Andrew Walden’s Orwellian editorial “Challenge to Debate” proclaims that secrecy is openness and restriction is freedom. This sort of illogical spew is what got him banned from being published in the University of Hawaii student newspaper ”’Ka Leo”’, not any sort of politically biased censorship as he claims.
Walden reaches the peak of intellectual dishonesty with this concluding remark where he quotes a small segment of Eisenhower’s farewell address:
“Here’s something else Eisenhower said in the same address: “A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction.” Peace through strength: One more reason why U.H. Manoa should host UARC.”
If he wanted to honestly represent Eisenhower’s views, Walden should have kept reading beyond the first sentence:
“A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction.
Our military organization today bears little relation to that known by any of my predecessors in peace time, or indeed by the fighting men of World War II or Korea.
Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.
This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence-economic, political, even spiritual-is felt in every city, every state house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.”
See https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/farewell.htm
The University of Hawaii community, including Chancellor Konan, the Faculty Senate and the student body are overwhelmingly opposed to the proposed University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) at UH-Manoa. They are the “alert and knowledgeable citizenry” that Eisenhower was talking about. The opponents of UARC could also quote Eisenhower’s farewell address, especially the part about the “unwarranted influence…by the military-industrial complex.” The fact that UARC will go through against the wishes of the majority of the UH community is evidence of this unwarranted influence.
That’s the real reason for the preponderance of liberals at the University. We can consider all sides of an issue and come to a rational decision about it. Thank God the University is not dominated by hysterical rightwing zealots who try to shove their narrow distorted views down everyone’s throats.
”’Mark Burch, a Chemical Hygiene Officer for the Environmental Health and Safety Office at the University of Hawaii, can be reached via email at”’ mailto:burch@hawaii.edu
”’HawaiiReporter.com reports the real news, and prints all editorials submitted, even if they do not represent the viewpoint of the editors, as long as they are written clearly. Send editorials to”’ mailto:Malia@HawaiiReporter.com