Tuesday, June 30, 2026

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Commentary

COMMENTARY

Infiltration story full of inconsistencies

Am I missing something or have others also noted an inconsistency in the administration’s explanation of police infiltration of Students for Economic Justice? On the one hand, MSU police Chief Bruce Benson responded to a Freedom of Information Act request for records and notes of the undercover operation by saying he destroyed them because they were no longer necessary. On the other hand, in grasping for straws to justify police spying on a legitimate student organization, President M.

COMMENTARY

ASMSU shouldnt govern yearbook

As both a student and a fan of the First Amendment, I am glad to see that the battle over whether ASMSU will gain editorial control over the Red Cedar Log finally ended with a defeat of that proposal. There were some important legal concerns in the content of the bill that would allow ASMSU editorial control of MSU’s student yearbook; these concerns involved both First Amendment issues and problems relating to MSU’s anti-discrimination policy.

COMMENTARY

Columnists ideas were outdated

The First Amendment gives us the marketplace of ideas. Even the ignorant have their say. Reasonable citizens sort out the arguments and come to a decision on issues based on this dialogue. In John La Fleur’s “market,” the produce is rotten.

COMMENTARY

Freedom of speech is for everyone

In response to the letter written by Anthony Kendall (“Original messages were offensive,” SN 4/20), I would just like to say that on a campus containing diverse people with equally diverse beliefs, sensitivity to differences is vital. Freedom of speech is also vital and some will say that where the two conflict, there is no right or wrong solution.

COMMENTARY

Homosexuality not related to incest

So I take it now that Pride Week is over, The State News is going to publish uninformed, uneducated, homophobic blathering? John La Fleur’s column was not only insulting, but embarrassing.

COMMENTARY

Many marriages can be childless

In John La Fleur’s column published Friday, he made public his ignorance of the topic of gay and lesbian relationships, as well as the role marriage plays in society. Sociologists recognize marriage not as a “legal union from which children are born,” but as “a multifaceted bond based on commitment, love and intimacy.” In addition, the reality of marriage is that many marriages remain childless by choice. La Fleur should have done some research before presuming to know what marriage means to American society.

COMMENTARY

Marriage is not just legal union

If we subscribe to the ideas that John La Fleur suggests are correct in his column, we may find ourselves in a scarier, more unfortunate situation than what already exists by not allowing homosexual marriages. The way that marriage was described to me for as long as I can remember is that it is an institution for which people who love each other can live together with certain benefits and recognition - such as a joint tax situation or health benefits. Never was it described to me as “a legal union from which children are born.” The idea of marriage for the purpose of procreation is ridiculous.

COMMENTARY

Union for U

The members of the Graduate Employees Union should be congratulated for their hard work in solidifying their collective bargaining victory. Graduate employees appointed as teaching assistants went to the polls Thursday and Friday to vote on whether they wanted to be represented by a union.

COMMENTARY

SEJ investigation causes concerns

You have to feel sorry for the people of Peru if they are relying on President M. Peter McPherson to make sure they have a functioning democracy. McPherson’s paranoiac behaviors regarding Students For Economic Justice is far more damaging to this university than binge drinking and sports-related riots ever could be.

COMMENTARY

La Fleurs logic doesnt add up

In John La Fleur’s column Friday, he states marriage should be reserved for heterosexuals because “marriage is a formal mechanism to establish order in the lives of children.” Therefore, because homosexuals are incapable of having children among themselves, he argues they shouldn’t be allowed to marry.

COMMENTARY

Columns ideas were ridiculous

John La Fleur’s column, “Institution of marriage is for heterosexuals” (SN 4/20), was probably the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever read. His whole argument is based on faulty logic and selective reasoning.

COMMENTARY

Responsibility

Establishments should be held responsible for violations that occur on their premises or are related to activities that happened at the business. The Lansing City Council has taken away the liquor license from one bar and is considering taking away another’s.

COMMENTARY

Rape should be addressed by men

I want to thank the nine men who attended the men’s forum at “Take Back The Night,” as well as those men who supported the event as a whole. Sadly, few men were this supportive.

COMMENTARY

Messages should be sabotaged

I am writing in response to Michonne L. Omo’s column (“Message shouldn’t have been tampered with,” SN 4/17). I found her essay hypocritical and a prime example of why such an act as the sabotage of Campus Crusade for Christ’s chalk messages were necessary. In my opinion, the whole point of writing such offensive things was not to be just childish, but rather to juxtapose the traditional viewpoints of the Christian and non-Christian. There are complaints every year about the chalkings, and every year CCC counters with the argument that the chalk is harmless and can be easily ignored.