The guys over at The New Editor have picked up the same op/ed I commented on last week (check it out here). Go check out their brief take on what the professor had to say.
I think it is important to make clear that I believe this professor is entitled to his opinions - freedom of speech and all that - but I argue that it is his position that requires greater discretion. While he is free to write articles expressing his beliefs outside the classroom, the problem lies in the fact that this man does not leave those expressions outside the classroom. That is not an estimation, that is personal experience talking.
At the risk of incurring his wrath or being struck by the force of his vengeance, I shall continue my rant...
Actions such as this article are inappropriate in a professional setting, especially one in which this gentleman is tasked with training the security/intel personnel of the future. His students, as practitioners, need the tools to build a better tomorrow, not a scathing vocabulary capable of hurting the opponent's feelings. It is his responsibility to equip them with the critical thinking skills necessary in order to deal with a crisis, before or after it occurs.
Moreover, threats to our security are blind to party lines and it is important for those working to ensure that security to be as blind to them as possible, as well.
In the end, regardless of their party membership, government personnel need to be able to respond to security threats of all types. By pushing politics instead of developing the skills necessary to do that this professor is robbing our country of a class of professionals more savvy than those that came before them. Whether he is on the left or the right, he should recognize that he is moving the current problem into the future instead of working to solve it. Moreover, by engaging in these tactics, he is simply working to ensure that genuinely bi-partisan government remains a pipe dream. His unwillingness or inability to teach in a non-partisan manner does nothing less than undermine critical aspects of America's future security.
What's more, it is unimportant which side of the aisle this article's author stands on when his op/ed was nothing more than an attack on individuals. It was not constructive toward the future he claims his party can provide or even a useful critique.
Katrina is tragic, without question, but he should be using it as an opportunity for people to learn how to do things better the next time. Partisanship and personal feelings are not part of that.
Posted by Princess Cat at September 13, 2005 03:40 PM @ 03:40 PM in Grad School // Permalink | TrackBack