Monday, July 6, 2026

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Mannequin incident attacks females

It's been interesting to watch the various reactions to the mannequin-burning incident that happened this weekend ("Police: Prank not race related," SN 2/25). The police described it as "kids goofing around," saying it wasn't racially motivated, and "there was no intent to intimidate or threaten anyone." What a relief to hear it was originally a white mannequin, and that the kids who burnt it didn't want to intimidate anyone.

COMMENTARY

Right reaction

MSU's multicultural student organizations should be commended for creating a watchdog plan to push university officials to pay more attention to the concerns of the community's marginalized citizens. The Council of Racial Ethnic Students and the Council of Progressive Students unveiled MSU Affirmative REACTION on Wednesday and discussed the new group's mission to provoke more response from university leaders on issues pertinent to the multicultural community. REACTION stands for Reminding Every American Citizen That It's Our Need. While the acronym is a stretch to fit its letters to the group's mission, its new creation, announced in the Multicultural Center on Wednesday, is right on target in its duty. Louis Brown, ASMSU's Student Assembly vice chairperson for external affairs, is right in his assessment that university leaders are not addressing multicultural issues in a proactive manner. Despite a sound bite from MSU spokesman Terry Denbow saying, "MSU can't and won't tolerate any kind of (racist) activity," it seems the actions of the school's governors speak otherwise. How else should members of MSU's multicultural community interpret university action that shove their concerns around from committee to committee causing them to seemingly disappear with each generation of students? How else should the MSU community interpret the Board of Trustees' unwillingness to speak out about the U.S.

COMMENTARY

Flag freedom

It's just a flag, but Manhattanville College women's basketball player Toni Smith hangs on a political crucifix because she doesn't worship symbols. Smith, in subtle protest, turns away from the American flag during "The Star-Spangled Banner." This simple action went unnoticed for months in Manhattanville before it came to the nation's attention. People being the politically sensitive vultures they are, came down on Smith calling her a "disgrace" at games.

COMMENTARY

Meeting should not have been disrupted

I consider myself a liberal Democrat, and let me be the first to say I was appalled by the behavior of Erin Belinger as she represented the Wilson Hall government at the event sponsored by the MSU College Republicans on Tuesday night ("Controversial talk interrupted," SN 2/26). Belinger and, consequently, the Wilson Hall student government, do not seem to appreciate the fact that the university is meant to be a place of learning.

COMMENTARY

Mannequin suspect should be punished

This is in response to the "mannequin shenanigan." As the entire MSU community breathed a sigh of relief when the mannequin head was found to be white, I worried, as did Kenya Harvey ("Police: Prank not race related," SN 2/25). It turns out we, as a white race, have been intimidated by another race.

COMMENTARY

A double standard exists for racism

In her letter, Sarah Nalett makes a good point: there is a double standard regarding racism in this country ("Since mannequin is white, no one cares," SN 2/26). Our society certainly has differing reactions to racism when practiced by a member of the racial majority or a minority.

COMMENTARY

Saddam does nothing that is 'honorable'

After reading Matt Treadwell's column "Bush should accept Saddam's debate offer - unless he's yella" (SN 2/26), I couldn't believe this newspaper would print such a disrespectful and anti-American piece of propaganda.

COMMENTARY

Nonminorities are not racism victims

This is in response to "Since mannequin is white, no one cares," (SN 2/26). I wanted to inform Sarah Nalett who stated, "Hasn't anyone ever heard that black people or other minorities can be racist?" This is an incorrect statement.

COMMENTARY

Drinking dilemma

As people worry minors make up one-fifth of the nation's drinkers, the real focus should fall on anyone drinking a fifth in a single sitting. An alcoholic is an alcoholic is an alcoholic, whether 12 years old or 44.

COMMENTARY

Cut short

A university campus is a vast garden fit for planting seeds of knowledge to bear fruit to make the world a better place.

COMMENTARY

Meeting disruption totally uncalled for

As spokesman for the organization whose event was interrupted on Tuesday, I would like to further address the issue beyond what The State News presented in its article "Controversial talk interrupted" (SN 2/26). The individual who felt the topic of the presentation had been misrepresented clearly did not exercise the rationale one needs in order to arrive at that conclusion.

COMMENTARY

Bush/Saddam debate is an absurd prospect

Matt Treadwell's column on the proposed President Bush/Saddam Hussein debate is entirely absurd for several reasons ("Bush should accept Saddam's debate offer - unless he's yella," SN 2/26). It would be much easier for Saddam to win the debate because he isn't constrained by having to tell anything remotely close to the truth.

COMMENTARY

Jihad needs to be clarified to U.S. public

Muslims are such bad people. Wouldn't the world be such a peaceful place without them? And look at how those Muslims are so violent, they even have this thing called jihad intended to make people's lives miserable.The above sentences are the most untrue garbage you might ever read, yet it is sadly garbage that we as Americans encounter every day.

COMMENTARY

One step in a bookstore will humble the most arrogant person

The quickest way to strip myself of whatever hubris I accrue is simply to enter a bookstore. I've concluded Schuler's is nothing more than a warehouse designed to demonstrate to me that even if I spent every moment of my life reading, I would die knowing a tiny portion of the measure of human knowledge.

COMMENTARY

Bush should accept Saddam's debate offer - unless he's yella

It's the most constructive idea I've heard since the American network media jumped on the president's "Showdown with Saddam" bandwagon. And the surprising part is - now brace yourself - it came from Iraq's "evil dictator" himself. CBS news anchor Dan Rather reported Monday Iraqi President Saddam Hussein proposed participating in a debate with President Bush via live radio and television satellite linkup. Rather is the first American journalist to be granted an interview with Saddam in a decade.

COMMENTARY

Bus way would be positive for campus

I am writing to respond to the letter written by Sue Hammar and Mary Fantacone about the CATA bus way ruining an "unofficial dog park" ("Bus way would ruin unofficial dog park," SN 2/20). I agree this small recreational area for people and their dogs is a benefit to the community.

COMMENTARY

Blaming 'prank' on race isn't helpful

This letter is in response to an article written by Chrystal Griffin and Chad Previch on Feb. 25 ("Police: Prank not race related," SN 2/25). I believe the "prank" at Chandler Crossings was made up to be something it wasn't.