Note: Thoughts expressed in the columns and letters of the opinions section are solely those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of the CW editorial staff.

The Million Dollar Band is an admirable bunch — they devote hours each day to practice, stand in hot wool uniforms in steamy September afternoons in the stands (much like work, not play), arrive to the Quad pressed and ready hours before kickoff to start pre-game cheers — and on and on.

They’re 400 outstanding men and woman, as noted before they take the field each game. They’re good. They bear tradition. They’re sporting new uniforms this year. Again, on and on — all quick-strike responses to Dave Folk’s “More like the Ten-Cent Band” column that ran in The Crimson White Friday.

He sure does know how to rile the masses, and he’s been good at it for years.  Despite the fact he’s wrong on several points (he needs to do a little research and actually see other halftime shows), he has an opinion, no matter how unpopular.

This is a college campus, a place made for critical and analytical thought, rebellious attitudes and all of the other generic so-ons.

And The Crimson White serves as the University’s public forum. Folk’s piece was an opinion column that ran in the Opinion section, the page in the CW devoted to open discussion about on-campus issues and random soap-box rants.

The CW’s Opinion section serves the same role as Opinions sections in city, state and national newspapers: to publish opinions of either masses or minorities, no matter how popular or unpopular, in hopes to open some sort of open dialogue and, in some cases, to enact some type of change. That’s the philosophical explanation.

The real-world explanation — people get their feelings hurt.

Folk’s comments weren’t grossly or egregiously offensive, just sarcastic and insensitive, but he used the right outlet to express his opinion.

I love the MDB and respect what they do, but Dave is definitely entitled to say he doesn’t, no matter how idiotic and ungrounded he sounds.

As members of the UA community, you shouldn’t want your campus newspaper to start censoring opinion — it could be a slippery slope.

And, members of the MDB, don’t worry, just do what you do.

James Jaillet is an alumnus of the University of Alabama.