The BBC has news on more plans to bend academia to 'National Security' interests:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4603271.stm
US Intelligence services are hoping to recruit anthropology students by giving them grants. In exchange for this generous help with their college fees, what will they be required to do? Join up as a company man after graduation? Well yes, but before graduation.... they'll have to use their time spent abroad studying to spy on other countries.
I wonder if they'll also get their legal fees paid for if they get arrested/convicted?
More after the break....
This story also contains yet another example of the ultimate excuse being wheeled out: "we are at war". Don't like 'X'? We are at war. Think 'Y' is against everything that America/the West should stand for? Well, we are at war. Is 'Z' a tragic moral failing? Well, not really - after all, WAAW.
"The United States is at war. Thus, to put it simply, the existing divide between academe and the intelligence community has become a dangerous and very real detriment to our national security at home and abroad."
Yes, there should be no divide between Academia and the Intelligence Services. That would be nuts </snark>
Now, there was some controversy in the UK recently about UK academics withdrawing co-operation from their Isreali counterparts in protest against the occupation of Palestine. Whatever you think of that, it shows that if academics are perceived to be directly involving themselves in politics, academia itself suffers. Who would want to co-operate with a US anthropology student in light of this story?
But I guess some things are more important than learnin' an such.