Opinion - The Daily Lobo

Opinion

Letter: Easter prayers in America — we need them

Daily Lobo Readers | March 29

Editor, The gospels of Matthew and Mark identify the place where Jesus prayed shortly before his betrayal by Judas and then later his trial and crucifixion at Gethsemane. Jesus was accompanied by three of his followers, Peter, John and James, whom he asked to stay awake and pray. During his agony as he prayed, "his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down upon the ground" (Luke 22:44).

Opinion

Letter: The US should pull out of Afghanistan immediately

Daily Lobo Readers | March 28

Editor, After World War II, many of the Nazi military leaders were put on trial at Nuremberg and hanged for their crimes against humanity. One of these leaders, Hermann Goring, gave a memorable quote before he was sent to the gallows. Goring said, "The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

Opinion

Letter: Booze poisons your mind and body

Daily Lobo Readers | March 25

Editor, I drink no booze! Booze has devastated the lives of many of my dear friends. Booze causes car crashes, paralyzing and killing thousands, including my niece, Rachel. Booze causes awful family fights, ruined romances, horrible holiday memories. I do not want to make it easier for me to say or do things I later terribly regret. Men wake up in jail not remembering stabbing their wife or buddy while drunk the night before.

Opinion

Letter: On military spending and trade, Trump puts Americans last

Daily Lobo Readers | March 25

Editor, US president Donald Trump signed yet another massive government spending bill -- $1.3 trillion -- on March 23, after threatening a veto. Why did he threaten a veto? Because the bill doesn't fund his cherished US-Mexico border wall idea, and because it doesn't address the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that he's threatened to end absent a "fix." Why did he sign it? For the military spending.

Opinion

Column: New Mexico's amazing women

Megan Holmen | March 21

March is Women’s History Month. Here, in New Mexico, we have a whole host of amazing women working on amazing projects, research and perpetuating change every day. Women’s History Month not only looks to celebrate herstory but also recognizes the continuous hard work of women whose actions create social change and move toward gender equality. Women in New Mexico have done some pretty spectacular and groundbreaking work between last year’s and this year’s International Women’s Day.

Opinion

Letter: Another shooting, and Republicans still won't do anything

Daily Lobo Readers | March 21

Editor, It's another day in America and yet again we are receiving the tragic news of yet another school shooting. God willing, the students who were shot will pull through their injuries, and everyone should be giving credit to the officer who stopped the shooter before he could do more damage. Whether we like it or not, guns are a political issue, because at the end of the day we are supposedly living in a democracy where the people can vote to change laws as they see fit through their elected representatives. In general, Democrats and Republicans are very similar on many issues, but when it comes to the issue of guns, it is no secret that most Republicans are in the pocket of the National Rifle Association.

Opinion

Letter: 12-Step programs can turn your life around

Daily Lobo Readers | March 21

Editor, Like all human beings, I’ve experienced my share of pain, and suffered considerably. I was born into a violent, alcoholic home. When the clock struck six, and my father wasn’t home yet, I knew there was going to be hell to pay that night.

Opinion

Letter: John Skipper, Blackmail in America — Who needs that?

Glenn Mollette | March 18

Editor, There is no such thing as buying someone's silence. Silence really doesn't exist. If people want to tell the world, it's easy to do. Tell one other person in the world, and if the information is grimy enough, it will be retold a thousand or a million times. Bad news travels fast. Sordid news, for some reason, always rises to the top. Regardless of how hard you try to cover it, you can't. Blogs, news media, social media and the massive ability to communicate around the globe sends bad news out faster than a Texas tornado.

Opinion

Guest Column: BioBlog — Have your fungi and eat it too

Jenna McCullough | March 18

Editor's Note: This piece was originally published online in the UNM BioBlog on Feb. 12, 2018, written by Jenna McCullough.

Opinion

Letter: Trump's negotiation attempts with North Korea are laudable

Daily Lobo Readers | March 18

Editor, The election of Donald Trump as the President of the United States was historic for many reasons. I was very proud as an American to witness the election of our nation's first orange president on the heels of having elected our first black president. Our nation's growing tolerance is truly touching, but on a more serious note, President Trump has announced his intention to meet with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in May for a peace summit. While I am no fan of President Trump, I must give the man his due for making a bold move for peace in a world that knows far too much war.

A tram car travels along a cable up the Sandia Tram on Sep. 06, 2017.

Culture

Column: Some ideas for Spring Break, 2018

Danielle Prokop | March 7

So, you’re stuck in Albuquerque for spring break, whiling away the hours, while your friends are on some beach somewhere. What is there to do in Albuquerque? This list should have you covered on low-budget spring break options in the 505. Outside: Albuquerque is full of outdoor excursions on the cheap. If your idea of going out means lacing up your hiking boots, grabbing your bike helmet or snagging your crash pads, then you’re in the right place.

