Day By Day© by Chris Muir.

September 17, 2007

The U.S. Naval Academy is...gasp...Run by the NAVY!

Can you believe it? Military are academies run by the military and graduates are expected to serve in the military upon gradution? Someone PLEASE tell me this isn't true...

So runs the theme throughout this op-ed piece written by Idris Leppla, a Columbia University student majoring in political sciene. (Pray she doesn't run for office some day.) If this is the calibre of students that Columbia turns out, our nation is in bigger trouble than I thought.

The opening sentence indicates how large an ego this woman must have:

I know why I chose Columbia: the campus is magnificent, the education is top-tier, and my peers are intelligent. I could look at a stranger, tell him or her that I went to Columbia, and hear the predictable, “Wow, you must be smart.”

Yep. Every time I meet someone who went to one of the self-proclaimed "elite" schools, I think, "Golly, what a brilliant person. I feel humbled to be in his presence, since I only went to a state school." My biggest quandary is whether to bow down and kiss his ring OR turn my face to the wall, a la Barbra Streisand's staff, so as not to offend with my presence...

Unfortunately for her, the next sentence belies this "smartness":

When my brother was getting ready to go to the Naval Academy, everyone ooohed and awed about how brave he was.

Um, that's "oohed and ahhed," not "ooohed and awed." (Doesn't the Columbia Spectator have copy editors?)

But the best part comes as Ms. Leppler and her mother discover that the U.S. Naval Academy is actually a MILITARY institution, and they try to get her brother discharged. Not because he asked, mind you, but because his being there upset them. Amazing that they themselves didn't know what he was up to, but they then decided he somehow was duped into signing up for just a stellar education.

The ending is priceless:

My brother ended up liking Annapolis and he has decided to stay. While it has been difficult for me to accept that I have a brother in the military, I must allow him to pursue whatever path he is drawn toward, and he has admitted to me that he feels called to being there. However, for anyone else out there considering a career in the academy, let it be known: the U.S. Naval Academy is not an elite college; it is first and foremost a branch of the U.S. military and the prestige comes at a big price—it taxes parents, siblings, and participants if they do not understand what they were signing up for.

Be sure to read the comments section; commenters take Ms. Leppler to task for her ignorance in not only how military academies operate, but her mistaken notion of the quality of education cadets/midshipmen receive. I'll bet her brother comes out of his experience with a much firmer grip on reality and a much better education than this gal is receiving at Columbia.

Speaking of embarrassed, Ms. Leppler's brother must be embarrassed that his "smart" sister not only isn't as smart as she thought, but that she would both dare to try to get him discharged against his will AND would write such a self-serving, disrespectful op-ed piece for the entire world to see. As some commenters point out, it might be the cause of some caustic comments from his fellow midshipmen and upperclassmen.

Ms. Leppler, you might want to spend more time in class and less time hanging out in the student union. Wait a minute, scratch that...at Columbia, spending more time in class means you'll come out more of a Leftwing moonbat than if you goof off.

For the record, I appreciate his service, as do so many of us in this nation. Too bad his own family can't accept the choice he made, as an adult, to serve his country with dignity and honor.

*UPDATE: Per the byline, Leppla goes to Barnard College...but she says Columbia in her piece...I'm thoroughly confused. But like I said, I went to a state school...I'm not very smart.

h/t: Right Wing Nation