The \anti-American"" sentiment of professors and students from universities across the nation, including UW-Madison, has become the target of a report published by a Washington D.C.-based conservative think tank Nov. 15. Remarks from UW-Madison senior Adam Goldstein are included in the report.
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a founder of which is Lynne Cheney, the wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, released the report, titled ""How Our Universities Are Failing America and What Can Be Done About It."" It explores, among other things, campus anti-war movements and a lack of knowledge of U.S. history among students at American colleges. Authors compared the reaction of the American public to Sept. 11 attacks with that of college students, finding the students less supportive of military action.
Goldstein, a member of the Associated Students of Madison's Student Judiciary, in a letter to the editor in The Badger Herald Sept. 24, called the U.S. government ""without a doubt, one of the most genocidal and murderous political entities of the 20th century.""
In his letter to the editor, Goldstein also compared the current American leaders to people such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and ""other monsters of the 20th century.""
""If protesting the government is anti-American, then I don't know what America means,"" Goldstein said. ""I don't see myself as unpatriotic. I see myself as working against nationalistic forces that are trying to take hold in this country.""
UW-Madison senior Louis Crisostomo said he thought it was a common misconception that students were less patriotic than the general public.
""A lot of people won't express their support for the war on terrorism by writing letters to the editor, by marching up and down State Street, by attending rallies,"" he said. ""But when you talk to them in class ... they have the same concerns as the general public.""
There have been at least three peace protests on campus and the community since the Sept. 11 attacks. Sarah Kaiksow, a UW-Madison senior and member of the Student Youth Caucus of the Madison Area Peace Coalition, participated in the peace rallies and said she found a variety of opinions on campus concerning military action.
""I feel supported being in Madison and having my views,"" she said. ""I also know there's a lot of people who disagree with me, but that doesn't bother me. That's part of why I'm proud to be someone who lives in a country that values freedom of speech.""
Mike Duffey, UW-Madison senior and president of the Students in Support of America, said he didn't think the majority of UW-Madison students were part of the peace movement.
""[Members of the anti-war movement] happen to be the most vocal,"" he said.
Kaiksow said questioning the government is an important part of American society.
""I think people forget that America was founded on dissent,"" Kaiksow said. ""Dissent, to me, fits into freedom of speech and if freedom of speech is unpatriotic, then I don't know what country I'm living in.""
