Like many others, I read the guest column submitted on behalf of Occupy Penn with utter dismay.
It was a confounding compilation of non sequiturs and each principle individually is worthy of a lengthy response. One particular position — the reflexive hatred toward anything military or intelligence related — is truly misguided.
The United States government and military need to employ the latest advances being produced in our universities, which are among the best in the world. The U.S. remains the biggest force for positive, moral change across the globe. You want to protect civilians? Weakening U.S. defensive and deterrent capabilities would put more civilians at risk worldwide, not fewer. Students should be proud to participate in Department of Defense-funded research, not ashamed of it.
I cannot comprehend the confusion of ideas, which would prefer to destroy the competitive advantages of our responsible, moral military and political system. Weakening the United States strengthens repressive and undemocratic regimes. As we watch civilians being brutalized by their governments worldwide, this is a frightening prospect indeed.
Barry Rosenberg is a Wharton junior. His email address is barryr@wharton.upenn.edu.
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