In one of the top headlines of the week, President Barack Obama finally fulfilled his campaign promise to his daughters and welcomed a new dog into the family.

News broadcasts, Web sites and even the blogosphere are on full blast about the newest Obama in the White House. One headline proclaimed, "The wait is over."

Seriously, is that what we've come to as a media-loving country to the point where getting a dog is headline news?

The United States was formed on the basis of each state having its own sovereignty.

This fact is not new. In fact, it was a founding principle clearly outlined in the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

Our Founding Fathers agreed that each state would have the ability to make its own laws and carry them out, with a central government uniting all the states and keeping them together, while making federal laws that would not overshadow the 10th Amendment.

If a team can't win the battle in the trenches it doesn't matter who it has catching, running or throwing the ball. Offensive linemen don't play a glamorous position, but they can be the difference between winning and losing.

In 2008, the Frogs' O-line paved the way for the team to have one of its greatest statistical seasons in school history. The Frogs set school records for points scored with 437 and touchdowns with 56. The team was also 12th in the nation in rushing at 220.2 yards per game.

In a recent letter to the editor, James Scarberry, class of TCU '59, wrote "it has come to my attention that there will be gay living quarters on campus, sanctioned by the university." This, Scarberry argues, is an action taken by the university that serves as "an accommodation to immoral living."

I think it is safe to say that the members of the administration and the board of trustees are, or at least should be, primarily concerned with the accommodation of the students of Texas Christian University.

Baseball intrinsic to American life

I want you to close your eyes and think about America.

What comes to your mind? Maybe the Statue of Liberty, apple pie or frozen burritos.

Only one thing comes to my mind. Baseball.

The numbers show that our nation's pastime is becoming about as popular as Savage Garden, but I still would rather watch a baseball game than do anything else.

For years, the Texas Legislature has been working to eliminate the automatic admission allocated for top 10 percent high school graduates into Texas public universities.

Now, since the bill for limiting the amount of incoming freshmen into colleges based on their rank in the top 10 percent has passed through the Senate, it seems as if the proposed legislation is finally getting somewhere.

A long time ago patriots took a stand against overtaxation, and today American citizens are repeating history and making the same statement, Gov. Rick Perry said in Fort Worth on Wednesday.

More than 5,000 people reverted to the ways of American revolutionaries Wednesday evening by carrying out a "tea party" protest at LaGrave Field.

Kelly J. Shackelford, chief counsel of the Liberty Legal Institute, opened the program and stated that this gathering was activists' tool to win the fight against overtaxation.

In pursuit of a speaker for the Honors Convocation, university officials did not have to look far.

Addressing the topic, "Living a Facebook Life in a Google World," senior honors student Preston Swincher will be the first student to ever be the featured speaker at the Honors Convocation, a university official said.

Ron Pitcock, assistant director of the Honors Program, developed the idea to select a student speaker. Pitcock said he is constantly amazed at the intelligence of the honors students he interacts with.

Graduating in the top 10 percent of your high school class might not be a free ticket to the University of Texas at Austin anymore.

With the limitations from a bill in the works in the state legislature, a university official says there is a higher possibility that more top ranking high school graduates will apply to become a Frog instead of a Longhorn.

Ray Brown, dean of admissions, said the university will have to wait to see whether the bill will affect the makeup of TCU's applicant pool.

There's nothing like having a pass-catching, block-throwing, big man on your roster. Good tight ends can provide this dual threat on a play-by-play basis and are often underutilized in offenses at all levels of play.

The Frogs aren't known to completely ignore their tight ends in the passing attack, but it's unclear who will be filling the role in 2009.

Shae Reagan, the Frogs' primary tight end in 2008, is departing after several successful seasons with the team. Reagan accounted for 18 catches, 237 yards and one touchdown last season.