I would like to call to everyone’s attention the issue of protest. It is the right of every U.S. citizen to protest any action by the government that they disagree with. I served for four years in the Marine Corps to guarantee that all U.S. citizens would have the rights spelled out in the Constitution.

However, just because you have the right to do something, does not mean that it is the right thing to do. If you protest a war, you give servicemen and servicewomen fighting the war the impression that their efforts are not appreciated by the U.S. people. This has the effect of lowering the serviceman or servicewoman’s morale. Low morale is detrimental to a unit’s efficiency.

If I want to get drunk the day before an exam, I have the right to do so. But, I will have to accept the consequences that I will do worse on the exam than if I had spent the previous day reviewing the material. The moral is this: If you feel the need to protest, you have the right to do so (and I will support to my death your right to do so), but remember that your actions do have consequences.

Scott Wakefield

freshman in LAS