Sunday, January 12, 2025

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Article doesn't mention important candidates

I was very disappointed with The State News when I read the article by Rebecca McNulty, "Sheriff, minister compete in primary," (SN 7/20). It was nice to see what these candidates believe and stand for, but there is some information missing.

COMMENTARY

There is a reason for laws forbidding euthanasia

This letter is in response to Caitlin Scuderi's column "Able beings should be allowed to refuse medical treatment," (SN 7/19). In her column, Scuderi discusses a case in which a person without a disability suffered a debilitating accident, became a person with a disability and asked his doctors to assist in efforts to end his life. Based on her column, it's clear that Scuderi sees this issue as the loss of self-dignity versus the preservation of it.

COMMENTARY

Student Book Store not very student friendly

I have a bone to pick with the Student Book Store, also known as SBS. Upon a recent trip to the establishment on Grand River Avenue, I was greeted with rudeness, hostility and downright disrespect. I went to SBS to buy a textbook for a class.

COMMENTARY

Common Ground Festival lacked diverse crowd

The State News' coverage, "Finding common ground," (SN 7/13), of the "Common" Ground Festival was telling. The paper mentioned the festival bringing people together and quoted Lansing resident Sue Keenan as saying "everybody kind of blends as one." But a blaring lack of sense of our community was shown in the absence of any minorities in all the pictures used in the display, which unfortunately reflected the lack of diversity of people attending this "common" festival.

COMMENTARY

Frattoli minimizes majors using childish argument

In his response to "Girls make the grade," (SN 7/20), Anton Frattaroli questions "Is the point of this article to say something as childish as 'Girls are better than boys?'" I found this incredibly ironic, considering that he had just spent a few paragraphs before engaging in an argument equally as childish in his letter, "Girls aren't better than boys, article lacks point," (SN 7/24). Now, Frattaroli may disregard everything I say because I am just a lowly female dietetics major who cannot code a compiler, but I found it absolutely ridiculous that he minimized the curricula of other majors to simply "memorizing and writing well" and further attest that he is better than others because he can solve 400-level math problems and understand different computer languages.

COMMENTARY

More people should speak out against intolerance

I hope more people like Cynthia Kraus, who wrote the letter "Piedra's letter offensive, should not be tolerated," (SN 7/21), take the time and energy to speak out when they hear, read or see the sort of intolerance shown by Daniel Piedra in his earlier letter, "United States supports Israel with good reason," (SN 7/17). If there is one lesson I have learned in the last few years, this is it: We need to realize that any form of generalization reduces not only those described to less than whole, but also shows the thinker's, in this case writer's, lack of common sense and understanding for the issue at hand. The fact that any one person, like Piedra, feels his or her view is the only correct view should scare anyone with half a brain. Piedra, I hope that a communications junior would understand how to craft an argument to persuade people — not to alienate them.

COMMENTARY

Bigoted letters shouldn't be published in State News

How does the letter written by Daniel Piedra, "United States supports Israel with good reason," (SN 7/17), even get published? There are a lot of innocent people in danger on both sides, and The State News is allowing someone to use this conflict as a platform for their bigotry.

COMMENTARY

Piedra's letter offensive, should not be tolerated

I am both surprised and saddened that The State News would allow the publishing of such hate-filled religious propaganda like the letter "United States supports Israel with good reason," (SN 7/17), by Daniel Piedra. This kind of cultural insensitivity should not be tolerated by any institution that promotes diversity and acceptance. Piedra's generalizations of Arabs, and of the religion of Islam, are uncalled for and hurtful, even to a non-Muslim. No person capable of human emotion should be exempt from feeling the personal pain of Muslims right now; there is no religious group in the world that has not, at some point in time, been in the same position. If you can sympathize with your ancestors, you can sympathize with a fellow human being sharing the world with you right now.

COMMENTARY

Goodbye junk mail, hello free market

How many times do you throw away junk mail without even opening it? If your answer is a lot, then you might be interested in signing up with Tim Pfannes' new company, 41pounds.org. Pfannes, along with his two brothers, began the company in an attempt to help subscribers eliminate junk mail delivered to their houses.

COMMENTARY

The best of Lash Larrowe: Let's not be beastly to Israel

Reprinted from the February 13, 1978 edition of The State News I'm over in the corner with these stonies, getting set to try out their brand-new gatling bong, this earnest student butts in. "Can I speak to you for a minute, Dr.?" he asks. "Can't you see I'm busy?" I snaps.