Today's Opinions
News-Gazette Editorials
July 4 committee needs assistance
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Don't forget to make a donation to the Champaign County Freedom Celebration Committee.
It's no secret that fireworks go hand in hand by with the Fourth of July. That's why the fireworks display put on by the Champaign County Freedom Celebration Committee draws the biggest, most enthusiastic crowds of the day-long celebration. More …
Sound and fury signifying nothing
Sunday, July 6, 2008
The name-calling started immediately after Gov. Blagojevich called the Legislature back into a special session.
Let's all climb down in the political sewer. It's time to talk about the budget battle between Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and House Speaker Michael Madigan, a fellow Democrat. More …
Letters to the Editor
Generous act restored both ring and faith
Sunday, July 6, 2008
I want to tell your readers of a great deed performed by two great exemplary citizens from Champaign.
In January, I was in Cancun, Mexico, on vacation attending my best friend's wedding. On the very first day of a nine-day vacation, I lost my Texas A&M University "Aggie" ring in the hotel's lagoon. We spent the next nine days looking for it but were not successful. More …
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Creationism is akin to astrology
Sunday, July 6, 2008
For decades religious fundamentalists have attempted to undermine science education in America. Despite several resounding legal defeats, including the recent Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover Area School District, they refuse to take a hint. These religious bullies are currently attempting legislative battles in Florida, Texas and Louisiana under more insidious pretexts. They seek to obfuscate rather than enlighten.
The foundation of the creationist movement is its rejection of modern scientific methodology. The creationist movement chooses to operate with an unusable, premodern definition of science that requires appeals to the supernatural. However, they have never provided a plausible explanation of why untestable, thus unscientific, claims about supernatural causation are needed, or even useful, for understanding natural phenomena. More …
Urbana should focus on important issues
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing has focused her time subsidizing artwork, promoting historic preservation designations to the detriment of local homeowners and businesses and pursuing an agenda out of sync with the interests of Urbana residents.
Numerous other pet interests abound such as promoting beer gardens which she has made into an ostensibly public agenda. More …
Constantine has much to answer for
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Back in the day, Christians were people who would go to a friend's house, sit around, talk, pray and eat dates. No one made you sign a statement of faith. No one asked where you went to church. They asked if you liked dates. If you didn't like dates, they had figs.
Today's Christian hassles homosexuals, disdains Democrats and asks where you go to church. More …
Power politics used to crush a new idea
Sunday, July 6, 2008
As a member of Urbana Citizens for Instant Runoff Voting, I believe it is important to see the recent special township meeting in Urbana for what it was: a defensive rear guard action by local Democrats designed to preserve their control over the political process.
Through aggressive efforts by Mayor Laurel Prussing, in particular, approximately 100 party loyalists were rounded up to deny efforts by a small grass-roots organization to reform the way local elections are conducted. This oftentimes rude assembly managed to deny Urbana voters the opportunity to vote on a nonbinding referendum this fall that would have given the city council a sense of what the community felt about instant runoff voting. More …
Military men, women need our assistance
Sunday, July 6, 2008
When we think of the many sacrifices our service members and their families make for us, we sometimes forget about the financial pressure caused by a deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. There is often a large disparity between the civilian salary and the military paycheck our citizen soldiers draw, with more than half of married National Guard and Reserve service members reporting a significant loss of income when called to active duty.
The Fourth of July weekend celebration gives us an opportunity to thank our men and women in uniform by donating to the Illinois Military Family Relief Fund. More …