COMMENTARY

Katrina response wasn't about race, but poverty

I am writing in response to Darrell Hughes' "Government's Katrina reaction shows America's underlying racism," (SN 8/29). The Hurricane Katrina situation is a direct result of structural violence, which is a form of violence that is unintended but still occurs because of the nature of the "system" or the environment. It isn't directly the government's fault that these Americans are poor, though it does play a part.

COMMENTARY

Anti-war is not pro-fascist

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld acknowledged the troops fighting in Iraq in his speech Tuesday at the American Legion's annual convention.

COMMENTARY

DeVos panders to wealthy, hurts Mich. middle class

With less than 100 days until the Michigan gubernatorial election, what we need to be worried about is direction.

COMMENTARY

MSU students need to respect neighborhoods

Welcome Week activities may have been tamer overall than in years past, but having had people pound on my door at 2:30 a.m.

COMMENTARY

Contraceptive choices expand, should be available for everyone

Condoms don't discriminate. Available almost everywhere from Olin Health Center to Walgreens, condoms are sold to anyone willing to dish out a couple bucks in exchange for pretty good protection against unwanted pregnancies and most sexually transmitted infections. But think of all the sperm collected in that thin, latex contraption that could have otherwise fertilized an egg and developed into a real-life walking, talking human being. Still, condoms live on.

COMMENTARY

Guest ID policy doesn't fix problems

East Lansing is alive again with the hustle and bustle of MSU's student body. It's official — fall semester has begun. But before classes even started, an off-duty night receptionist was assaulted while trying to enforce the university's new, stricter dorm-visitation policy.

COMMENTARY

ID procedure for dorms doesn't make it safer

I want to write in to complain about the new night receptionist policy on campus. No doubt people are aware by now that if they bring in a guest after midnight, the guest must leave a form of ID at the front door.

COMMENTARY

Response still inappropriate 1 year later

New Orleans — home of Mardi Gras, jazz and jambalaya — also was home to about 480,000 people more than one year ago.

COMMENTARY

ID policy at MSU's dorms ill-advised, not effective

I was a supervisor for the Brody Hall night receptionist program since January 2005. Last week, I quit. I believe Adam Lark's article, "Policy problems," (SN 8/28), gives readers a very skewed understanding of the consequences of the new identification collection policy.

COMMENTARY

Government's Katrina reaction shows America's underlying racism

Darrell Hughes

August 29, 2006

A year after Katrina ravaged the southern coast, light-headed politicians and most Americans are still not effectively addressing the social inequities brought to light by the disaster. My heart ached as I watched Oprah's Hurricane Katrina special after the storm claimed hundreds of lives across the southern United States — it seemed so surreal. Young women, men, the elderly and children were found on the side of roads and in houses, sucked lifeless by Katrina's wrath.

COMMENTARY

Scuderi exaggerates in column on terrorism

Caitlin Scuderi's column "Terrorism has taken over our lives," (SN 8/15), seems to be a bit of an overexaggeration.

COMMENTARY

Single Business Tax needed for state funding

I cannot believe the irresponsibility of the Republican lawmakers. They just got rid of Michigan's Single Business Tax, which provides almost $2 billion in revenue for the state — 21 percent of the general fund.

COMMENTARY

Completing bicycle ride shows life continues after obstacles

When I graduated high school in 1998, I honestly thought that was as far as I would ever make it in life.

COMMENTARY

Conservative movement ideas are contradictory

I am quite disturbed with the modern American conservative movement. Its roots consist of a mix of "morals" and fiscal conservation, which at every end seem to contradict each other.

COMMENTARY

Coverage without protection

On Saturday, a National Geographic magazine correspondent was charged with espionage and other crimes in a Sudanese court.

COMMENTARY

Columnist misstates No Child Left Behind positions

While I agree with many of the sentiments of Vanessa Notman's column "Bush posse not looking out for kids," (SN 8/16), I believe there are some misinterpretations of the Washington Post article she cites.

COMMENTARY

Bush posse not looking out for kids

I suppose it's natural to look up to and support your older siblings — but what if your older brother is George Dubya? I shudder at the thought.

COMMENTARY

Summer's almost over, gear up for fall

As summer winds down, it's important to think about how far we've come and where we're headed.

COMMENTARY

Letter writer misses point of 'scientific theory'

I'd like to try to clear up one (among several) misconceptions in Jaren Kuchta's letter, "Bible doesn't promote slavery, abortion rights, "While attempting to refute Shane Krouse's column, "Bible supports abortion rights," (SN 8/10), which looked for pro-slavery and pro-abortion ideas within Scripture, Kuchta labeled scientific descriptions of evolution and of the creation of the universe as "just theories," which "cannot be proven." I think Kuchta was implying that as mere unprovable "theories," they should be distinguished from scientific fact and therefore dismissed.

COMMENTARY

Krouse ignores context, discrediting his argument

Considering the scientific method, where observations lead to hypotheses, predictions and theories — like the theory of evolution — I am forced to question Shane Krouse's methods in using the Bible for his pro-choice stance, because he ignores the importance of context in his column, "Bible supports abortion rights," (SN 8/10). First, there's a context to slavery.