Who Will Serve?

Defense Secretary Robert Gates addressed this question and the growing divide between the civilian and military communities. Never was it more obvious than at Tuesday evening's final editing session for the campus newspaper.
I was working on my column, a compilation of news stories. Lately, I've been including the ranks, names and ages of our fallen military. That came under fire Tuesday evening, when, for want of space, I was asked why I print that, because "it seems like filler." I was then told that "We aren't the Military Times," and then spent the next fifteen minutes arguing that the ages bring our military to a more personal level -- I can look at those names and realize that the specialist killed by an IED last week was my age, that the staff sergeant who gave his life yesterday could have been my best friend. For those who have never had any sort of contact with the military community, this is one way in which we can all relate.
Also, since my college campus has little to do with the military, it seems hardly enough to even devote a few inches of column space to the deceased. Can we not give them that much? They have fought and died for my right and privilege to contribute to the mass media -- can we not show them perhaps the only form of respect we are able?
Thirdly, posting a list of the war dead appeases two groups: anti-war and pro-war. Those against the war are able to look at the list and realize that people are dying, even though combat operations have ended. Those for the war can be proud of the fact that a small, private liberal arts college is devoting a portion of its newspaper to researching and printing the names of our fallen military personnel.

Glenn Beck Loses Sponsorships

As of Tuesday, twenty corporations, "classified as either responsible corporate citizens or easily bullied cowards," (AOL) dropped their sponsorship of Glenn Beck due to the fact that he called Obama "racist." For expressing his personal opinion, his licentia loquendi (freedom of speech), Beck has been punished. In my opinion, regardless of how one feels about Beck's opinion, he should still be allowed to state it.

The list includes Wal-Mart, Travelocity, Best Buy, Geico, CVS, Radio Shack, Men's Wearhouse, Procter & Gamble, State Farm Insurance, GMAC Financial Services, ConAgra, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Sargento, Lawyers.com and Progressive Insurance (I'm still searching for the others).

I believe that Bowflex, Nutrisystem, Gerber, UPS, Vonage, Ameritrade and Verizon Wireless still sponsor Beck.

There is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there?

While the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, think, and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well, certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now High Chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent.

-V for Vendetta

When I searched for "Notre Dame University," the university's own description says, "the independent Catholic university in Indiana." When I searched for "Dr. Alan Keyes," his biography said that he was Roman Catholic. May I ask, then, why a Catholic reciting the rosary on a Catholic campus has been arrested?

2009 Press Freedom (RSB)

19 Journalists killed
0 Media assistants killed
143 Journalists imprisoned
9 Media assistants imprisoned
66 Cyberdissidents imprisoned

Freedom of Speech? Not in College!

According to FOX News, "last October John Wahlberg and two classmates at Central Connecticut State University gave an oral presentation for a communications class taught by Professor Paula Anderson. The assignment was to discuss a 'relevant issue in the media,' and the students presented their view that the death toll in the April 2007 Virginia Tech shooting massacre would have been lower if professors and students had been carrying guns." To make a long story short, Wahlberg (23 years old) was called to the police station that evening, and the cops asked him about his registered guns. Since Wahlberg lives off-campus (a whole twenty miles off campus, to be exact) and keeps his guns locked away like any normal and responsible gun owner, no one pursues further action. "According to The Recorder, Anderson cited safety as her reason for calling the police" (FNC). "'It is also my responsibility as a teacher to protect the well-being of our students, and the campus community at all times. As such, when deemed necessary because of any perceived risks, I seek guidance and consultation from the Chair of my Department, the Dean and any relevant University officials" (FNC).
Also, "in 2007 . . . a student at Hamline University in Minnesota was suspended after writing a letter to an administrator arguing that carrying concealed weapons on campus may help prevent tragedies like the one at Virginia Tech. The student was allowed to return only after undergoing a psychological evaluation" (FNC). And last year at Colorado College, "campus administrators denounced a flyer as 'threatening and demeaning content' because it mentioned guns . . . the students who produces the flyer were found guilty of violating the school's violence policy, which was added to their school records" (FNC).
"Anderson cited safety as her reason for calling the police." Prof. Anderson called the police because a student mentioned concealed carry, thus endangering her? If a German or a Palestinian mentions the Holocaust (well, maybe not the Palestinian) and a Jew happens to be in the classroom, is the aryan or Palestinian going to be taken to the station and investigated? If I create a flyer in an attempt to bring awareness to the Mumbai bombings, am I going to get a slap on a wrist and a black mark on my record because of the word "bomb?"
The college I currently attend is not located in a reputable city, and late-night trips to Wawa will most likely result in a mugging. There have been a few instances of sexual assault and quite a few muggings -- college does not equal immunity. One evening, a friend and I were walking back to our dorms after a late-night study session, and, while walking through an isolated tunnel all alone, were approached by two men who were supposedly looking for their puppy. We decided not to help them find their puppy.
I carry pepper spray at all times (it's attached to my lanyard, and frequently dangles out of my coat pocket because I have so many other keychains and paraphernalia that there's no room left for my pepper spray or my hands), and have a back-up in my dorm.
Speaking of dorms, sometimes the sensor (which only acknowledges IDs of students living in a particular dorm) malfunctions, and on days when students return from breaks, the doors are not locked at all. There's also an unspoken rule that people hold the entrance doors open for others. I will admit that we are entirely too trusting. Most students do not lock their doors at night, and I'm guilty of shouting, "Come in!" whenever someone knocks on my peephole-less door.
Also, parts of the campus are not well-lit at night, especially the crucial call boxes or "blue light system" (though this is to updated in the future). The buildings, aside from dorms, do not require IDs to gain entrance, and with the overnight program (which enables a student to host a prospective student and take him or her to classes the following day), people can randomly appear in classrooms.
Therefore, it is the student's right and obligation to be proactive in regards to safety. In lieu of concealed carry, pepper spray, mace or tasers can be easily obtained; however, a police officer I spoke with told me he doesn't recommend that people carry pepper spray or mace. Some colleges and universities may offer self-defense or RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) classes. Gyms may also offer classes, and martial arts schools definitely do. However, if you are ever confronted by an armed aggressor, I suppose you'll probably be shot before you can reach your mace, and I don't think even a ninth degree black belt can stop a bullet. In which case one of your thoughts might be, "Gee, I wish I'd been packing heat."
If you'd rather not have to consider that thought, check out Students for Concealed Carry on Campus.
But, I believe the main point of the article is that "'colleges and universities are dedicated to the free flow of ideas'" (FNC). This clearly was not the case in regards to Wahlberg, and indeed it is not the case in other colleges, as well.

If anyone has information on "tea parties," (the political sort, not the high tea variety) please let me know via comment or e-mail at licentialoquendi@live.com.