GUEST COLUMN JudComm is broken
As a senior who has been in a fraternity at MIT for almost four years now, I have had the chance to meet many responsible and competent people who make up the Greek community here. A group composed of such people definitely has the potential to effectively self-govern. In several areas the Interfraternity Council is doing just that. Development and enforcement of risk management policies, however, is not one of those areas. The means through which IFC enforces its risk management standards are not only unfair, but actually dangerous.
Politics and engineering are not mutually exclusive
This past Monday, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano delivered the 2011 Karl Taylor Compton Lecture. Secretary Napolitano emphasized the importance of the involvement of MIT minds in politics and public service for the benefit of the nation. However, it is extremely common for MIT students to greet important political issues with apathy, and for political involvement to be dismissed as irrelevant. It is time for MIT students to take Secretary Napolitano’s advice and to broaden their focus beyond the pages of textbooks and problem sets.
‘Fact or Fiction’ — an appropriate title
My first reaction upon visiting the Fact or Fiction website was decidedly negative. But after exploring the site more, talking to girls about the campaign, and seeing some of the posters, I can see why — at least — its heart is in the right place.
The back of the envelope
In the last issue of The Tech, I tried to explain the events at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant and gave my opinion, as someone with two nuclear engineering degrees from MIT, as to what I thought the situation on the ground was and the likely course of events. In particular, I made three important claims:
Why America is going to make a big mistake in Libya
With the unfolding of a civil war in Libya — one that is pathetically unbalanced between the arms-bearing pro-Gaddafi forces and the civilian rebels — what action will the international community take? France has officially recognized the Transitional National Council (TNC) as the legitimate government of Libya, and the Arab League countries have called for the establishment of a no-fly zone over Libya. It is America’s turn now, and Obama’s excuses for inaction no longer suffice, so America is finally going to make a move — and we’re going to do it wrong.
Lunch with Dan
With the GOP recently dropping the budget knife on Planned Parenthood, I have lost hope. My faith in the GOP to bring about change grew as questionable as the skin tone of Boehner’s face. I was ready to turn my back on the Grand Ol’ Party Pooper.
EDITORIAL UA in a tough spot
The Undergraduate Association has had a rough year. Issues of dining, orientation, and enrollment all hit within a short span of time and tested the ability of UA leaders to balance their dual roles as students and elected representatives. More recently, the UA has been racked by numerous resignations, including two senators who resigned during a six-hour senate meeting two weeks ago. As a whole, the UA is younger and less experienced now than it has been in recent memory.
What happened at the Fukushima reactor?
As a nuclear engineer, it is depressing to read the recent reports on the Fukushima nuclear incident — not because of the incident itself (at this point I strongly believe that we will remember Fukushima as evidence of how safe nuclear power is when done right) — but because the media coverage of the event has been rife with errors so glaring that I have to wonder if anyone in the world of journalism has ever taken a physics class. My favorite: in one article, boric acid was described as a “nutrient absorber” instead of a “neutron absorber.” How many editors signed off on that line without asking, “Why would a nuclear reactor need to absorb nutrients?”
Protection means peace
On Tuesday, Wissam Jarjoui wrote a response to my opinion piece “Don’t settle for settlement condition,” in which he argued that settlements were a major obstacle to peace. I hope to address a number of his claims and to further clarify why Israeli construction in the West Bank should not be made into an arbitrary gauge for peace.
Corrections
An article published last Tuesday regarding the UA presidential candidacies incorrectly identified “Random Hall” as “Random House.”
No precedent for peace
The Libyan people have been met with fighter jets, bullets, and clubs as Moammar Gadhafi attempts to quell the uprisings overtaking his country. The violence being used against the protesters has been unrivaled in any other Arab country, and what began as protests now resembles something closer to civil war. Thousands have tried fleeing the brutality in fear of their lives, creating a refugee crisis in the process. However, it seems unlikely that Gadhafi picked up such a violent disposition overnight. Why, then, was more international effort not spent exposing Gadhafi’s cruelty before the situation deteriorated to the point of hundreds of people being murdered in the streets?
