Sunday, December 7, 2025

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Studio scraping the barrel with latest trick

Who is David Manning and why is he causing such a commotion in Hollywood and across the country? The answer: He is the figment of the imagination of an employee at Sony Pictures who has given out good reviews for movies produced by Sony Pictures. It’s bad enough to hear hundreds and hundreds of critics run their mouths about what movies they think should get a thumbs up or a thumbs down.

COMMENTARY

Court lets compassion override the facts

Tony Paul
June 14, 2001

In the last two weeks, I’ve been called: a) As cruel as a roaring 1920s mobster. b) As heartless as the pre-Oz tin man. c) As noncompassionate as an MSU math TA. You see, this parade of insults began May 29, when the U.S.

COMMENTARY

Cheap shot

Although the Michigan Supreme Court is highly likely to overturn a previous Court of Appeals ruling, it should do the right thing and put concealed weapons legislation to a voter referendum. The law, which would make a concealed weapons permit easier to obtain, is scheduled to take effect July 1.

COMMENTARY

Come together

President Bush’s visit to Europe is a good way for his administration to kick off good relations abroad, but his focus appears skewed. Bush’s five-day tour began Tuesday in Madrid, Spain, where he met with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia before a private session with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. Items on Bush’s agenda in Europe include defending his position on the Kyoto treaty and the proposed missile defense system.

COMMENTARY

People make air travel a miserable experience

On the tip of almost everyone’s tongue is the state of airline travel in the new millennium. Complaints range from too many people to too few flights, canceled flights to delayed flights, poor food to every conceivable problem known to man.

COMMENTARY

Writer questions motive of decision

In regards to last week’s State News editorial (“Blind decision,” SN 6/4) I would be interested in hearing the voices of the 30 students currently enrolled in this program, as well as the voices of visually impaired students at MSU concerning this issue.

COMMENTARY

College shouldnt let program go

The MSU College of Education is planning to discontinue the program preparing special education teachers for K-12 students who are blind, visually impaired and deaf blind (“Blind decision,” SN 6/4). This development has arisen with the departure of a faculty member who served as the primary administrator of the program.

COMMENTARY

MEAP mishap

The Michigan Educational Assessment Program test is used to measure the success of high school students and school districts, but it may be driving schools to cheat to gain the desired results. State Treasurer Doug Roberts released a list of 71 Michigan schools under investigation for possible cheating on the MEAP test. The investigation comes after essay answers from eight students from the same school were found to be suspiciously close. These allegations have angered many superintendents and caused teachers to question what they can and can’t do to prepare the students for the test. Teachers are given answers to the questions before the test is given out and they format their teaching of the material accordingly.

COMMENTARY

Profusion of pretense disgusts columnist

Rishi Kundi
June 7, 2001

A year ago, I wrote a piece describing my intense hatred of bumper stickers. I thought my arguments were compelling and irrefutable, but it seems that I would have done more for the cause if I had tied my column around a dog’s neck, shot the dog and set it on fire.

COMMENTARY

Borderline

Increased security along the U.S.-Mexico border isn’t the right way to go about handling immigrants. U.S.

COMMENTARY

Anxiety felt by children easily misunderstood

Audrey Barney
June 7, 2001

Nothing is worse than losing a parent, especially one who is the family’s foundation. Such was the case with the McGuckins of Idaho, who clearly fell apart after the death of Michael McGuckin, husband of JoAnn McGuckin and the father of seven children, ranging from 8 to 19 years old.The McGuckins were an independent family that believed in sticking together.Living in abject poverty for more than a decade, the family could outlast any member on the “Survivor” series with the skills it acquired.

COMMENTARY

Good example

Every vote counts, doesn’t it? When we walk away from the polls, we expect that our vote is tallied along with the rest and if it isn’t, somebody should find out why. The U.S.

COMMENTARY

Congress, Court wrong to overrule voters

I’m not going to talk about marijuana. I’m going to talk about the cannabis plant, known as a superior medicine since the world’s first medical text, the Pen Ts’ao by Emperor Shen Nung, was written in China 5,000 years ago.

COMMENTARY

Blind decision

The College of Education’s decision to freeze admissions to the special education visual impairment program is disagreeable and detrimental to the college and the university. Administrators from the college and university have placed a hold on admissions for new students after the recent resignation of Professor Susan Bruce, essentially the program’s leader. The visual impairment specialty includes deaf blind, visual impairment and orientation and mobility education and is only one of two visual impairment programs in the state. There are currently about 30 students involved in the program, who have been assured they will be able to graduate with degrees in special education visual impairment. The National Federation for the Blind is planning to sponsor a rally June 8 in front of the Administration Building to support the program. A $1.5 million grant intended for recruitment was recently awarded to the department, but may be in danger if the program doesn’t have enough students, Bruce said. This is a terrible time to put a hold on admissions.

COMMENTARY

Americas greed means drain on energy supply

Leslie Escobar
June 4, 2001

A couple of weeks ago, in the midst of President Bush’s attempt to push a solution to the energy crisis on the rest of the country, his adviser, Ari Fleisher, made one of the most completely stupid statements I’ve ever been privileged to hear from a supposedly intelligent person.“The president believes that (high-energy consumption) is an American way of life, and that it should be the goal of policymakers to protect the American way of life.

COMMENTARY

Republicans care about our country

I’m writing in response to the column about young Republicans on campus. I would just like to make a few points about the Republican Party and its members, which Ryan Weltzer brought up (“Writer puzzled by political views of peers,” SN 5/30). I have been a Republican for my whole life, which is undoubtedly influenced by my parents.