COMMENTARY

Variety of ways to express free speech, ideas should exist

I am writing in response to YAF speaker poor choice, brings hate speech at MSU (SN 3/25). Mike Adams makes a poor assumption about the nature of freedom of speech. He preempts the newest MSU Young Americans for Freedom speaker by saying “They should instead host a debate of some kind where both sides can present what they believe. MSU YAF claims to like free speech, but they only like free speech for themselves.”

COMMENTARY

Street graffiti on campus ruins beauty, history

There are some things that teeter-totter in my mind. Do I prefer Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton? Are patterned wellies really that cute? Is Starbucks worth the $4 I spend every time? But the topic that has most frequently bounced back and forth in my head is my opinion on graffiti stencils.

COMMENTARY

No logic used in argument against YAF's 'hate speech'

In Mike Adams’ letter titled YAF speaker poor choice, brings hate speech at MSU (SN 3/25), it was argued that MSU’s Young Americans for Freedom was only for speech that supports their cause.

COMMENTARY

Supporting Olympics in China supports its treatment of Tibet

I witnessed what would normally be a heartwarming scene in the International Center. There was a table set up with a great big banner supporting the Olympics. Happy students were signing it. I searched the faces of those sitting around the lobby for someone thinking about why this is controversial. No one had an objection.

COMMENTARY

GEU's strike platform could spark MSU action

Making a stand takes guts. And for a group that’s been playing nice, it’s difficult to say whether MSU’s Graduate Employees Union has what it takes. As negotiations between the university and the GEU continue, union members are planning possible “job actions” and a “strike platform” in case the two parties can’t produce a contract by the end of the semester.

COMMENTARY

Beware: Identity theft a reality

As news reports and TV commercials regarding identity theft circulate throughout society, most people don’t really think about it happening to them.

COMMENTARY

Protest important part of remembering war in Iraq

Wednesday marked the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war. In response, on Thursday, a coalition representing hundreds of MSU students and community members led a large, vibrant demonstration to call for an end to the occupation, which accumulates in cost and creates more destruction every day.

COMMENTARY

Classifying 'fair use' for education tricky

Paying for someone else’s ideas seems like a weird concept. But that’s what copyrights do: They’re protections that regulate the use or reproduction of all kinds of intellectual property — books, music, visual art and other things. As part of the protection, copyright holders are sometimes entitled to royalties, or fees paid by a third party using the copyrighted material. But other times, the context in which copyrighted material is used falls under “fair use,” which means it might not be necessary to pay those fees or seek the copyright holder’s permission to use it.

COMMENTARY

Kilpatrick kills Detroit's image

Detroit and its mayor can’t hide from the world’s scrutiny. Media everywhere have been reporting what everyone is calling a sad day for Detroit: when Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy finally announced Monday that Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff Christine Beatty will face felony charges relating to a well-publicized text message scandal.

COMMENTARY

Regrowing limbs, organs a viable medical option

Prosthetic limbs might soon become obsolete thanks to new discoveries in reconstructive medicine. Doctors studying regenerative medicine recently have come to the conclusion that every cell in the human body has potential to regenerate — they just have to be prompted to do so.

COMMENTARY

Politicians can't get away with scandals anymore

It’s becoming more and more clear that sexual escapades are an underlying current in American politics. Democrats and Republicans alike have felt the sting of having a hand caught in the cookie jar — at least I hope that’s where it was.

COMMENTARY

Column shows stereotypes of campaign behavior it criticizes

I was very disappointed after reading Catherine Fish’s column Sexism big part of primary season (SN 3/24). She had a great opportunity to rise above the stereotype she claims is plaguing New York Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign by writing a column about why Clinton should be the next president and focusing on the issues at hand.

COMMENTARY

Guest speaker to talk about terrorist mind-set, U.S. dangers

Being conservative on campus, it’s difficult to find events, groups and people that are politically similar because those who are conservative usually don’t make their opinions known.

COMMENTARY

YAF speaker poor choice, brings hate speech at MSU

I read in the Lansing State Journal on Sunday morning that MSU’s Young Americans for Freedom are again trying to stir up controversy on campus. Instead of bashing immigrants or homosexual people, they are bashing Muslims this time.

COMMENTARY

Reaction to issues in China, Tibet affects world

There’s no disputing the fact that human rights are a cause worth the fight. The hubbub occurring between China and Tibet is no exception. But in a time when everyone is doing business with China in some way, the world’s reactions to its treatment of the Tibetan people must be carefully contemplated.

COMMENTARY

How politically savvy are you?

Tom Choske

March 24, 2008

GOTV. “Get Out the Vote.” This should be familiar to members of our generation. In 2004 and 2006, campaigns such as “Vote Or Die” sought to get us off of our Xboxes and Facebook.com and into our local polling precinct. Every election cycle, celebrities and political elites get together to encourage us Generation Yers to participate in our democracy.

COMMENTARY

Sexism big part of primary season

Ever heard the one about the Hillary Special from KFC? Two fat thighs with small breasts and a left wing. Yeah, it’s funny. And not in a politically incorrect har-har kind of way. Funny as in, wow, deranged sexist morons objectifying anyone with a vagina still roam among us?

COMMENTARY

Proposal 2 unfair yet deemed constitutional

Almost two years later, Michigan is still haunted by the supposed “nondiscriminatory” constitutional amendment that, in the eyes of many, doesn’t come close to making everyone equal.

COMMENTARY

Mich. facilities need revamping

Of the many metrics by which one can estimate the health of a society, one of the more interesting approaches is to compare the amount of public money spent on corrections versus how much is spent on higher education.

COMMENTARY

Basketball tournament tickets were up for grabs

This is in response to the article Tickets in Mile High City scarce for MSU students (SN 3/20). Not only were tickets for MSU’s tournament games in Colorado available to the official team traveling party, players and coaches’ families and donors, but also to alumni and MSU students.