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Volume CXXXIII, Number 13 |
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Armed forces slandered
HUGH HILL
On Monday, I received an email from the Career Planning Center in reference
to a United States Army recruiting table going up in Smith Union on the
coming Wednesday. The first five lines of the email were a reference to
the College's non-discrimination policy. The next six lines of the email
announced the Army recruiting visit. Now while some might not see a problem
with this, I found the email to be both offensive and unpatriotic. At
a time when the men and women of our armed forces are doing so much to
protect our lives and liberty, to introduce this most honorable of professions
as some type of pariah profession because it could be interpreted as violating
one of the College's non-discrimination policy is demeaning to all Americans
and an insult to those who carry our nation's honor.
I know this is a bit of an overreaction, but it reminds me of one of
the facets of liberalism that occasionally tempts me, in the darkest hours
of the night, to cross over to the dark side of conservatism. It is not
so much the attempt to slander the Army by discrediting it for its troubled
"don't ask, don't tell" policy in regards to homosexuals that
bothers me. What really gets under my skin is the tendency of liberals
and ostensibly liberal institutions like Bowdoin to slander our armed
forces. Recent tragic events and, to stretch a bit, most of modern history
have proven, there will always be people in our world who want to hurt
and destroy those who enjoy the benefits of liberal society. The power-hungry,
the jealous, and the just plain evil will always threaten those who benefit
from our liberal economy and society.
This is why our armed forces are so important. They are our defense against
those who threaten our liberal freedoms. Thus it irks me that Bowdoin
and liberals in general disparage the armed forces. I know this won't
happen, but it seems to me that liberals should be nothing but grateful
for our armed forces. Without them, they couldn't be liberal. Our world
is dangerous and we should pay honor and respect, not disdain, on those
who protect us in it.