COMMENTARY

Blind justice

Letting Chris Webber off with a slap on the wrist shows that the justice system failed to treat every citizen fair and equal.

COMMENTARY

Schools wrong to overhaul test prep

In response to the State News story "Test results poorer in urban areas" (SN 7/14), it is no doubt that this is the truth. Unfortunately, the solution proposed by President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" policy pushes public education in the wrong direction.

COMMENTARY

Computer system change unnecessary

It's rather ironic how the MSU computer laboratories switched from their reliable, robust and secure grid Sun Solaris mail servers in exchange for a cheaper, low rent and clumsy Dell server.

COMMENTARY

Affirmative action needed, not vote

I somewhat agree with Carl Seidman in his letter "Poor, not minorities, should be rewarded." (SN 7/10). I agree the government should provide relief to poverty stricken communities and work toward bettering education, which is the primary source of inequality.

COMMENTARY

Cocker successful only as cover artist

A.P. Kryza chose to stand on a pretty big soapbox July 9 when he took on "cocky musicians" ("Cover artists should not waste breath on criticism" SN 7/9). I will agree the comments about Joe Cocker from Jerry Sprague were in bad taste but equally inappropriate were Kryza's own comments.

COMMENTARY

Stay too Short

With the United States in conflicts against terrorism and Iraq, it's good to see our president spend time on a humanitarian mission - if only he had spent more time there. President Bush recently ended his five-day, five-country African tour in which he denounced slavery and pledged to fight AIDS and poverty in parts of the underdeveloped continent.

COMMENTARY

Driving distracting

Doing more than one thing at a time is called multitasking. Chewing gum and walking down a sidewalk, or driving a car while talking on your cell phone are some examples.

COMMENTARY

Healthcare should be bigger for Bush

Thanks for the article "Students reflect on health care costs after graduation" in The State News July 9.

COMMENTARY

Foe' column very touching, impressive

I would like to commend Jonathan Malavolti for an exceptional column ("Foé: Lionhearted in life, death," SN 7/10). As a true soccer fan and a native of Nigeria, I never thought I'd pick up The State News and see a column on soccer, let alone African soccer.

COMMENTARY

Nation building by Bush administration required in Iraq now

Recently, a U.S. Congressman, decrying the President's military intervention, lectured Congress with an admonition of the administration's foreign policy.

COMMENTARY

Ballot action

Democracy is the best way for the people to decide the fate of such a personal issue as affirmative action. The Sacramento, Calif.-based American Civil Rights Coalition is at work to place affirmative action's future on the Michigan ballot.

COMMENTARY

McPherson, others, taking job lightly

The remarks made by President M. Peter McPherson as quoted by The State News ("McPherson: Cool under pressure," SN 7/3) tell us a great deal about the task the U.S.

COMMENTARY

Live with lower

Lowering the legal blood-alcohol will help save both lives and funding, protecting our roads from both drunken drivers and poor road conditions. The state Senate passed legislation Thursday to decrease the legal blood-alcohol level from 0.10 to 0.08.

COMMENTARY

Poor, not minorities, should be rewarded

I am a repressed, stereotyped minority and I am not covered by affirmative action. You may ask, how that is possible?

COMMENTARY

Benton Harbor riots not unlike Detroit's

The situation in Benton Harbor bothered me deeply because I experienced the same form of violence when I was young and living in metro Detroit.

COMMENTARY

Same-sex marriages should be granted, protected nationally

Since sodomy laws were ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court on June 26, the debate on same-gender marriages has gained a whole new vigor on both sides of the fence.

COMMENTARY

Staff, students in same boat fighting for parking, privilege

If you did, you would have discovered the many cries concerning the have and have-nots on campus are ill founded.

COMMENTARY

Take the test

At first, kids would jump at the idea of a four-day school week. But if you told them it would mean they'd have to be in school longer per day, they would take time to think about the tradeoff.

COMMENTARY

There's something about Harry

I was that girl at my math final. That's right, I arrived a modest 10 minutes early to the single most challenging class session of my college career without my calculator.

COMMENTARY

Local government is right to challenge USA Patriot Act, protect people's civil liberties

Civil liberties need to be protected amidst events such as the war in Iraq and terrorism. The Ann Arbor City Council passed a resolution to protect civil liberties, which also could limit Ann Arbor police enforcement of immigration laws on Monday, The Ann Arbor News reported. Benjamin Franklin said "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Perhaps never in our nation's history has this statement had more prevalence and meaning than now.