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I received the following via
Cyrus. More distressing news. If
the following legislation
passes, there
will be a wave of fierce
struggles in defense of
civil liberties
and academic freedom in
colleges in the US and
the specter
of mass firings of
Leftists.
In solidarity,
Jerry
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2003 11:54 AM
Subject: Republicans planning to introduce legislation to purge the
Palestinian viewpoint from US colleges
Fighting the First
Amendment on America's Campuses:
Colleges Not Teaching Pro-Israel Views
May Lose Funding
Congress To Debate 'Ideological Diversity'
Legislation
Republican members of the Senate are planning to introduce
legislation designed to prohibit criticism of Israel on American college
campuses. The third-ranking Republican member of the U.S. Senate, conservative
Rick Santorum (Pa.), plans to introduce so-called "ideological diversity"
legislation that would cut federal funding for thousands of American colleges
and universities if those institutions are found to bepermitting professors,
students and student organizations to openly criticize Israel, which Santorum
considers to be an act of "anti-Semitism." Santorum wants to rewrite the
federal funding formula under Title IX ofthe Higher Education Act to include
"ideological diversity" as well assexual equality in education as a perquisite
for federal funding. Joining Santorum is another Senate conservative GOP
stalwart -- and aleading pro-Israel ideologue -- Sen. Sam Brownback (Kan.) who
has his own scheme to call for a federal commission -- critics call it a
"tribunal" to be established under Title IX to "investigate"anti-Semitic
incidents on American campuses. This is no "conspiracy theory." It's a fact --
but not one that is getting much attention except in a few high-level circles.
Although the average American student or college professor has not heard of
the Santorum-Brownback scheme, Wayne Firestone, director of the Center for
Israel Affairs for the Hillel Foundation, says that "Everywhere I go,this is
the lead topic. This is drawing a lot of interest." In fact, it was
Firestone's organization, Hillel -- which has units on campuses across America
-- that first leaked word of Santorum's scheme. Further details appeared in a
circumspect report on April 15 in thesmall- circulation New York Sun, a
stridently pro-Israel"neo-conservative" daily published in Manhattan. Hillel
told its supporters that Santorum, along with several other members of the
Senate, had invited representatives of a number of powerful Jewish
organizations to attend a private meeting on Capitol Hill in order to discuss
the senators' concerns about growing criticismof Israel on American college
campuses. The senators in question -- all Republicans -- were: Santorum,
Robert Bennett (Utah), Sam Brownback (Kansas), and newly-elected Norm
Coleman(Minnesota). In addition, Senate Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist
(Tenn.), and his GOP colleagues, Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and George
Voinovich(Ohio) sent staff representatives. Jewish organizations represented
at the private meeting were the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) of B'nai B'rith,
the Zionist Organization ofAmerica, the American Jewish Committee and Hillel,
represented by theaforementioned Firestone and his college Jay Rubin, Hillel's
executivevice president. Louis Goldstein, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the
U.S.Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, represented the
Bushadministration. During the private Senate session -- of which there are no
transcripts available to the taxpayers who footed the bill for the enterprise
-- anADL representative reportedly claimed to the gathering that the
ADL's"annual audit" of anti-Semitic activity in America had detected
anincrease by 24% of anti-Semitism on U.S. college campuses in the year 2002.
That 24% increase -- even by the ADL's own admission --constituted only 21
actions. However, the ADL definition of "anti-Semitism" is so broad that
itlargely includes even the mildest criticism of Israel that doesn'thappened
to be framed in the particular parameters that the ADLdetermines to be
acceptable. In the meantime, word of the Santorum-Brownback initiative is
spreading among leaders of theeducational community. However, spokesmen for
universities and educational organizations arebeing quite circumspect about
commenting too quickly or too loudly, recognizing that they, too, could be
accused of encouraging"anti-Semitism" if they dare to speak out against the
thought controlmechanism that Santorum, Brownback and their allies want to set
inplace. Santorum is rapidly emerging as one of Israel's leading
Senatespokesmen. He is one of the chief co-sponsors of the so-called
SyrianAccountability Act that accuses Syria of supporting terrorism
anddeveloping weapons of mass destruction and demands that Syria withdrawfrom
Lebanon. Forces now clamoring for war against Syria are using theseallegations
as the foundation for launching a war against the Arabrepublic.
American Free
Press
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