Ulysses
S. Grant famously commented that moral courage is rarer and more fleeting
than physical courage. I thought of that observation when I read this open
letter from the editorial board of Proceedings,
the magazine of the U.S. Naval Institute, to the board of the USNI, objecting
to the board's foolish
plan to abandon the traditional objective mission of the institute and
instead become a lobby for sea power.
Proceedings stands out among the U.S. military's professional
magazines for its willingness to take on difficult subjects. Over the decades
it generally has led the pack. Its editorial independence is especially
important because the Navy's own professional magazine, the Naval
War College Review, is mediocre,
which is surprising, because the Naval War College has the strongest strategy
department in the professional military education business. (Too bad the big
Navy isn't much interested in strategy.) My test: I can't remember the last
time someone recommended that I read something in the NWCR.
The editorial board of Proceedings
should be commended for their stance. It is never easy to take on the boss
openly. And it is especially hard for journalists these days, because decent
jobs in nice towns with good sailing waters are hard to come by in the
industry, which is collapsing. As one magazine editor sighed to me, "I
think I have gotten feelers from everybody in America who ever won a Pulitzer
Prize."
The editorial board of Proceedings
is hereby awarded the Golden Laptop, the Best Defense award for demonstrated
moral courage in national security journalism.
And, speaking of doing the right thing, the VA has stripped a for-profit college
of its ability to collect veterans' education benefits. "Three
separate campuses of Westwood College in Texas (Houston South, Dallas and Ft.
Worth) were disqualified by VA under rules meant to protect students from
schools that purposely deceive their students," writes VA blogger Alex
Horton.
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