Former analyst for the CIA and a national security and intelligence expert, Mel Goodman, said there’s an overreliance on the military and their power. During the lecture Goodman gave entitled “The CIA and Presidency from Truman to Obama,” on Wednesday, May 21, talked about how the over reliance on military power isn’t in the interest of the United States. “We’ve put too much money into defense and because of that, there are too many things the United States can no longer do in terms of domestic politics, domestic economy and the infrastructure,” Goodman said. “And until we sort out this resource battle, we’re going to continue to be behind in important areas of the economy.” Goodman said it’s important to understand what the United States is doing overseas, because the U.S. is the largest and most powerful influence. “We can do a lot out there that’s going to have a negative effect in our standing and on our economy, and it’s important to understand that,” Goodman said. “You can’t say that this is someone else’s problem or concern, it’s your concern.” Goodman said generally, most students have lost interest in politics, and once interest is lost, it’s hard to catch up and know what you’re talking about. Goodman said it should be a natural interest to understand current issues involved with our politics. “People will have something to say about a domestic issue, but never an international issue,” he said. “So the congressmen feel they have a free vote; nobody’s monitoring what they do.” Goodman was invited to speak at Western and accepted the invitation due to Western’s outstanding reputation with the Peace Corps, he said. “I read that Western sends more people into the Peace Corps than any other university in the country,” Goodman said. “There must be some international element that’s working in the right direction that understands the importance of the Peace Corps, and I think that’s a healthy sign.”
