Re: What have Reed Elsevier to do with war industry and cluster bombs?

[David Goodman <dgoodman@Princeton.EDU>]

Every phrase in the paragraph quoted demonstrates R-E's cynicism:

> "The defence industry is necessary for upholding national
> security, for the preservation of democratic values and
> supporting the ever widening role played by the armed forces"

To start, Whose national security? R-E is an international 
publisher, with authors and readers from countries that would 
take very different views on this. Even the individual 
stockholders of R-E might disagree.

Continuing, just who decides what democratic values are?
Different countries and people take very different views on this as well.
Does R-E intend to judge? Do those whose business is arms intend
to judge?.

If there were agreement on these two points, and all nations were 
secure and all practiced the same democratic principles, there 
would be no need for an arms industry, let alone an information 
service for it.

Concluding, The one correct phrase of R-E is that there is an 
ever widening role played by the armed forces. Honourable people 
therefore draw the conclusion, that it is to the long-term best 
interests of all, for all of us to try to diminish it, not profit 
by it.

Dr. David Goodman
Associate Professor
Palmer School of Library and Information Science
Long Island University
and formerly
Princeton University Library

dgoodman@liu.edu
dgoodman@princeton.edu


Please note that I do not post this because of my
personal views on any current political issue.
Were they the opposite of what they are, what I
wrote would remain correct.