Disrespect

I just read an article from WorldNetDaily that greatly dissapointed me in my fellow human beings, particularly my "peer" group.
The article can be found here - http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48808 but for the sake of preservation I'll copy it as well.

The University of Washington's student senate rejected a memorial for alumnus Gregory "Pappy" Boyington of "Black Sheep Squadron" fame amid concerns a military hero who shot down enemy planes was not the right kind of person to represent the school.

Student senator Jill Edwards, according to minutes of the student government's meeting last week, said she "didn't believe a member of the Marine Corps was an example of the sort of person UW wanted to produce."
Ashley Miller, another senator, argued "many monuments at UW already commemorate rich white men."

Senate member Karl Smith amended the resolution to eliminate a clause that said Boyington "was credited with destroying 26 enemy aircraft, tying the record for most aircraft destroyed by a pilot in American Uniform," for which he was awarded the Navy Cross.

Smith, according to the minutes, said "the resolution should commend Colonel Boyington's service, not his killing of others."

The senate's decision was reported first by Seattle radio talk-host Kirby Wilbur of KVI, whose listeners were "absolutely incensed," according to producer Matt Haver.

Brent Ludeman, president of the university's College Republicans, told WND in an e-mail the decision "reflects poorly on the university."

"Pappy Boyington went beyond the call of duty to serve and protect this country – he simply deserves better," Ludeman said. "Just last year, the university erected a memorial to diversity. Why can't we do the same for Pappy Boyington and others who have defended our country?"

The resolution points out Boyington, a student at the UW from 1930-34, served as a combat pilot in the 1st Squadron, American Volunteer Group – the "Flying Tigers of China" – and later as a Marine Corps combat pilot in charge of Marine Fighting Squadron 214, "The Black Sheep Squadron."

Along with the Navy Cross, Boyington was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Franklin D. Roosevelt for his heroism. He was shot down and spent 20 months in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp.

The resolution says, "Be it resolved … [t]hat we consider Col. Gregory Boyington, United States Marine Corps, to be a prime example of the excellence that this university represents and strives to impart upon its students, and, That we desire for a memorial for Col. Boyington be commenced by the University of Washington by 11 January 2008, the twentieth anniversary of his death, which will be publicly displayed, so that all who come here in future years will know that the University of Washington produced one of this country's bravest men, and that we as a community hold this fact in the highest esteem."

Commenting on the decision, a blogger who says he met Boyington on numerous occasions at a museum and air show over the years noted the famous flyer "was no rich boy," having grown up in a struggling family in which he was forced to work hard to make it through school. The blogger, who hosts the website Paradosis, also pointed out Boyington was part Sioux.

Boyington was open about his marital problems and alcohol abuse, saying notably, "Just name a hero and I'll prove he's a bum."

The blogger wondered, "have our Washington youth revised history so much as this? To compare Boyington – or for that matter any of our WW2 vets – to murderers? What are these kids being taught today? They don't deserve those 20 months Pappy spent being tortured and beaten in a Japanese prison camp ... they don't deserve any of what our grandfathers and grandmothers sacrificed to free Europe and the Pacific."

Boyington wrote a book in 1958 that reached the best-seller list, "Baa Baa, Black Sheep." In 1976, he sold rights to Universal, which aired a TV series for two seasons of the same name.

Boyington, who died Jan. 11, 1988, is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Two particular segments from the above stand out to me:

Student senator Jill Edwards, according to minutes of the student government's meeting last week, said she "didn't believe a member of the Marine Corps was an example of the sort of person UW wanted to produce."
Ashley Miller, another senator, argued "many monuments at UW already commemorate rich white men."

The idea that Marines (or any other fighting man/woman) do not represent "ideals" of society is disgusting. Its nothing new, but it remains as disgusting as the day Kipling penned "Tommy". I can think of few things as noble as believing in something enough to fight, mayhap die, for it. That is a kind of strength most people do not have.
Someone who is not willing to fight, for anything, is not the sort of person any institution should take pride in "producing". Spineless, fearful, cowering people do not build strong nations, strong companies, strong communities or strong families. Everyone has to fight for something in their life, whether its equality, their education or providing for their family, life is full of little fights and struggles. No one who turned from fighting, no one who told themselves that avoiding conflict was the “higher road” to excuse their own fear, ever amounted to anything worth note, not as the leader of a family, not as a hero of business, industry or even war.
And the cold hard truth is that without people who were willing to take that strength and will to fight and carry it into battle, none of the rest of it would matter. In this history of this nation there have been great threats to the security, safety and freedom of her people and it was not a force of collegiate debaters who broke and defeated those threats – It was fighters, who were willing to kill and be killed to protect the very ability of people like Ms. Edwards to slander and disrespect their efforts.
There exist soldiers so that everyone who isn’t a soldier can, if they desire, live weak and fearful lives safe inside well-protected borders. For as long as there have been people there have been those who would take by force what wasn’t theirs, and demand fealty from people at the point of a sword or a gun. And in the course of history there has only been one thing that could turn back a determined tyrant or robber – Force. The truth is most people, except in the direst of circumstances, lack the ability to do violence and that ability has been rejected and cultured out by many societies. Most people do not have the ability to make good soldiers and their place is not on the battlefield even if they are needed there – There are true soldiers, born soldiers and they do hard things, brutal things, so that the folks at home don’t have to, or don’t have to suffer those things done to them. It may not be the most pleasant thing, and it may not be the most beautiful thing, but it is something that deserves respect, and gratitude.
And, in response to Ms. Miller’s comments, most soldiers are not rich men, many of them are not white (many are Native American, as was Boyington), and most of them lead undistinguished, often impoverished, lives after their tours of duty. Rich White Men are the fools running the country – Not those subjected to their miserable whims and thrown onto the teeth of battle without mercy. It seems that Ms. Miller and Ms. Edwards have forgotten this, or wish to confuse the two in order to find someone they can more easily and personally blame and punish for the sins of our fathers.

Also take note that "Just last year, the university erected a memorial to diversity”. This highlights one of the dirty, ugly, truths of “Diversity” – Promoting diversity, instead of unity, allow people like Miller and Edwards to segregate themselves from elements of society they find distasteful. There is no unity in diversity, and it allows for disrespect and ostracizing of “unclean” elements of society – so long as “Diversity” is trumpeted it allows for lines to be drawn through our society, and for those culture, class, and yes, race barriers to be continually reinforced.
Unity scares people like Misses Edwards and Miller – If the world had unity, they would have to stand shoulder to shoulder on the same level with Marines and others who do work they find “distasteful”.

It is unfortunate that people have found causes and positions of power that allow them to make decisions such as this, and create seats above the “distasteful”. It is to an extent a manipulation of reality, for those doing it. Although reality truly is that which, when ignored, does not go away, people in positions of power can pretend, at least to themselves, that they can have a society, a world, without the unclean, distasteful or difficult elements and in that pretending they can use their positions, authority and influence to strike blows against those they find distasteful, no matter how much those very people may have worked to guarantee the ability of slanderers to attack them.

These people who make these attacks love to use terms that will put a bad taste in others mouths, terms like “killers”, so I’m going to close this bluntly.
Some people need killed – Before they can kill the innocent – and it takes killers to stop killers. Anyone who doesn’t “approve” of those people needs to ask him or her self a very serious question, “Would I rather be the one who had to do it?”