COMMENTARY

Inquired views

Hearings to consider Judge John Roberts for the position of chief justice of the United States are underway and both Democrats and Republicans are arguing about the selection. The nominee's background and experience will be evaluated by an 18-member Senate Judiciary Committee before a decision is reached, but what interviewers should be focusing on is his views on certain issues. As a renowned conservative, Roberts is largely backed by Republicans who are hoping he will be an asset within the court and lead it away from overruling congressional decisions.

COMMENTARY

I'm not paying

ASMSU's recent decision to advocate lower parking meter rates on campus sounds like a good idea.

COMMENTARY

Say what?

We still can't figure out what she's saying. MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon announced a "major change" in MSU's mission at the Sesquicentennial Academic Convocation Thursday: The university will strive to become the top-ranking, land-grant institution in the entire nation by 2012 under her new "Boldness by Design" initiative. Sounds like a Bob Vila show to us. Achieving a top rank will include expanding the university's global networking to areas in China and South America, creating another residential college, increasing the National Institutes of Health research past $100 million and increasing MSU's involvement in local and government communities. Becoming No.

COMMENTARY

Piece of peace

Both Palestinian and Israeli leaders are now one step closer toward peace in the long run. The Israeli flag was lowered Sunday, completing an entire Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip after almost 40 years of occupation. But it's only a start to ending the deep-rooted conflict. The withdrawal began on Aug.

COMMENTARY

Tragic mistake

As the pumps continue to drain New Orleans, authorities are finding what lies beneath the murky Louisiana waters. We can't imagine what it's like down there - our homes are intact and our lives are scarely altered by this extreme tragedy. The volunteers, citizens and journalists who are presently in the area are the only people who know the reality of this event because they see it. They're living it. When politicians and public figures, such as former first lady Barbara Bush at the Astrodome in Houston, say things such as "So many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them," it shows the disconnect between leaders and the people they represent. Bodies lie in the streets of New Orleans.

COMMENTARY

1,000 words

Journalists can not let the First Amendment be disregarded again. The Federal Emergency Management Agency's request not to take photos of dead hurricane victims cripples journalists' duty to accurately document what is happening in the affected areas.

COMMENTARY

Hopeful vow

In a victory for the minority, the California Legislature is the first state-governed body in the nation to approve a bill that could legalize gay marriage. Massachusetts is the only state that currently permits gay marriage, and Vermont allows civil unions. The bill, passed 41-35, stipulates that marriage is the union between two people and does not specify sex. All of the Republicans in the Assembly voted against the bill, defending Proposition 22, a ballot initiative against same-sex marriage that was passed by a statewide vote in 2000. Democrats passed the bill through and await Gov.

COMMENTARY

Still sharing

Is the battle over file sharing and copyright laws going to end soon? Absolutely not. The never-ending argument was reopened yet again with the Australian court deciding that Kazaa - a popular downloading program used for file sharing - has violated copyright laws.

COMMENTARY

Like father

Kids do the darnedest things. Apparently, if they see their parents buying liquor and alcohol, when given a chance to go imaginary grocery shopping, they'll come back with a pack of Marlboros and some Colt 45. At least this is what a recently released study conducted by Dartmouth Medical College in New Hampshire says. The study found adolescent children whose parents drink and smoke were more likely to have children who emulate these behaviors. According to the study, children were 3.9 times as likely to buy cigarettes if their parents smoked and three times as likely to choose wine or beer if their parents drank alcohol at least once a month. Using dolls in a role-playing game with children 2 to 6 years old, the kids were asked to take the dolls shopping because there was no food in the dollhouse.

COMMENTARY

Traffic trap

Like it or not, it's against the law to drive without wearing a seat belt. And on Sept. 12, Sept.

COMMENTARY

Blame game

Something is wrong with homeland security. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, residents of New Orleans and surrounding areas have lost practically everything.

COMMENTARY

Minority justice

Is anyone concerned with the potential political battle surrounding the vacancies in the Supreme Court? We should be. Though low on the media's radar because of Hurricane Katrina coverage, the death of Chief Justice William H.

COMMENTARY

Simon says

President Lou Anna K. Simon smiled nervously and her voice quivered for a moment as she began to speak about Welcome Week. "I worry about the drinking," she said.

COMMENTARY

Pay back

Where did Gary Shivers think he was going without paying his debt to society? Virgnia? Oh no, Gary.

COMMENTARY

Heavy losses

Readers are often lulled into believing that all events occurring in America are the only ones in existence.

COMMENTARY

Terror tantrum

Are terrorists' plots secretly hatching in the shell of well-known local activist groups? Or, is Big Brother FBI peeling away the thin layer of privacy that holds together our civil rights? What might really be radical is the ease at which both authorities and activists can jump to these assumptions. On Monday the American Civil Liberties Union released a document they received from the FBI stating several local activist groups had been discussed by police at a meeting about terrorist activities.

COMMENTARY

Nice try

It's nice to see ASMSU thinking about the students and doing their best to ensure a peaceful tailgate for this season's football games.

COMMENTARY

Backup plan

Say, for whatever reason, a contraceptive failed. Then what? Time for Plan B. The Plan B pill, also known as the morning-after pill, is an increased dosage of birth control, which will reduce the chance of pregnancy by as much as 89 percent if taken within 72 hours of intercourse. In 1999 The Food and Drug Administration approved prescription use of the drug.

COMMENTARY

Talk to me

Human-to-human interaction is becoming less cool. The Internet continues to expand and immensely popular social tools, such as MySpace, have become substitutes for actual relationships between people.

COMMENTARY

Voices unheard

The Sunni minority was seemingly dismissed when negotiators decided to put the Iraqi draft constitution to a public vote.