Opinion

Letter: More Korean War is "worth it"? To Whom?

Daily Lobo Readers | March 7

Editor, Speaking to CNN on the possibility of resuming hostilities in the nearly 70-year-old Korean War (in uneasy ceasefire since 1953), U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) says, "All the damage...would be worth it in terms of long-term stability and national security." Worth it, Sen. Graham? To whom?

Opinion

Letter: Trump's "conservatism" is a ploy to manipulate supporters

Daily Lobo Readers | March 7

Editor, The biggest faker of all is none other than President Donald Trump. He is posing as a "Conservative," but he is actually a fake Conservative. What is my evidence? You can look this up for yourself on the internet.

Opinion

Letter: Syria ceasefire not so good for victims of Syrian rebels

Daily Lobo Readers | March 4

Editor, The recent signing of a ceasefire at the U.N. for the area in Syria known as East Ghouta is not something that Christians, Jews and decent Muslims should necessarily be celebrating. The reason I say this is because whether it was in Syria or Iraq, these so-called rebels made it a point of ruthlessly persecute religious minorities like Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims.

Opinion

Letter: America's democracy hypocrisy

Daily Lobo Readers | March 4

Editor, In late February, Venezuela's government began accepting presidential candidate registrations and announced a snap legislative election for April. The country's opposition denounces the process as a sham and Maduro as a dictator, both of which may be true. Oddly, a third voice — the U.S. government — also weighed in. Per U.S. state media outlet Voice of America, "The United States, which under President Donald Trump has been deeply critical of Maduro's leadership in crisis-torn and economically suffering Venezuela, on Saturday rejected the call for an early legislative vote."

Opinion

Letter: UNM doesn't seem to care about students' safety

Daily Lobo Readers | February 28

Editor, I am a UNM alumnus who works out regularly at Johnson Gym. When I entered on the east side of the building on Feb. 23, I noticed my ID card, which was current, once again did not activate the turnstile. The monitor informed me, before letting me in, that neither turnstile was working. A work order had been submitted some time ago, but nothing had been done to repair either. I called UNM police soon after and explained to the student dispatcher that, given the climate of campus violence, I thought it was important for two reasons to repair these turnstiles ASAP. First, to help monitor individuals entering the building. I could have easily gained entry with no current ID, which can obviously be problematic. Second, to send the message to students that someone actually cares about their safety.

Opinion

Sports Issue: Column — How I got into sports reporting

Matthew Narvaiz | February 25

Growing up I was always into sports. Playing them, watching them but, most of all, talking about them. I remember in my younger days watching College Gameday with Lee Corso and always looking forward to waking up at 9 a.m. to hear him and his crew’s predictions on the upcoming college football games. To me, that’s where the real fun was. Growing up, for most of my elementary and middle school years, I had dreams and aspirations of being on Sportscenter and talking about the day’s highlights. But like time, change in myself—and my interests—was always inevitable. I was still just a young boy, learning new things about myself each and every day. Being on Sportcenter, being an anchor on set, wasn’t for me. What was for me, though, was still being involved in sports somehow and someway.

Opinion

Sports Issue: Column — Let's talk about paying collegiate student-athletes

Danielle Prokop | February 25

First off, I don’t care about college sports, but I do care about college athletes. I don’t have a “team,” and I’ve never been to a game. However, that does not take away from the fact that people are placing themselves into a brutal arena, unpaid for the work they do, for the sake of entertainment. Athletes are working 40 hours a week minimum at their sport — a full-time job on top of classes. They are limited by schedules and practices. Athletes cannot control their image, endorse products or receive payment for autographs unlike other “amateurs." This arbitrary rule is enforced across sports, not just the money-makers like football or basketball.

Opinion

Sports Issue: Column — College sports should benefit students, not the NCAA

Christian Marquez | February 25

I really don’t care for sports. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Lobos, but hear me out. Student-athletes lay it all on the line for a chance to make professional sports their career. Some of them make it, but most of them do not. If we look to the numbers, it seems that only one party is guaranteed to profit from this relationship: the NCAA and their partners. For example, according to the NCAA’s estimated probability of competing in professional sports, out of the 18,684 student-athletes playing men’s basketball in 2017, 4,152 were draft eligible. There were 60 draft spots open, and only 44 players were drafted — making the probability of being drafted pro from NCAA men's basketball 1.1 percent.

Opinion

Column: STUNT takes cheerleading to a new level

Catherine Stringam | February 25

For the first time ever, the University of New Mexico's all-girl cheerleading team will be playing STUNT during the Big 12 Meet, Friday through Sunday in Oklahoma City. As a freshman on the UNM all-girl team, this is super exciting for me. I have cheered for a long time and competed in a variety of competitions — both high school and all-star, at the state, national and international levels.