Schulyer Schouten's op-ed on the Tues., Sept. 11 terrorist attack ["Time for patriotism, war, is now," YH, 9/21/01o reminded me why I don't feel at home with any faction at my alma mater. I dislike political correctness intensely (among other things, I am a strong believer in Western Civilization programs). And guilt manipulation drives me crazy.

On the other hand, I don't have to be a leftist or a pacifist to be worried about the official response to Sept. 11. To mention only rhetoric, do we really have a mission to "rid the world of evil"? All evil? And it's not only Muslims who object to talk of Operation Infinite Justice—a quick web search will verify that infinite justice is an attribute of God.

At the moment we are talking mainly about talk. Cooler heads may prevail in Washington; I am told that Colin Powell has a good head on his shoulders. But a brief look at history—say in the very Western Civilization courses that politically correct persons scorn, and conservatives claim to support—will confirm that chauvinism is a very ugly thing. And America may be no worse than any other nation in this respect, but it is hardly immune. Nor are universities. 

—Philip E. Devin, MC '66

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