I am writing in response to the Northernerarticle concerning new attempts to punish plagarism. I feel that this is totally unnecessary, and further, plagarism has been given a very bad rep. Plagarism is a right of passage for young Americans in this country. Everything in our culture, from our language to our cuisine has been plagarized in various bits and pieces from other countries. Plagarism is as as American as Dutch apple pie. We stole Mexican food and renamed it “Tex-mex”. One can’t even speak a sentence in American enlish without inadvertantly using words stolen from two or three other languages. Furthermore, young plagarists aren’t doing a disservice to writers, they are actually doing them a favor by protecting their right to privacy! Just because some author publishes, to put food on the table, doesn’t mean he/she wants her name plastered all over works cited pages across the country. Plagarists are heros, and we should give them the respect they deserve. Plagarize Proudly! (no part of this article may be reprinted without permission by the author) (author accepts no responsibility for suspensions, expulsions or failing grades)