COMMENTARY

Athletics shouldn't be favored by 'U'

I am all for sports. I encouraged my children to participate in baseball, tennis, football, archery and any other sports they might enjoy.

COMMENTARY

Anti-parenting kit

The Lansing Police Department has started giving out free drug test kits to parents. But why stop there?

COMMENTARY

Customer service top priority for Land, with help from Miller

One could argue Candice Miller was Terri Lynn Land's greatest asset in her campaign for the secretary of state's office in last year's general election.

COMMENTARY

'U' does have one Nobel Prize winner

I would like to correct Josh Haussman's assertion that MSU does not have any Nobel Prize winners ('U' will benefit from "BasketBowl" SN 6/11). While it is nowhere near as many as we'd like to have, we do have one Nobel laureate alumnus, Alfred D.

COMMENTARY

Shelter shouldn't deal with research

Animals taken from shelters and pounds should not become research and teaching subjects. Consider each individual companion cat or dog and what it goes through after being transferred from a human home to a shelter to a dealer and then from a Class 'B' dealer to a laboratory for lethal experiments. After being held temporarily at the shelter and being exposed to several other animals that might have underlying maladies, the animals are transferred to animal dealers who are required by federal law to hold them for only 10 days.

COMMENTARY

What weapons?

Before going to war with Iraq in March, the U.S. government said it had "evidence" from numerous intelligence organizations showing, beyond the shadow of a doubt, former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

COMMENTARY

Bush weapons 'lie' differs from Clinton

In response to the letter written by Joel Welty ("Bush's war lies impeachable offense," SN 6/11), I have to clarify a major flaw in his argument.

COMMENTARY

Columnist biased in condemning bigotry

I'm writing in response to TJ Jourian's column ("Hardship, bigotry exists in U.S., must be taken care of now," SN 6/12). Being of both Lebanese and Syrian decent, I am troubled by the column.

COMMENTARY

Right direction

Members of the Episcopal Church took a large step late last week. The Diocese of New Hampshire elected the Rev.

COMMENTARY

Focus on bigger issues, ignore bad

Aren't we Spartan's showing our thin skin and inferiority complex. Too bad Jason Richardson and others have brushes with the law.

COMMENTARY

Dealers done

The Ingham County Board of Commissioners took a step in the right direction by continuing to allow the sale of shelter animals for research.

COMMENTARY

Quad construction a nuisance, ugly

Could anyone tell us what is going on in the quad surrounded by the Biomedical and Physical Sciences and Chemistry buildings?

COMMENTARY

Animal research at 'U' is unnecessary

The fact that researchers at MSU prefer to buy dogs at a discounted price is not an excuse for turning the state's shelters into their own twisted versions of Wal-Mart ("Officials: Animal research costs less when buying through dealers," SN 6/5). There are many reasons why people bring their companion animals to the local shelter including illness, the break up of the family, military duty, resettlement to a community that does not allow animals or the inability to provide adequate veterinary care.

COMMENTARY

Hardship, bigotry exists in U.S., must be taken care of now

"You (insert term used for your racial/ethnic group), get out of here. We don't want to serve you..." Imagine that statement being made to you or someone close to you by a Meijer employee, when you go to pay for filling up your car with gas. Imagine that instead of some sort of apology, you are met with, "Our team member didn't do anything wrong." Imagine you are someone of Arab or Middle Eastern decent, and the term to be inserted in the statement above is "Arabs." Well, you really don't need to use your imagination all that much, because, according to a Macomb Daily story on May 8, that happened in a Meijer store in Fraser, Mich, not too long ago to Mohammed Karhani and his son, Bilal.

COMMENTARY

Pill article focuses on wrong effects

The article, Contraceptive costs climbs," (SN 6/11) disturbed me.

COMMENTARY

Merit mishap

Over at the state Capitol, Democrats and Republicans are doing something that doesn't happen too often: agreeing on an issue affecting Michigan residents.

COMMENTARY

Privacy invasion

On a public university campus, students have expected certain freedoms. But thanks to a government act, those freedoms no longer exist in places such as the library.With more than 40,000 students on campus, research is expected, whether it be in physics, biochemistry, microbiology or various other fields.

COMMENTARY

Citizens who don't vote in elections should lose privileges

After weeks of a rude British critic insulting talented singers in front of millions of riveted fans, "American Idol" climaxed to a breath-taking finish two weeks ago, leaving millions of viewers aching for more Ruben, more Clay and yes, more rude British critic. As a sign of the show's popularity, 24 million people voted in the tally to determine the final winner.Compared to the latest national election, in 2002, when roughly 80 million people cast their ballots, 24 million does not seem overwhelming, especially since many viewers of "American Idol" likely cast multiple votes.

COMMENTARY

Writer shouldn't be afraid to post title

On May 28 on the Opinion Page of The State News, a highly critical response ("Give McPherson a break this summer," SN 5/28) to a letter by Professor Andrew Hogan (" 'U' much better off without McPherson," SN 5/22) appeared to be written by Michael Kiley, Okemos resident.

COMMENTARY

Bush's war lies impeachable offense

A few years ago we had a president who lied to us about his sexual adventures. It was amusing and not very serious.