Collegiate Times

In the recent column ?Organizations of Murderers Shouldn?t be allowed at Tech,? (CT, Nov. 15) the author says that Virginia Tech needs to take a moral stand against the CIA. The author makes many good arguments for this, including references to so called ?black site? prisons in foreign countries where it is suspected that prisoners are tortured and killed. He makes a great case for the rights of prisoners.

However, he fails to mention that those held are terrorists, intent on destroying America and her allies and disrupting democracy in the Middle East. He also fails to mention that these terrorists are not being held and interrogated for kicks and giggles ? the safety and prosperity of millions throughout the world rely upon the information gathered from these men.

Not just the men and women in the U.S. Military, but innocent men, women and children living such places as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Israel, Palestine and most recently in Jordan.

If Tech has a ?moral, political and intellectual role? and needs to ?think globally,? then shouldn?t it be supporting an organization committed to protecting not only American citizens but also those people throughout the world living in areas affected by terrorism? And if Tech is going to stop supporting organizations that cause ?death by homicide,? then shouldn?t the FBI be kicked out for the Waco Incident in the early 90s?

So too then should the military ROTC programs be removed from campus, if not for the allegations of torture at Abu Ghraib prison, then for the long list of grievances committed in Vietnam? Where does this line of thinking end? And more importantly, is it OK to compromise the safety and well being of thousands, or even millions, of men, women and children around the world to save a terrorist from pain and discomfort?