Opinions - The Eastern Echo

Obama has finally pushed limits too far

By David Konarske · Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013

Our history is full of activist presidents who pushed the limits of executive power. While pushing is sometimes necessary to make things happen, it’s possible to push too far, as former President Franklin Roosevelt found when he introduced a bill to add more justices to the Supreme Court to get more favorable rulings regarding his New Deal legislation.

Every student should contribute to education

By Jodi F. Bullock · Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013

If you’re one of the many Eastern Michigan University students who deal with the stress of juggling a job, attending classes and having a mountain of student loan debt growing with every semester, it may be hard to imagine a downside to having someone else pay for your college education.

Catholic church scandal-ridden

By Patrick Seick · Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013

On Jan. 21, a series of memos and letters filed in a civil case found Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony and a host of other church officials conspired to shield known pedophile priests from police.

Echoer

By Jodi F. Bullock · Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013

You are who you were Though some of us would rather forget high school ever happened, an intriguing article in New York Magazine by Jennifer Senior claims our experiences in high school shape who we are as adults.

Elephants in danger of extinction

By Rose Carver · Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013

Bookmarks, jewelry, piano keys, picture frames—you name it—all fuel elephant poaching and the rush for ivory.

Obama takes a stance for last term

By Chris Hoitash · Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013

This just in: President Barack Obama is a Democrat with nothing to lose.

War not just live version of video games

By James Tatum · Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013

Prince Harry of Wales recently compared his experience in active combat to playing video games during an interview with Britain’s Channel 4. The prince is brave to have left a comfortable life for warfare, but it was wrong to compare it to a video game. It reinforces an impression of a perilous situation, that while they may not admit it, many Americans already have of our campaigns in the Middle East.

Obama should shut down Guantanamo Bay

By Patrick Seick · Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013

As President Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term, his inaugural speech was thick with messages of social justice. Drawing on the day we remember him, Obama echoed and invoked the legacy of the great Martin Luther King Jr., as he declared, “We cannot walk alone … our individual freedom is inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.”

Obama campaign reaches new level

By David Konarske · Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013

President Barack Obama’s campaign organization has officially turned into a nonprofit group. The group, called Organizing for Action, will be classified as a group that cannot influence an election and will be mainly tasked with pushing the president’s agenda for the next four years.

Recycle: Even little things matter

By Jumanah Saadeh · Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013

In recent years, recycling has become a more visible part of life. Climate change warnings are severe and alarming, and pop culture has embraced going green with a surge of reusable bags at the grocery store and T-shirts promoting an earth-friendly lifestyle sold at the mall. Although we know the incredible importance of recycling, we as a society are not taking this issue seriously.

Argentina has no claim to Falklands

By Robert Uldricks · Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013

On Jan. 3, Argentina’s president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, published an open letter demanding the United Kingdom return the Falkland Islands back to her country. The Falklands are a British territory about the size of New Jersey 300 miles off the coast of Argentina, but Argentina has no more claim to the Falklands than Michigan has to Toledo.

Letter to the Editor

By Nino Monea and Matthew Norfleet · Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013

In the last election, youth turnout in Michigan was near an all-time high, with half of all eligible young people voting, making up a full fifth of the electorate, according to a Fox News Poll. They showed that 2008 wasn’t an anomaly. And with so many issues affecting students, from education, to healthcare and the economy, it’s not hard to see why they were so energized.

Marital status irrelevant in rape; legal system should be modernized

By Rose Carver · Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013

Is it rape if a man pretends to be a woman’s boyfriend and has sex with her while she sleeps? Of course it is, but in a bizarre case in California, what one would think is common sense is being disputed.

Each generation better than last

By James Tatum · Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013

When my elders start to reminisce about how good things were “back in the day,” I am tempted to remind them that back in their day, there was no cure for polio.

Hurricane victims get relief...10 weeks later

By Chris Hoitash · Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013

I miss the days when politicians had the sense to return to their farms after things were sorted out. It made politics a lot less aggravating.

Human trafficking based on demand; awareness needed

By Jennifer Kirby · Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013

The 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” Despite this explicit prohibition, slavery still exists in the U.S. today. This is an issue of which more Americans need to be aware.

Diversity of Obama’s Cabinet is a nonissue

By David Konarske · Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013

Over the last week, I have heard complaints from the news media about a lack of diversity in President Barack Obama’s Cabinet and inner circle. However, this is just something for the media to complain about in order to fill space in newspapers and newscasts, because it is not a big deal in a practical sense.

Facebook’s Graph Search will not replace Google

By Jodi F. Bullock · Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013

It seems every Facebook announcement is surrounded by substantial buzz, and the latest is no different. On Tuesday, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Graph Search: A new feature that will allow users to search for specific items within their social circle or, in Facebook- speak, “graph.”

People should question value of sports

By Patrick Seick · Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013

Ray Lewis is an extraordinary football player who will undoubtedly end up in the NFL Hall of Fame.

Echoer

By Jodi F. Bullock · Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013

White House rejects Death Star petition While not the answer they were hoping for—34,435 “Star Wars” fans have received a response to their petition for the Obama Administration to begin construction of a Death Star by 2016.