Sunday, April 12, 2026

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Raising the bar

There aren't a lot of places for people under 21 to hang out in East Lansing. Only two major bars — The Temple Club and Mac's Bar — cater to the younger set, hosting 18-and-older live shows every night. The problem is, many underclassmen don't have the means to get out there on a regular basis. Soon, the only club drawing in any underage customers might be The Temple Club.

COMMENTARY

Sex, gender not same culturally, biologically

Ryan Townsend incorrectly substitutes gender with sex in his letter "Only two genders, demands are bogus" (SN 12/02). An individual's sex is a tangible, biological characteristic assigned at birth by the presence of the gonads, which will later influence aspects of the further physical development of that person. An individual's gender, however, is an intangible construct of that person's identity, not under the influence of the gonads. In our culture, girls stereotypically play with dolls and boys play with trucks; but such constructs do not transcend all cultures and are not directly correlated with a person's sex, since this happens before puberty. Your idea of a clear-cut division between male and female is blurred by such genetic abnormalities as Klinefelter syndrome. And if God is still creating only two sexes, how do you account for an intersex person? Travis Reed veterinary medicine first year

COMMENTARY

2 weeks notice

Hurricane Katrina victims have gone through a lot. They've lost everything to flood damage and looters.

COMMENTARY

Fighting critics

Be all you can be. Aim high. U.S. military slogans are pretty recognizable. Military service is done strictly on a volunteer basis, so the different branches are in the business of recruiting. Really, they are in the business of selling themselves as organizations to potential employees. Thursday, the group Direct Action took issue with the military's recruiting tactics and organized a protest outside the local Marine Corps Recruiting Station on Grand River Avenue.

COMMENTARY

Mariucci not answer to Spartans' problems

If we bring in Steve Mariucci to coach our football team, we might as well bring back Bobby Williams too. They both share a common thread as coaches: They lack discipline. There's no better proof of this than Charles Rogers.

COMMENTARY

Writer fails to recognize cartoons as worthless

This is in response to David Sahlin's letter, "Compelling cartoon least of many worries" (SN 11/17). He first states "there are more important things to raise a fuss over than an editorial cartoon that (…) makes you think." In saying this, he neglects the fact that Mike Ramsey's cartoons are not thought-provoking.

COMMENTARY

Way too easy

What a great message to send to potential criminals. Embezzle from your employer and all it takes to avoid jail time is returning the money and writing a couple letters of apology. Former MSU School of Journalism employee Raye Grill will take this plea bargain for the embezzlement charges against her.

COMMENTARY

Police should practice laws, give right of way

I really appreciated "Road rules" (SN 11/28) concerning bicycle and pedestrian traffic on campus and I was glad to hear that police officers are actually paying attention to that sort of thing. However, the very day the article was published, I had to dart out from in front of a motor vehicle that sped through a cross-walk. Of course, this happens all the time, but this particular vehicle happened to be an MSU police truck. The police SUV did not have its lights on, and the cross walk (in front of West Akers Hall at the corner of East Shaw Lane and Wilson Road) is clearly marked in white paint and two large yellow signs grant pedestrians the right of way. Maybe Sgt.

COMMENTARY

Musical tackling social issues not disappointing

In regards to Ryan McCormick's poor review, "'Rent' a disappointment" (SN 11/28), regarding the movie adaptation of "Rent," I have one thing to say: Get a clue. If you knew anything about musical theater, you would have understood the message and theme "Rent" emits to its audience, whether it is on stage or on the big screen. When Jonathan Larson created the rock opera epitomizing the effects drugs, poverty and AIDS had on the culture of the late 1980s, he did so to increase awareness and passion. The characters are who they are for a reason; a reflection of the lives so many people lived in that time.