Opinions - The Eastern Echo

Military should drop 'Don't ask, don't tell'

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010

As President Obama’s first year in office comes to a close, many have analyzed what he has and has not accomplished in his first year as well as what he plans to focus on in 2010.

Same-sex marriage is a religious issue

By Adam Nannini · Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010

It seems strange there has not been much made about the political quagmire of same-sex marriage since the middle of the Bush administration.

A Socialist point of view on Haiti

Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010

Dear Mr. Hendricks, I have little interest in a petty squabble over ideology with a student of political science.

Politicians should hop off soapboxes

By Ellen Weaver · Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010

Two years ago, democratic candidate Barack Obama commanded the stage. He was bold and theatrical and quite a talker. “Don’t tell me words don’t matter.

Military empire is not necessary

By Adam Nannini · Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010

This past week, thousands of Japanese people came out and protested the continuing presence of our military base in Okinawa.

Marine is a link to Haiti, Iwo Jima and Super Bowl

By Bryan Salas · Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010

On Iwo Jima 65 years ago, the battle for the Japanese-held island began with the Marines’ landing, with U.S. Navy ships supporting them with a lifeline of supplies from the sea. There is a link between those events in February 1945 and the suffering, loss and relief efforts that are under way on the island nation of Haiti today.

Obama took action despite balky GOP

By Donald Stuckey II · Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010

Over the last few weeks, I have heard many people talk about what President Obama has not been able to do.

Dress to express personal style, forget what others might think

By Hiba Baghdadi · Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010

You walk out of your house to throw out the trash one Monday morning in grey sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt. You see your neighbor in a nice dark suit do the same in his driveway. He looks over and smiles, but then takes a better look at your clothes and cringes a little.

Socialists miss point on Haiti

By Jason Hendricks · Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010

I am writing this in response to the Students for Social Equality protesting the U.S. aid to Haiti, something I find disgusting.

The time has come for more than words

By Neil Weinberg · Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010

Two years ago, during the Democratic primary, then-candidate Barack Obama borrowed some words from his friend, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, in defense of his theatrical tendencies.

Smoking ban could lead to tyranny

By Adam Nannini · Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010

As of May 2010, no restaurant in Michigan will be able to sell cheeseburgers. Cheeseburgers are full of saturated fat and hormones from corporate farms, are unhealthy to the general public and therefore drive up the cost of health care.

Congress needs to get down to business

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010

Congress’ debate over healthcare continues and though you may be sick of it at least you’ll have a chance of being insured if they pass it.

College admissions cut men slack

By Los Angeles Times · Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010

Who’s smarter, men or women? It’s a topic of common — and often comic — musings, but it has also become a serious policy issue for colleges and students. After 17 years of concentrated effort to raise the academic achievement of girls, the nation can brag female students have progressed tremendously. Women had often received less attention in the classroom and been steered away from college-prep courses in previous decades. Though still under-represented in calculus and other advanced-level science and math courses in high school, women now outnumber men applying to and graduating from college — so many that it appears some colleges are giving male applicants an admissions boost.

Presidency: a frustrating career choice

By Hannah Schwab · Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010

WANTED: Male or female, preferably male, minimum 35 years old, who wants to help others. Position consists of long hours, travel, relocation, time away from the family and absolutely no privacy. Your past, present and future will become everyone’s business, so those with skeletons in the closet need not apply. Everyone around you will critique and judge everything about you, from your ethics to your razor burn. Everyone will be overanalyzing every word and hand gesture for hidden meanings. Trust no one, they are all waiting to stab you in the back while they shake your hand. You will start off wanting to leave a legacy and make changes, but none of it will come true. Everyone will know your name and your face. You will be talked about in every history and civics class from here to eternity, no matter if you succeed or fail. Interested parties should apply within.

Comic books do contain literary value

Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2010

I said last article that the discussion on whether comic books constituted proper literature was a topic for another article. Three guesses for what this article will be about. The problem is the art – the words alone do not a piece of literature make, as the argument goes. But literature is art, so therefore comic books are literature. Somewhere a professor of logic is yelling at the paper. So sue me, politics are slow right now. Sure, I could write about the Senate position in Massachusetts, but I’ve done Democratic incompetence to death for now, so I’m moving on.

Democrats get a wake-up call

By Neil Weinberg · Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010

It’s Ted Kennedy’s seat no longer. Scott Brown walked into the Lion’s Den and defeated Martha Coakley, spoiling the Democrats’ chance at a filibuster-proof Senate on Tuesday. The Democratic Party would like you to believe that this was an isolated event, but it wasn’t. This election was a referendum on the president and the party he leads.

GOP can't expect to win in 2010 without overhaul

By Donald Stuckey II · Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010

For the last few weeks, I have been sitting around listening to the right-wing, truth-distorting machine talk about how the American people are upset with the president and how people are tired of tax increases in government-run healthcare.

U.S. imperialism hurting Pakistan

Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010

Earlier this month, the Pakistani English-language daily “Dawn” reported U.S. drone-missile attacks have claimed the lives of more than 700 people in Pakistan in 2009. The report was based on statistics compiled by Pakistani authorities and has been virtually ignored by the U.S. media.

Stop texting and driving, make roads safer

By Marcus Teklemariam · Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010

You’re driving down the road, on your way to class, when your cell phone goes off. You take a quick glance to find it’s a text message. It’s just a friend letting you know where you’ll be meeting at the movies tonight. Knowing you’re going to be in class for most of the day, you reach over and try to text him back before you pull up to the student parking lot. Suddenly, you hear a loud car horn. Then you notice your car is traveling in the wrong lane and you quickly move to miss the other car by only a few feet. Feeling relieved and a little embarrassed, you begin to wish you had parked your car before you picked up the phone.

Archive binges lead to lost time

Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010

Wikis have an irritating habit of being addictive. You read an article, see some links you like and suddenly you’re reading four or more articles at once. One site I like to do this with is tvtropes.com. Now while reading articles on this site I came across an often-quoted web comic called The Order of the Stick. I decided to read this web comic from the start