To the Editor:
(In Reference to online article “Professors to Hold Teach In” on Tuesday by Ethan Fry)
Young men and women, your contemporaries, are currently engaged in a battle to disarm and remove from power one of the world’s most vicious dictators, and the words you use to describe them are “pouncing hyenas?” These soldiers are prepared to give the last full measure of devotion, who are doing their utmost to avoid civilian casualties, thereby increasing the risk to themselves, and you liken them to wild animals which feed on carrion. Tell me: When you grinned and cackled at your clever turn of phrase, did you give a thought to those brave men and women manning their posts or did you just assume that they were unlettered and would not understand the nuances of your imagery? When some of these “pouncing hyenas” return home in flag draped caskets, is it ok if their families bury them or should they be left on the tarmac for the vultures to feast upon?
Reasonable people can disagree on whether this war should be fought. Your language however is beyond the boundaries of decency. My guess is that you are well versed in Chomsky; You may want to balance that with some Kipling.
Very truly yours,
Sean K. Smith, ’87
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