Some people just never understand.

SCOPA Chairman Tom Rainey and SA President Jim Fischer are two of those people.

Sunday night an escapade unfolded that could easily be called “NIU’s Borkgate—liberal style.”

Yes, Jim Fischer saw fit to nominate Tom Rainey—a left-wing John Lennon Society member partially responsible for organizing The Day of Action protest—to a post on the University Committee on the Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Like Bork, Rainey was brought down by his politics, made so well-known by his off-beat actions and statements.

At this time let’s all bow our heads and give thanks that the SA didn’t approve his nomination.

Fischer said he nominated Rainey to the position because Rainey “has applied for the committee for two years and has shown interest in the position. I also think the committee needs a student who does not support everything ROTC does.”

Like Reagan’s argument for Bork, Fischer’s argument for Rainey seems reasonable—except when you look at the candidate’s history.

Who can forget Mr. Rainey talking to the Board of Regents? And putting his foot in his mouth by doing nothing except calling the Regents names and angering a black member of the Board.

But who can believe what Fischer says anymore? He said he did not condone the blocking of Lincoln Hwy. before the protest, but later said he supported the actions taken by Rainey-led protesters marching through campus, yelling profanities and shouting people down.

During questioning, Rainey said he did not think that ROTC should even exist.

That didn’t surprise anyone.

Rainey is a JLS member—of course he thinks ROTC shouldn’t exist. He also believes that we don’t need armies and that every problem in the world can be solved by protesting and calling people names. Unfortunately one can make this generalization because the JLS has made its very liberal, left-wing views known to everyone and has displayed a very limited imagination when trying to bring about change. To be a JLS member you need to be willing to do three things: conform to their ideals, be willing to follow Jim Fabris’ chants and carry signs.

There’s nothing wrong, however, in thinking ROTC shouldn’t exist.There are many enlisted people in the Army who think that everyone should start out as a private and work their way up.

Rainey claimed that he was discriminated against because of his political views.

I don’t think it was his political views as much as it was the SA senate’s familiarity with Rainey’s habit of harrassing people with different views.

And Rainey would have been surrounded by people with different views on the ROTC committee.

Fischer called Rainey’s rejection a “funny thing” because the committee meets only once or twice a year “if at all.”

Maybe Mr. Fischer is too used to having things his own way when it comes to dealing with the SA.

The SA should be commended for rejecting Fischer’s nomination.

It has saved some of its respectability.

Yes, respectabilty. That’s when the SA sends the ROTC committee a member who can work with the committee and not use his position as a platform to stage protests or further political goals.

NIU already has a reputation for having a very vocal left-wing element. Putting Rainey on the ROTC committee—a man who probably would have brought all his JLS buddies with him to the committee meetings—would have been very regretable. The SA would have been perceived as being Fischer’s left-wing lackies.

Rainey should have realized that what the SA wants in an ROTC committee nominee is the same thing that he wanted in SCOPA members—someone who is “optimistic (and) open-minded.”

The SA has sent Rainey a message—”The only people who trust you are left-wing cronies.” Rainey should listen.