Below is a letter I have sent to San Francisco State University President Leslie Wong, CSU Chancellor Timothy White and SFSU Interim Police Chief Reginald Parson concerning the April 6 disruption of a speaking event featuring the mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Birkat. I am including their email addresses in case the reader would like to send a letter as well. (Please be respectful.)
To Leslie Wong, president@sfsu.edu
President
San Francisco State University
CC: Timothy White, tmolle@calstate.edu (Public Relations)
Chancellor
California State University
Reginald Parson, Interim Chief, upd@sfsu.edu
SFSUPD
Dear Dr Wong, Chancellor White and Interim Chief Parson,
I am writing to you in connection with the April 6 disruption at your school (SFSU) of a speech by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Birkat. As you well know by now, about 15 pro-Palestinian students loudly disrupted a speech by Mr Birkat. It is also reported that your campus police stood by and did nothing in spite of the fact that the disruption was a clear violation of Mr Birkat's right of free speech as well as the right of his audience to hear what he had to say.
If this were an isolated instance, it would be one thing. Unfortunately, it seems to be part of a pattern. We already know that in 2013, members of the General Union of Palestinian Students produced posters that read, "My heroes have always killed colonizers" which were publicly displayed on campus. During the following year, another GUPS member made a videotape of himself with a knife fantasizing about murdering Israeli soldiers.
What kind of an institution are you running here?
As you must know, the University of California (a separate institution) recently passed a statement of principles on intolerance that specifically addressed the problem of anti-Semitism on campus. It appears that CSU is also in need of a similar statement.
Brown Shirt tactics have no place on our university campuses. Regardless of one's position on the Israel-Palestinian conflict, all students-including Jewish students -have the right to attend school and hold speaking events free from disruption and intimidation. We in the public-Jewish and non-Jewish- are sick and tired at seeing the public universities that we support with our tax dollars turned into places of intolerance and thuggery.
I myself am a part-time teacher at a major California university. The name of the school is not important since I am writing as a public citizen and not as a university representative. I am also a retired law enforcement officer who is sickened at seeing campus police stand around like potted plants while the rights of others are trampled upon by a bunch of Brown Shirts.
If you gentlemen are incapable of running a campus free of disruption and intimidation by a few students, then you should resign, get out of the way, and allow someone to come in who will protect our students and their First Amendment rights.
Sincerely,
Gary Fouse
Orange County, California
Perfectly put, Gary. In an age and time where campuses are replete with notions like "safe space","micro-aggressions","triggers" and other ridiculous concepts meant to protect pampered and overly sensitive tadpoles from facing the real world, what message does it send when the same over-protected children destroy all the protections they demand for their oh-so fragile psyches when it is other people's turn to speak? Oh, but they don't LIKE these people, therefore they're fair game! Between pro-Palestinian agitators spreading their poison as they do on every campus where they are allowed to operate, and a campus police force neutered and reduced to decorative items, the administration's duty is to order the same campus police force to forcibly remove and penalize any individual or group that deprives anyone else of their free speech rights, as well as the right of an audience to hear who they choose to hear. These budding fascists must be dealt with a very firm hand, lest the temptation will become more and more irresistible for said audiences to oust the troublemakers themselves since the police won't do the job it's paid for, leading without a doubt to violence. When that happens, look no further than to the administration to find the obvious culprit.
ReplyDeleteAlso very well put, JJ.
ReplyDeleteWe need to start assigning appropriate blame to these academic enablers who allow this crap to go on.
Excellent letter!
ReplyDeleteIf I were on campus when this happened, I'd be in her office letting her know that this mob display of Aggression, triggered me, myself and I so severely, that this won't be our last face to face meeting with her, should she continue allowing the leftist scum to behave like thugs on campus.
It's getting to the point where 'dialog' and trying to reason with these arrogant scumbags, will not be our only reaction to their treasonous tactics...It's gonna get Much worse, before and if, things ever gets better.
Everyone just relax and play a nice game of Jews vs Nazis. You gotta hand it to the higher education folks on this one.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2016/04/08/students-play-jews-vs-nazis-beer-pong-one-side-has-a-swastika-the-other-a-star-of-david/