Monday, December 22, 2025

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Laws should treat all citizens equally

Regarding Andrew Goetz's column about MSU's policies toward same-sex couples ("Recognizing same-sex marriages would solve 'U' problems" SN 3/27), I would have to agree that the standards for faculty and graduate students need to be on par. Whether one views a homosexual's private life as "yucky," "abnormal" or sinful (which in some cases undoubtedly affects their reasoning) is irrelevant in this matter.

COMMENTARY

Patriots need to speak for freedom

In his vitriolic rant in response to John Bice's excellent column, alumnus William Perod falls into the usual trap of the fascist right ("Columnist's choice of discussion awful" SN 3/26). He tells us what a great country the United States is and that all should support the president and military as they fight for our freedoms.

COMMENTARY

Battle time

With U.S. troops closing in on Baghdad and the timetable of military leaders growing ever more vague, Americans only can expect the U.S.-led war on Iraq to get bloodier. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said Sunday he is unsure about the timetable of this war - especially its ending.

COMMENTARY

Column criticizing Bush was excellent

John Bice's column pointing out the reality of Bush's presidency was great ("First impression of Bush apparently off target" SN 3/25). William Perod's letter, on the other hand, made me sick ("Columnist's choice of discussion awful" SN 3/26). Calling the article "whiny" and "unpatriotic" was way off base.

COMMENTARY

Showing live combat on TV only can have negative impact

And I thought reality TV couldn't go any further. People are being married by the audience, kicked off islands, rushing fraternities and sororities and now this. Live war. Late Saturday night, CNN and many other news networks around the world aired a battle near Umm Qasr in Iraq, live for our viewing pleasure. Sure, I'll admit I was frozen to the TV watching the events unfold, which is the goal of any TV network. And sure, it was a great show of journalism, especially after the tragic events that some journalists have already encountered in the war. But come on, you can't just go broadcasting live battle scenes.

COMMENTARY

Disgraceful 'U'

When hearing Professor Fayyaz Hussain describe his experiences of being sneered at to "Go back home," a reasonable person might think he was reminiscing about being teased in elementary school. Sadly, that is not the case.

COMMENTARY

Expressing opinion isn't 'ultraliberal'

This letter is in response to a letter to the editor ("Columnist's choice of discussion awful" SN 3/26). The person who wrote the letter complained about a columnist not "supporting his country, his troops and his president in times as important as they are right now." The columnist is later called "ultraliberal" and "unpatriotic." The kicker here is when the writer of the letter says, "I hate people who use their First Amendment right to spout off about our nation in a time when there is no room for it." What?

COMMENTARY

Election idiocy

ASMSU has taken themselves too seriously once again with its disqualification of 45 students from its recent election.

COMMENTARY

Silent support

Showing silent support for the people affected by war and for the soldiers fighting for the liberation of the Iraqi people, students at MSU can help in a huge way to send aid to those affected by violence with donations of blood.

COMMENTARY

Patriotism is love for one's country

I am responding to something that was said in the March 20 paper by a civil engineering senior about his support for the war ("Students, residents absorb initial visions of war" SN 3/20). He was quoted saying, "American patriotism lies in the fact that we won't back down." This got me thinking, to put it lightly, and I felt a need to respond in this time where open communication is exactly what we need more of.

COMMENTARY

Humane help

The United States and its coalition cannot afford to come up short or late when it comes to getting humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people they are claiming to liberate. The first sizable relief convoy rolled into Iraq during Wednesday's sandstorm, three days after President Bush promised "massive amounts" of humanitarian aid would be delivered. Missing such important self-imposed deadlines is unacceptable for the nation that paved its way for war with Iraq.

COMMENTARY

Recognizing same-sex marriages would solve 'U' problems

Amidst the fighting in Iraq, prayers for our brave troops and the protesting in the streets, another less publicized controversy emerged last week when graduate student Carolyn O'Laughlin resigned as the Mason Hall assistant hall director after fighting against a policy that prohibits same-sex domestic partners from living together in university housing.

COMMENTARY

Paying the cost

As if the price of American lives wasn't already too much to pay for the Bush administration's war with Iraq, now the president is asking Congress for billions of dollars the country doesn't have to finance the endeavor. President Bush is seeking $74.7 billion as a down payment for the war with Iraq.