A letter from an alum about War and Pizza, Perspective October 22, 2003

November 2, 2003

While I infer that I would disagree with Gregg Lange '70 about the war on terrorism, his article hit the nail on the head in lamenting the disconnect between this and previous war-affected generations.

It provided a haunting reminder of the sacrifices of the past, and an even starker warning that today's "organization kids" will be tomorrow's policymakers.

I have one nit to pick: Lange points to the end of the draft as the point when students, and particularly Princeton students, began to disengage from national and international affairs. That may be the case at the most visible level, but it was the previous decade's revolution in the academy that set the campus stage for today's warped conceptions of American foreign policy. That is, when those protesting the armed forces (either due to their policy on gays or their being used as a "tool of imperialism") are made to feel more welcome than those serving in them, there is something wrong with our "tolerant" community.

When Princetonians consider our alma mater's motto, we should think first of those literally serving the nation (and the peace of all nations) before applauding the various policy wonks and NGO-niks who may or may not indirectly do so.

Ilya Shapiro '99
Ridgeland, Miss.

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