Posted on February 14 at 3:53 p.m.

It doesn't matter whether the research done by professors affiliated with the ICB will eventually trickle down to the civilian sector. The research is being funded and directed by the Army and by miltary corporate contractors. The research may be unclassified, but it is specifically geared toward fulfilling the army's mission. Once the research is complete, the Army and the military contractors have total access to any University patents created through the ICB. That means they can do whatever they want with the technology, including combining research done on sensors, electronics, communication systems, etc. with classified research done by other institutions. The Army and its contractors should have to jump through hoops to hijack civilian technology in order to make war, not the other way around. We need to get the military off of our campuses and out of our communities if we want them to stop invading other countries and establishing bases on foreign soil. Furthermore, arguments such as, "lots of civilian technology was originally funded and produced through the military" does not hold any water in this case. Just because that is the case now does not mean that it should be the case or needs to be the case. That is a logical fallacy. Are people seriously arguing that the internet or airplanes or any other technology would never have been produced without the military? That is insane. The filtering of any of this technology through the military is antithetical to the ends of a just and free society. Even if it were true, I'd give up internet and airplanes in a second if it meant that there were no more imperialist military destroying the planet. Don't forget, human beings need good food, clean air, clean water, clothing, shelter, and community to survive. The rest is just icing on the cake. Let's not forget our priorities.

On Military Conference Sparks UCSB Protest