Monday, February 21, 2011

Shame On 'Em: Columbia Students Heckle War Hero

The students at Columbia University who heckled an alumnus who is also a war hero ought to be ashamed of themselves. I have nothing against honest debate but it seems to me that such crass, ignorant and disgusting behavior has no place in an environment designed to promote such debate and healthy discussion allowing all sides to be heard.
Here's an excerpt from the New York Post story on this:


Columbia University students heckled a war hero during a town-hall meeting on whether ROTC should be allowed back on campus.
"Racist!" some students yelled at Anthony Maschek, a Columbia freshman and former Army staff sergeant awarded the Purple Heart after being shot 11 times in a firefight in northern Iraq in February 2008. Others hissed and booed the veteran.
Maschek, 28, had bravely stepped up to the mike Tuesday at the meeting to issue an impassioned challenge to fellow students on their perceptions of the military.
"It doesn't matter how you feel about the war. It doesn't matter how you feel about fighting," said Maschek. "There are bad men out there plotting to kill you." 

CLASH: Veteran Anthony Maschek (above, with fiancée Angela O'Neill) faced heckling from fellow Columbia students over ROTC (below).
Matthew McDermott
CLASH: Veteran Anthony Maschek (above, with fiancée Angela O'Neill) faced heckling from fellow Columbia students over ROTC (below).

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