Saturday, April 25, 2026

Take a peek behind the curtain and test drive the NEW StateNews.com today!

Commentary

COMMENTARY

Bad Bush!

When George W. Bush was still the governor of Texas in 2000, months away from being elected the 43rd president of the United States of America, he sat opposite David Letterman in the Ed Sullivan Theater and said, "I'm a uniter, not a divider." It's now abundantly clear as we step into the next presidential race that the United States of America is more politically, socially and ideologically divided than it has been in decades. Concurrently, in Tuesday night's State of the Union address, Bush had the opportunity to quell the fear that many Americans have of a nation being torn asunder by differences in politics.

COMMENTARY

No faith needed to support evolution

Jamin T. Villarreal has created a false idea of what "evolution" is and proceeds to knock down his own caricature of the science ("Scientists base claims on faith, too" SN 1/15). I am a science educator and researcher, and it is because of my concern for this type of ignorance that I write to you today. The study of evolution is no more based on faith than is the study of the solar system.

COMMENTARY

Newspaper underplayed Sparty's win

When I picked up The State News this morning and glanced at the top of the first page, I noticed "Sparty time: 'U' mascot named top in country (SN 1/21)." I was so excited to rip open the paper and read an article all about how and where he had won.

COMMENTARY

Capitalism leads to advances, liberty

In one sentence, Craig Gunn promotes the beheading of Bill Gates because he's wealthy, and in the next, he states he has "nothing against capitalism." Gunn ("TV shows glamorizing wealthy pushes over-consumption") claims we have the right to "earn money, and spend it any way we desire," unless we earn too much. Unfortunately, Gunn fails to identify who gets to decide how much is too much and how it will be stopped.

COMMENTARY

Smokin'

It was a banner year at the Bender household when troubled high-schooler John Bender received his Christmas gift from his father: a carton of cigarettes. "Smoke up, Johnny!" the elder Bender said, as told in John Hughes' seminal 1985 work "The Breakfast Club." If legislation introduced by Michigan state Sen.

COMMENTARY

Men can't decide what hurts women

I've read some interesting letters in The State News lately. On Jan. 20 ("Ned's ad merely a joke, not offensive"), Marc Stemmer wrote that the Ned's ads were "harmless humor" and "clearly a joke." On Jan.

COMMENTARY

Moon money

The presidential election is a mere 11 months away, and now, with Saddam Hussein found and Iraq getting back up on its feet, George W.

COMMENTARY

Democratic Thunderdome could revolutionize political races

The Michigan Democratic caucus is about two weeks away, and it seems regrettable that the Democratic candidates for president haven't gotten much local exposure. Which is why, in the sense of extending the franchise to a broader scope of potential voters, I ask the caucus voters to politely consider changing the criteria of their decision to a more palpable - and certainly more entertaining - method. Thunderdome. For those of you in the dark, let me turn you on to the magic of Thunderdome.

COMMENTARY

Screams cater only to privileged men

I would like to respond to a letter in defense of the midnight screams, "Exam screams just part of college life" (SN 1/15), that claims this tradition is a healthy, fun way for college students to release stress.

COMMENTARY

Evolution scientific, creationism isn't

After reading Jamin Villarreal's letter "Scientists base claims on faith, too" (SN 1/15), I am left to wonder how a person, who believes a cat could become a fish and that evolutionary theory applies to motorcycles, could possibly be in a position to comment on the concept of logic. If all people were to automatically dismiss scientific theories before they even have a chance to learn about them, the state of learning in the world would grind to a halt.

COMMENTARY

Christian bashing shouldn't be 'OK'

This letter is in response to John Bice's column "Raelian cult beliefs just as nutty as the Christian majority's" (SN 1/15). I wonder how this opinion piece would have been taken had Bice compared the "nuttiness" of the Raelian cult to, say, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, how about Shamanism?

COMMENTARY

Historical errors plague newspaper

I cannot understand the rampant and blatant errors that abound in people's historical anecdotes when they try and provide "evidence" for their arguments. Take Patrick Walter's article, "Moore tackles gun culture with grim accuracy, dead-on aim" (SN 1/13), about Michael Moore's "documentary," which said, "Fear of prosecution from the British resulted in the battles of Concord and Lexington, a fear of a divided nation rained down on Fort Sumter during the Civil War ?" I hoped that, at least in university classrooms, we had moved beyond the myth of our American heritage as a patriotic and righteous struggle against the injustices of others.

COMMENTARY

Her choice

If abortion opponents have their way, one of the most personal and life-changing decisions a woman can make will become a decision legislators will make for her. In October, Gov.