Ladies and gentlemen, this is not the Vietnam War, and the tired old tricks your mommies and daddies used when they had long hair and guitars are just that-tired, old and utterly ineffectual. This is not a war over ideology or a war to help one side defeat the Big Bad Wolf of communism. This is a retaliatory effort on the part of a nation who was savagely, without warning, attacked, and it is entirely justified. It just so happens that the nation who harbors Osama bin Laden-a nation that has refused to cooperate with any attempts at extradition or "bringing to justice"-is one of the most cruel and oppressive regimes in the modern world. If we can kill two birds with one stone, then all the better.
"No sovereign nation can yet be held accountable for the events of September 11," proclaims the sign for the walk-out. Really? Define accountability. Does actively thwarting attempts to get bin Laden and his henchmen out of a sovereign nation count as partial responsibility? How about giving him money, turning a blind eye to his actions and dancing in the streets when you find out he was successful? Almost every square foot of earth is a sovereign nation-so unless bin Laden plans all this stuff from Antarctica, he had help.
The term "sovereign nation" upsets me. Let me reiterate: the Taliban is an illegitimate regime. The men and women under its thumb hate it but are powerless to do anything, are governed without their consent, are ruled without representation and can be imprisoned or killed, without justification or formal proceedings. Why is everyone so anxious to preserve it? If you say, "Because they never did anything to us," I reply only, "Neither did Hitler."
"The criminal actions of a group of private citizens are not an act of war," the sign continues. The Civil War was started when a group of private citizens fired on Fort Sumter in an attempt to break away from the Union. At least the SPR is admitting that the act was criminal. Think of the situation in the classic action movie sense: the criminal, after blowing up a building, is hiding out in a warehouse or tenement or hotel. He refuses to come out. There is a long standoff, say, three weeks. What do we do? We send in a SWAT team to get him. This is just a really big hotel, and a really big SWAT team. What we don't do is throw up our hands and say, "The hell with it. He's not coming out. Oh, well."
The sign also reads; "However, military aggression that we carry out on another nation's soil does constitute a declaration of war against that nation." Ah, a double standard. If a group representing a portion of a larger group (fundamentalist Muslims) attacks the U.S., they are "rightfully angry" and should be placated. However, if a group of our citizens (the military) representing a larger group (those in favor of action-not the entire US) retaliates, that's war?
The reference to military action that has yet to take place as "ill-advised" is prejudging and reveals the SPR's absolute unwillingness to compromise or heed the facts. At this point, it wouldn't matter if President Bush lined us all up and kissed our-um-lips, the SPR would still stand against him and the actions of our military.
Who, exactly, is the SPR hoping to upset with this action? Walk-outs were originally a resistance to professors and administrators who favored the war in Vietnam. But most of our professors and administrators are the ones who participated in the original walk-outs and are salivating to relive their glory days. They'll be leading the students out the doors of Chapin and Converse like Pied Pipers.
Be wary of the walk-out. It is an empty and ill-advised gesture, which will disrupt classes-the only reason we're all here. If my professors walk out, I'm going to bill them for time lost. My parents do not pay $30,000 for me to prance around a flagpole and feel righteous.