comments needed on LTTE

[Bill McBlueState]

I'm not sure how big my audience will be, but I'm looking for comments on my LTTE from people who are

a. generally in favor of federally-funded science research
b. generally opposed to war

(In other words, I'm not really looking to debate the premise of the letter; I'm asking for help in making my point.)

It's in response to a movement on campus to get the university to "refuse to accept all future research grant funding provided by the US Department of Defense and its subsidiary agencies" in the words of the anti-war coalition. The letter is specifically a response to an argument made in this column in the campus paper.

Anyway, here I go:

---

In the aftermath of Abu Ghraib and the ongoing disaster in Iraq, we
have every reason to be suspicious of Bush's Department of Defense.
The building momentum on campus against defense funding -- alluded to
in Jeff Napolitano's column, "The grand and vocal minority" (Monday,
February 27) -- has its roots in noble intentions, but so far the
facts are lacking. The Department of Defense funds a wide array of
projects that have impacts far beyond military technology. For
example, the internet had its beginnings as a project of the
Department of Defense, and today it is among the most effective tools
in the backpack of the peace activist.

Here on campus, the Defense Department has had a major role in funding
the Large Millimeter Telescope, an observatory being built in central
Mexico. This is a joint project of the UMass Department of Astronomy
and the government of Mexico. The LMT will detect low-energy
radiation from galaxies in the most distant corners of the observable
universe, allowing us to better understand the universe of billions of
years ago. In addition to the scientific benefits, LMT funding is
providing jobs for both UMass graduate students and construction
workers in the Mexican highlands. And, the telescope is helping
Mexico to become a leader in astronomy research.

Like Mr. Napolitano, I want us to ask the question, "Is the research
on polymer technology (or astronomy) going to be used to make bigger
and better bombs to murder our brothers and sisters overseas?" In
some cases, the answer is most likely "yes," but in other cases, the
answer is definitely "no." With some research, we can answer this
question, and those of us who are opposed to war can focus our efforts
on specific affronts to peace, instead of making broadbrush attacks on
government-funded science as a whole.

on edit: Edited to deal with DU's rules about square brackets...

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. It makes sense to me

I like that you gave examples where the research ended in positive things. The greatest strength in your argument, imho, is that you suggest we research to find out if the research is being used for murder or for peace, to paraphrase your words.