Why ROTC shouldn’t be on campus
OK, the clown-monkey, Colman McCarthy, who wrote this Washington Post commentary is also director of the Center for Teaching Peace in Washington, DC. Here’s a quotation from one of his lectures so you can judge the dimness of his bulb;
Hitler could have been waited out. He might have been overthrown by his own government. Who knows? To have 50 million people killed: Hitler would have died within 10 years no matter what he did.
So it’s really not surprising that he opposes an educated military force. But here’s how an anti-intellectual conversation with him goes;
During our discussion, he took modest pride at having raised more than a billion dollars for Notre Dame, and expressed similar feelings about the university’s ROTC program. More than 700 student-cadets were in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. Few universities, public or private, had a larger percentage of students in uniform then. The school could have been renamed Fort Hesburgh.
When I suggested that Notre Dame’s hosting of ROTC was a large negative among the school’s many positives, Hesburgh disagreed. Notre Dame was a model of patriotism, he said, by training future officers who were churchgoers, who had taken courses in ethics, and who loved God and country. Notre Dame’s ROTC program was a way to “Christianize the military,” he stated firmly.
I asked if he actually believed there could be a Christian method of slaughtering people in combat, or a Christian way of firebombing cities, or a way to kill civilians in the name of Jesus. Did he think that if enough Notre Dame graduates became soldiers that the military would eventually embrace Christ’s teaching of loving one’s enemies?
The interview quickly slid downhill.
Of course, the military has nothing to do with turning our cheek, nor does it have anything to do loving our enemies…well, besides hastening their departure from this life to one in which they can answer for their behavior in this life.
Since the freedom to worship how we please is one of the reasons that countless colonial-era immigrants came here before we were a nation a strong military defends that right from foreign enemies who’d like to force their religion on us. Even the dimwitted McCarthy should find something to be grateful for that we have a strong military, a military that counts devout Catholics in it’s ranks.
Of course, McCarthy goes on to tell us how much he supports and admires the troops and ROTC Cadets, but of course, he can’t keep a straight face;
At Notre Dame, on that 1989 visit and several following, I learned that the ROTC academics were laughably weak. They were softie courses. The many students I interviewed were candid about their reasons for signing up: free tuition and monthly stipends, plus the guarantee of a job in the military after college. With some exceptions, they were mainly from families that couldn’t afford ever-rising college tabs.
ROTC and its warrior ethic taint the intellectual purity of a school, if by purity we mean trying to rise above the foul idea that nations can kill and destroy their way to peace.
Yeah, well, we can’t “Peace Studies” our way to peace, either, numbskull. You need to peddle that shit to our enemies.
More from Moe Lane. Thanks to Zedchek for the link.
Category: Antiwar crowd, General Whackos
Oh, here’s an idea, maybe the Center for Teaching Peace could hire a “street artist” to make a poster…
Back in ’97, I was required to work with a couple of WH interns (neither were Ms. Lewinsky) during a stint in Bosnia. They were no-kidding shocked to discover that all the officers, and large number of warrant and non-commissioned officers had bachelor’s degrees. Many of the soldiers had master’s and a few had Ph.D.’s. The division headquarters was more, and more highly educated, than the WH and it’s associated staff.
Colman McCarthy lacks the intellectual heft to understand the connection between ethics, Christianity, and warfare. But, of course, McCarthy’s aim is not intellectual in any way – it is to be rewarded for being an obstacle.
This op-ed is a disgrace.
You missed one of the worst passages in his screed:
“I admire those who join armies, whether America’s or the Taliban’s: for their discipline, for their loyalty to their buddies and to their principles, for their sacrifices to be away from home.”
Yes, Mr. McCarthy actually tries to equate the US Army with the Taliban.
What a tool. Why is he even allowed to teach at places like Georgetown Law – the #14 law school in the US? He only has a bachelors degree from Spring Hill College. WTF? Those credentials won’t get you a teaching gig at a community college (or even at a public HS in NY State as all teachers must have a Masters by year 5) , yet Georgetown Law pays him to teach there. Incredible.
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/faculty/facinfo/tab_faculty.cfm?Status=Faculty&ID=1217
I cannot tell you the anger I feel right now towards this guy.
You missed that line where he said he respects anyone who join’s a military – ours or the Taliban. Good, evil, whatever at least you chose a side.
Jackass.
Semper Fi.
Another example proving the theory that the stupidest statements on a given subject are usually made by those who have the least experience/knowledge in them.
Too bad McCarthy doesn’t realize that his head would be one of the first sawed off when he tried to hug a Talibani.
Here’s a link to his course at Georgetown Law. Again, WTF? What are his qualifications to teach in a first-tier law school armed with only a B.S. from Spring Hill College???
http://www.law.georgetown.edu/curriculum/tab_courses.cfm?Status=Course&CourseNumber=274
I wonder what the American Bar Association accreditors would have to say about this.
I only recall having one Law School class taught by a non-lawyer and that was a Health Policy course cross-listed with the Med School.
I’ll be up front, I think this clown deserves all the venom you gave to Bill Arkin. Arkin is a veteran who used some poorly chosen words – once. This guy has spent his career trashing the military and it’s high time places like Georgetown Law feel the heat for giveing him a platform to spout these toxic opinions!!!
Ah, the righteousness of a stupid, but self-proclaimed superior to others liberal screed. Weak academics? Hey SFB, all ROTC members are pursuing different degrees. My ROTC kid is a biomedical engineer student. She has PT every day, and yes, a course designated for ROTC. It by no means reflects actual active duty responsibilities at the present time. That will come with OBC. STFU and get your puny little ass some real edjumacation, mmkay? You have zero knowledge, just hearsay. Uh, you know what that is, don’t you?
