ZGram - 12/20/2002 - "Academics "squeak" up"

[irimland@zundelsite.org]

ZGram - Where Truth is Destiny

December 20, 2002

Good Morning from the Zundelsite:

Yesterday's ZGram announced the modest patriotic stirring in 
academia.  Today you get MER's take on the same topic and theme:

[START]

ACADEMICS SPEAK UP HOWEVER LATE HOWEVER LIMITED

December 20, 2002:   Academics are often late to the party; as they 
surely are in these historically important times and with this 
particularly half-baked half-hearted statement. And even when they 
get there, too many "political correct" academics end up talking a 
lot while actually not doing very much -- especially when they get 
together collectively and especially in the contemporary US of A 
these days.

     Such is clearly the case here with this latest statement from an 
ensemble of American academics coming mildly and meekly together 
capitalizing on the opportunity to indicate that they are doing so in 
support of their "courageous" Israeli colleagues. 'Courage' is not a 
word that should however be applied to their own very inadequate 
statement.

     It's the classical much too little much too late phenomena reborn 
once again...but worse. For what these American academics have done 
is to try to give the impression that something significant is being 
done when in fact they are actually avoiding doing anything new and 
important; and certainly avoiding saying, not to mention doing, those 
things that are really needed. Thus, sad as it is to say, this kind 
of statement coming at this time and in this way may be worse than 
nothing at all for it gives the academics the "I gave at the office" 
excuse, far too easily letting them off the political and existential 
hooks these times have brought about for all of us.

      First of all most of those involved in this have been largely 
silent all these critical years, only now putting their name to this 
easy-to-sign statement with, as we said, the convenient 'excuse' that 
since Israeli academics made a statement so should they. Yet, after 
quite literally years of handwringing by many, the American signers 
not only have nothing new to say or advocate, they refrain from even 
saying anything at all in a forceful and determined manner.

Even a quick once-over reading makes it evident that the signers 
don't actually call for anything specific at all -- rather they 
follow the least-common-demoninator approach calling for "vigilance". 
Pretty hard to be against "vigilance" in these ominously dangerous 
times when others are speaking out about World War III, war crimes, 
constitutional erosion, mass arrests, and making analogies to the 
apartheid and fascist/racist eras of not that long ago.

The statement does mention all the US money that makes what the 
Israelis do possible (though it completely skips mention of all the 
weapons, not to mention escalating CIA intrique); but doesn't even 
mention the crucial 'settlements' and the resultant neo-apartheid 
policies -- thus not reaching the important conclusion that America 
itself has become culpable and that 9/11 itself was brewed in this 
crucible as most of them both intellectually and politically slept.

     Most significant of all, even at this late date and even after so 
many years of escalating Israeli provocations, the signers of this 
most inadequate statement direct their appeal to the very party that 
is in fact both the co-conspirator and the co-perpetrator helping 
bring about the very result they deplore! That party, the US 
Government, is in fact in the midst of a huge neo-crusader military 
build-up -- clearly one being done in close alliance with the 
Israelis -- and here too the Academics don't even deal with this 
weighty historical turn-of-events which is in actuality the crucial 
backdrop for what they do so inadequately comment about. Did we 
stress enough yet the "inadequateness" of all this?

     Overall, it's a statement clearly drafted as it is to make it 
very easy for many people to sign -- one lacking most of all in any 
call for at least suspension of US funding of Israeli policies, not 
to mention an end to the new crusader mentality that has taken hold 
in their own country. The statement not only lacks serious depth and 
bite; but worst of all, to repeat once again, it gives the impression 
that the USGovernment is a reasonable and responsible party one can 
simply call on in a few words for redress -- and that very clearly 
and definitely is NOT the case!

     Oh yes, let's mention this reality as well. Among the reasons 
this academic statement is so inadequate is that among the key 
organizers are a number of prominent American Jewish academics who 
long ago decided to play it safe -- foremost among them Joel Beinin 
at Stanford and Zachary Lockman at Harvard. A decade ago now both 
were among the first Middle East academics to back away from the then 
growing criticism of Israel and to sign on as Oslo "Peace Process" 
advocates, even as more principled and courageous colleagues right 
from the start saw the duplicity involved in Oslo and predicted it 
would lead to far worse conditions for the Palestinians -- precisely 
in fact what has occurred.

Much more needs to be said about this. And in fact much more needs to 
be done about all this; even as many will now conveniently hide 
behind the "I gave at the office" excuse. At the moment, let's 
conclude by saying maybe we should have titled this little 
commentary: "Academics Squeak Up...However Purposefully Late, However 
Terribly Meekly, However Badly Mislead."

(Source:  MID-EAST REALITIES -
http://www.middleeast.org )