When universities object to ROTC because of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, isn't that a little disingenuous? After all, the military didn't create that rule, the Congress did--and it was signed by President Clinton. Shouldn't the righteous indignation of the schools be directed at the Congress and not at a program that serves both students and the country well?
Personally, I think people hide behind the "don't ask, don't tell" policy as a way to hide their dislike for the military in general.
Erin O'Connor has a great post on the topic.
My teacher education textbook dedicates a whole chapter to bashing the military and decrying the fact that because of NCLB, military recruiters can go into public schools now. So they, at least, don't hide anything.
ReplyDeleteThe name of the textbook is "Rethinking Our Classrooms".
Oh Darren, the point is righteous indignation. After that it's just a matter of determining the most gratifying target for righteous indignation: distant, unapproachable, uninterested Congress or handy, "other"-dressed, i.e. uniformed, non-dangerous recruiters?
ReplyDeleteI think the answer's obvious once the question's properly posed.
Stopped Clock: from what I read about the book on Amazon, it's put out by the Rethinking Schools people. I have an entire label devoted to them. Either go back to the main blog page and find that link under Labels or cut/paste here:
ReplyDeletehttp://rightontheleftcoast.blogspot.com/search/label/Rethinking%20Schools
I've dissected their work before. Perhaps you'd enjoy reading it.
"Personally, I think people hide behind the "don't ask, don't tell" policy as a way to hide their dislike for the military in general."
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly why those policies on campuses pre-date DADT. It's nothing but an excuse.
Note that not all, or even most, have such policies. Penn State has one of the largest ROTC programs in the US.