Thumbs up, thumbs down

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Thumbs Up to the 17 students from Pennsylvania's Villanova University who are spending their spring break in Clemson this week building a Habitat for Humanity house for a needy family. Those students are part of the Humanity Collegiate Challenge. Nationwide, 7,000 students are participating, including some from Upstate colleges. The Clemson community and the family who will receive the gift of homeownership are both grateful for this commitment to service among our youth.
Trying to stack the deck

Thumbs Down to Todd McCauley, executive director of South Carolinians for Responsible Government, for sending three bogus letters to the editor to The State. McCauley was demoted this week after it was revealed he had used a pseudonym when sending three letters to the Columbia newspaper. The group he works for is supporting Gov. Mark Sanford's school choice initiative, Put Parents in Charge. Looks like a few parents, or at least adults, need to be put in charge of the group promoting this radical education initiative.
Skaters bring home gold

Thumbs Up to Greenville's Nick Rothenberger and Stephanie Skitt for winning figure skating gold medals in the World Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. These Special Olympics athletes are the only South Carolinians competing in this global competition that, like the Olympics, is held every four years. Both Rothenberger and Skitt have made their fellow South Carolinians, and fellow countrymen, proud.