Libya: A foreign policy no-brainer
For a people who have been under the thumb of a dictator for over four decades, Libyans sure do make up for lost time. In the course of just a couple weeks, the rebels in Libya have done much to end Moammar Gadhafi’s 42-year rule. They have gained effective control, in terms of area, of most of the country, leaving the old regime buttoned up in Tripoli and a few surrounding areas.
GUEST COLUMN View from the other side of the Wall
I am currently in my final semester as an undergraduate at MIT. The Institute is a great place to learn how to make an impact in any part of the world, and I believe that one of the most important skills that we can take from our four years of study here is the development of a critical perspective and analysis.
Mitch Daniels for president
The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is not typically a place where speakers challenge their audiences. CPAC is a three-day pep rally, a conservative Woodstock, a forum for, as Ronald Reagan once said during a speech there, “dancing with them who brung you.” It is a celebration of conservatism, rather than a serious reflection on its future. A slick politician would take the opportunity to pander to the army of conservative organizers and activists that populate the conference, rather than delivering Cassandra-like predictions.
Word association
A friend once complained to me that she couldn’t trust Republicans. Paraphrasing her words: “You see them in interviews on cable news and it’s uncanny — they’re all using the exact same phrase to describe a situation. Every hour, on the hour, you’ve got a right-wing talking head repeating the line of the day, and I can’t help but think that there’s some secret board of shadowy figures, passing out memos to conservatives that tell them what they’ll be saying.”
Table
Question 81. If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed, how, if at all, will your military career plans be affected? N Overall Army Marine Corps Navy Air Force Coast Guard I will stay longer than I had planned 1,422 1.7% 1.9% 0.7% 2.2% 1.2% 1.7% I will think about staying longer than I had planned 1,500 1.8% 2.0% 1.2% 2.2% 1.4% 1.5% I will think about leaving sooner than I had planned 12,698 11.1% 11.8% 15.0% 8.6% 9.9% 9.1% I will leave sooner than I had planned 12,126 12.6% 14.2% 23.1% 7.9% 8.2% 6.2% My military career plans would not change 73,210 62.3% 60.2% 47.5% 68.0% 69.0% 67.5% Don’t know 10,690 10.5% 9.8% 12.2% 11.2% 10.3% 14.0% These statistics were recovered from the Report of the Comprehensive Review of the Issues Associated with a Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” released by the Department of Defense in November 2010.
Table
Questions 70 & 71. If Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is repealed and you are working with a Service member in your immediate unit who has said he or she is gay or lesbian, how, if at all, would it affect your immediate unit’s effectiveness at completing its mission… Very Positive/Positive Equally Positive and Negative No Effect Very Negative/Negative Question 70. Respondents without combat deployment experience since September 11, 2001 On a day-to-day basis 17.4% 32.6% 29.3% 20.8% When a crisis or negative event happens that affects your immediate unit 17.2% 32.8% 29.9% 20.0% Question 71. Respondents with combat deployment experience since September 11, 2001 In a field environment or out at sea 11.4% 25.8% 18.6% 44.3% When a crisis or negative event happens that affects your immediate unit 12.5% 33.3% 24.7% 29.4% In an intense combat situation 12.4% 31.4% 25.6% 30.6%
Keep your eye on the ball, America
The governments of Egypt and Tunisia have toppled like dominoes, accompanied by immense protests in Libya, Bahrain, Algeria, Jordan, and Yemen. Cries for freedom, revolution, and reform have been transformed into global slogans. Amidst the chaos and excitement, it is important to not lose sight of one of America’s most prevalent threats: a nuclear Iran.
Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t change
Let’s start with one basic, almost indisputable fact: the likely effect of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) will be to make our military weaker. Judging by the recent survey of servicemen, the Marine Corps will suffer the greatest impact: of those marines who say they’ve actually served with a homosexual leader, co-worker, or subordinate, they reported that in 28 percent of instances it worsened their unit’s ability to work together, in 26 percent it reduced unit morale, and in 25 percent it harmed the unit’s performance. Virtually no Marines reported that having an effectively open homosexual in their immediate unit had a positive effect.