Friday, April 4, 2025

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Great Issues promoted progressive discussions

I am writing in to criticize both ASMSU and The State News for their inaccuracies in evaluating Great Issues. First of all, I was at the ASMSU meeting, and the climate in the room was one that heavily favored Great Issues, while The State News decided to run a story that made it seem as though there were an equal amount of supporters on both sides in "ASMSU cuts Great Issues program" (SN 2/12). Secondly, the State News Opinion Page said, "If anything should have happened to Great Issues, it should have been reprimanded and restructured so the group could live up to its potential of sparking debate among the student population by giving a stage to unusual viewpoints." Uh, have any of you been to Great Issues events?

COMMENTARY

Argument is insulting to atheists, has no validity

I would like to respond to Matt Cowan's bizarre and insulting letter "Christianity doesn't need column to incite reaction" (SN 2/7), in which he relates Christianity and atheism to two bars of metal. In Cowan's misguided argument, he claims the atheistic bar looks shiny on the outside, but only because it is a piece of lead covered in gold paint.

COMMENTARY

Miraculous 'holy toast' pinpoints irrational flaw in religious belief

Throughout much of human history, stories of the miraculous have been a dime a dozen; very little was understood, and ignorant humans were perpetually running across inexplicable events that could only be the work of unseen forces. As science erases ignorance, "miraculous events" become increasingly rare, but those who want to see miracles always will find them. For example, last year CNN published a widely circulated story, "Woman finds 'God's water' gurgling from tree." A Texan named Lucille Pope reported her century-old oak tree had "gurgled water" for months.

COMMENTARY

Ethanol could save state's economy

America's gluttonous appetite for oil is not new. For the seventh time, President Bush mentioned the importance of energy independence in his State of the Union address last month. Bush also expressed the need for the United States to invest in the production of ethanol. Now, Michigan finds itself at an important crossroad.

COMMENTARY

Definitions of human life differ in debates

Two major arguments have been presented in response to my letter. In "Both stem cell research, organ harvesting ethical" (SN 2/6), Mr. Brian Weeks' attempt to justify embryonic stem cell research by asserting that it does "no more harm to the stem cells than was already going to come to them" is harmful for two reasons.

COMMENTARY

Criminalizing homeless is wrong solution to problem

Though not particularly surprised, I am nevertheless appalled by the attitude taken toward the homeless by certain members of our community in East Lansing and MSU. The East Lansing City Council has proposed an ordinance banning homeless people from the city's parking structures.

COMMENTARY

U.S. must face consequence for own self-defeating foreign policy

If there's one thing Americans absolutely hate to hear, it's that we're responsible for our own problems. As a nation, we prefer to think of ourselves as either: A) the enlightened country trying to bring logic and progress to a world that is so hopelessly backward and left in the dark that it needs us or B) the perpetual victim of forces who "hate freedom." After all, it's a much cleaner, nicer way to look at our foreign policy. Who wants to look at the ever-increasing levels of anti-American sentiment in the Middle East and think, "Well, maybe they don't like the United States because we have a long-standing legacy of exploiting the region for our own financial gain?" For example, in Iran in the 1950s and Iraq now, the United States has a history of overthrowing governments we disagree with only to attempt to install often-brutal pro-U.S.

COMMENTARY

Marriage defined in Bible as man, woman

I am writing in response to Ryan Dinkgrave's article "Definition of marriage should not be based on sexual orientation" (SN 2/7). Dinkgrave states that he cannot "understand and appreciate" the views of those opposed to same-sex marriage.

COMMENTARY

Group's removal was not warranted

ASMSU passed a bill Friday removing Great Issues, a group from its programming board, after an argument about a speaker the group paid to visit MSU. The speaker, Joe Carr, reportedly made anti-Semitic and other hate speech comments last year, spurring the Jewish Students Union and the Arab Cultural Society to introduce a bill calling for the removal of Great Issues from the undergraduate student government. After a meeting that wore on until after 2 a.m., ASMSU's Student Assembly removed the group for bringing "events which actually promote mistrust, hatred and even violence toward minorities on campus," the bill stated. Great Issues was a 17-member facet of the programing board.

COMMENTARY

Anti-abortion advocates labeled uncool, columnist feels detached

It's no secret that anti-abortion proponents are a spectacularly uncool group of people. Statistically speaking, outside of "American Idol" enthusiasts and motorists with "Love Wins" bumper stickers, pro-lifers rank among the most uncool segments of the American population. "Jay and Silent Bob" creator Kevin Smith can't write a movie script without satirizing a pro-life character.