Several months ago, in a particularly blinded moment of youthful idealism, I introduced a resolution in the Student Senate that would, among other things, denounce the war in Iraq on behalf of the student body. In my youthful idealism, I neither saw it fit nor necessary to poll student opinion. After all, as a representative of this newspaper, I was, interestingly, never popularly elected.

The wording of the resolution, which was admittedly less cohesive than I would have preferred had I enjoyed the benefit of proper time, was rushed but pointed, denouncing among others:

“The growing deception, deceit and dishonesty employed by elected and appointed leaders in the United States federal government in prosecuting the war in Iraq and the war on terror;

“The use of torture, illegal imprisonment and the deliberate manipulation and evasion of international protocol in prosecuting the war on terror;

“The United States administration’s illegal wiretapping of civilians and the government’s conscious refusal to enforce accountability;” and,

The “destabilizing and inappropriate” permanent United States military presence in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Yet the resolution, as I predicted it would, never saw serious debate on the Senate floor. It was tabled, referred to committee, given a courtesy wave, and quietly forgotten.

I can’t say I’m surprised.

I can say I’m disappointed.

One student asked me if I thought entertaining this motion might set a particularly dangerous precedent for Student Senate, in that we might find ourselves having to confront a torrent of issues that are, really, “beyond our control.”

Enter the slaughter of thousands.

At one point, I was accused by another of my colleagues as “grandstanding.” The same person labeled my attempt, which was not so much written by me as it was by the unjustly dead, an “act of showmanship.”

What hurt me most, however, and, moreover, disappointed me – weakened my faith in the supposed values that this institution stands for, it’s fair to say, was a question from one I did not know, a question that, perhaps, were I not quite so youthful, not quite so idealistic, not quite so foolish, even, I would have anticipated.

The colleague, and I shall not speak of him or her in any other way, asked me quite seriously whether or not I was concerned as to how such a statement might affect fundraising at the College.

…

By the latest credible reports, some 150,000 innocent Iraqis have lost their lives to the violence we brought to their sovereign nation. Nearly 4,000 Americans – sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, mothers and fathers – are lost forever, another 28,000 or more wounded. 135 U.S. servicemen and women have died of self-inflicted wounds while serving in Iraq. 121 veterans of U.S. combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan have either committed or been charged with murder since returning to the United States. The Veterans Affairs Administration is in shambles: approximately 42 percent of National Guard and Reserve troops, and 20 percent of active-duty soldiers exhibit signs of deteriorating mental health upon return home.

So then, am I concerned as to how such a statement might affect fundraising at the College?

No, I am not.

Am I ashamed that such a question be even asked — let alone considered — at a College that promotes itself to be in keeping with the values of the Dominican Order — not least among them the pursuit of truth and the common good?

Yes, I am.

Next time, I will come with numbers.