longer had exercise built right into my daily schedule like I did in high school. I had to figure out on my own how I was going to make exercise part of my daily routine.

COMMENTARY

Use of technology positive move for justice system

Overcrowding in Ingham County jails has pushed officials to adopt a more financially and socially friendly alternative to serving traditional jail time. The alternative is rooted in restricting movement without incarceration using tether bands.

COMMENTARY

Advice not all about end result

I found some of my favorite kind of advice in The New York Times today. A bunch of graduate students from across the country banded together to give underclassmen tips on what they should do during their undergraduate years.

COMMENTARY

Out-of-state students should be short-term goal

With more than 46,000 student spots to fill in the Spartan pie each academic year, MSU has taken to harvesting fruit outside of state lines. In last year’s freshman class, 20.9 percent of MSU students were not from Michigan — the highest percentage this decade.

COMMENTARY

On rights and responsibilities

A short while ago, I listened to MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon speak of the things we all need to think about as members of the university community. She focused on something we habitually put on the back burner — a burner that in many cases has been turned off. This focus was on a very simple word: responsibility.

COMMENTARY

Graduate students need a place to congregate

Even though some might be slightly older and have different goals than undergraduates, graduate students still are part of the student body here at MSU. In other words, they still need the kinds of programs and spaces the university provides for underclassmen.

COMMENTARY

It is time for new leaders to step up

There is a proportional relationship between how lame politicians are and how lame the discussion becomes on cable television. This mathematical truth is most evident in a midterm election. Along with unrealistic promises and yelling comes a media culture that encourages bad behavior.

COMMENTARY

Ban on K2 is a politically expedient overreaction

State Rep. Justin Amash, R-Cascade, said it all with a simple and single “nay” concerning the ban on the synthetic cannabinoid K2 last Thursday. Amash hit the nail on the head when he wrote in his Facebook status that despite health concerns, using the substance constituted a victimless crime and that banning it should not be the government’s priority.