What do we value?

This article on Iraq war veteran Anthony Maschek who was booed at a forum at Columbia University was dazzling. Maschek was booed for saying he thinks ROTC should be allowed on the campus at Columbia 42 years after it was banned from that campus, and clearly the majority of students gathered there vehemently disagreed with him on that score.

That Maschek was booed by a bunch of Ivy League brats was unconscionable, but I found the following poster laughable to a staggering degree:



This sign says The military preys on low income communities.

What amazes me about that is the fact that for several years, I've been hearing more and more rumbling about useless degrees and certifications young American students are financing through universities and trade schools. Where is the outrage about young, naive people being exploited by the abject greed of a university system which-- like our Social Security system-- relies on steady growth of the influx of new students to prop up its unwieldy burden of tenured academecians and infrastructure?

Where is the outrage about universities enrolling still more students for degree programs for which graduates will find no market upon completion? The wisdom and morality of such a practice is truly so complex that it escapes me utterly. Hopefully someone will enlighten me.

Further, our military is voluntary, not conscripted. Countless men and women in the USA have been able to pull themselves together by virtue of the structure the military afforded them. That's not just poor folks-- Americans from all social strata have found purpose and direction for their own lives because of the discipline of life as an enlistee.

I'm not saying I think universities are all bad or that the military is preferable or vice-versa, but I do think it's the height of arrogance and vapidity that politically correct university students would presume to speak for everyone. The funny thing is that they'd probably be the first to describe themselves as "open-minded" and "accepting of others' viewpoints."

How infantile.

As often occurs, the real gems of the article are to be mined in the comments. I especially appreciated that of Rob:

I love the sign. The military preys on low income communities. First of all, no one is EVER forced to join the military. If a person signs and did it without making an informed decision, whose fault is that?

Secondly, all I can say is "Thank God"! If it weren't for the military, I would have been stuck in a horrible neighborhood in urban Detroit, and I would have never had the opportunities that allowed me to go to college, get a degree and teach.

So, thank you, military, for targeting me (so to speak) and helping me create a better life for me and my kids.

Ah, bless 'im.