Re: #2
DaveO; the push to get higher education among the troops in the military started under Reagan, when the order came down for those under a certain GT score, from their ASVAB, to take courses that would boost their overall score and in particular, their GT score.
But, with the morons on the left, they can’t let go of an old, tired lie, so they still propagate it today, along with several other lies associated with military service.
Maybe because our nation was founded on Christian ideals is the reason we tend to treat our enemies better. When we defeat our enemies, we have tended to show our love by then becoming friends and allies with them.
Frankly, this idiots needs to get a one way ticket to a remote area of Afghanistan or Pakistan. Then he can have an intellectual discussion with the Taliban or Al Qaeda.
Well the good news is if your kid fails the admission test for the military, which according to recent study is about a quarter of all those who take the test, they can always go to college. All they require is money.
The prof needs to go look up the definition of soldier as outlined by the Geneva Conventions, which I have no doubt he will proclaim himself as some sort of expert on. You know all those rules about wearing uniforms clearly identifying yourself, taking all measures to avoid civilian casualties, not using civilians as shields etc., etc., etc.
I got out of the Army,so I could go to College,in the early 80’s. Should have stayed in, I was maligned,and my point of view dismissed by professors,who thought,I was pretty much a Barbarian. That was because I could form MY OWN OPINION and not depend on them to give me one,and I did not confirm to their own little world view,confined to Academia. When they were praising the Palestinians and Sandanistas, I pointed out the atrocities,and the idealogical zeal they carried it out with much like the Nazis and the Communists in China and Cambodia,which ended up killing the Intelligensia,which they would be considered part of. But, that went right over their Ego-I’m-the-professor-you’re-the-student-because- have-a-Doctorate-swelled heads. I only had one Professor who had been in the Army during Viet Nam,the rest were in High School or had deferments.
Re: #8
OldTrooper: was unaware of the history. I do know that sending soldiers to classes so that they could raise their GT scores, and also to college classes, was important enough to excuse them from field training (for the duration of the class/classes held during the day). My 1SG would bring them back to the motor hole after breakfast, and bring ’em back out with supper. Only exceptions were during qualification tables, and then only with permission of the battalion commander.
Professors don’t care how you think, so long as what you think conforms to the professor’s views. Tomás de Torquemada would be in awe, and agreement with today’s academics’ methods.
now I will point out that some of the ROTC cats I’ve seen are nowhere near the “best and brightest” there is always a hidden genius among them.
My Senior Drill was working on his Doctorate. My first squad leader HAD a PhD. I knew more than a few grunts that never joined the ranks of officers, that were astounding how intelligent they were. On the officer side, most of the officers I knew got out went to college and got their commission. They blended life experience with education to create effective leadership that one could trust.
Hell even the “fighting Irish” owe their name to the military. Look up the history of the 69th NY. the Chaplains for the famed Irish Brigade (See Fredricksburg).
As to why it is so important to have strong Christians in the military I would site “From Pearl Harbor to Calvary” By Mitsuo Fuchida. The man who LEAD the attack on Pear Harbor and is reported to have made the famous “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (Japanese for tiger) broadcast BECAME A CHRISTIAN AND AN AMERICAN CITIZEN AFTER THE WAR! For all intents and purposes this is the man that STARTED the war for America. His conversion is really a touching story, and it shows stark contrast between how the US treated POWs, and how Japan treated them. It also makes the case for the humanizing factor of Christianity in the armed services. Sometimes that moderating effect may stay the hand from an unnecessary blow, and promote charity, which is a far better way to win over people that so called “peace councils”
“To the protector, freedom has a flavor the protected can never taste”.
Honor and Courage
“Hitler could have been waited out.” Are you kidding me?!?!?! Unless, of course, you were Jewish. I doubt there is much of any value taught or learned in his class. Title of textbook says it all, “Strength Through Peace”. Reagan showed us the correct order of words, Peace Through Strength. By the time his “Hitler would have died within 10 years no matter what he did” statement would have been valid, 95% of the 50 million were already dead.
Having recently returned to college at age 36, I was nervous about the liberal left mentality that I had encountered the first time I went. Luckily, the only professor I encountered that was of that liberal left variety was also one who was more stupid than I on the course material. Over the length of the semester, I ended up teaching him more than he taught me! LOL! I think that the biggest factor in encountering idiots like this in academia is the choice of school that you attend. Unfortunately, not enough people take those kinds of things into account when picking which school they want to go to or the field that they’re going to study. Thus, the sheeple straight out of high school get welcomed to the indoctrination without any idea of what else is out there. And that is where folks like me come in to play as I’ll stand up and tell a dumbass professor that they are a dumbass and then proceed to outline how they are.
How long until we get a photo of some ROTC cadets with a sign-
‘Halp us ColeMan mCCarthy, we r stuk hear in ROtC!’
Being in the JROTC program didn’t ever hurt my kid! Actually, thanks to the Sgt Major and the Lt Col that taught those kids they learned more History – Military and War History – than would have ever been taught in a regular History or Civics class. And none of that “nambypamby” liberal crap either.
I might also point out that they might be more inclined to READ and UNDERSTAND the constitution that Ezra Klein seems to think is too incomprehensible.
The Center for Teaching Peace? Really, what do they do after they sing kumbaya and burn a doobie? Or, is that all that’s required for a “degree”?
I gleaned this nugget from the course description that IRR Soldier linked to, “The class is discussion-based, with dissent welcome”. Yeah, I’d just bet that this waste of skin would “welcome” dissent from his warped, ignorant world view.
Too Right Doc Bailey!!