Segacs’s World I Know

Ruth Wisse has written a column about antisemitism on college campuses. In it, she examines the core question of how the campuses got to be so antisemitic in the first place.

Anti-Semitism thrives because slandering Israel is the only aggression against a minority that is encouraged by the rules of political correctness.

Along similar lines, universities have allowed Middle East departments to disseminate anti-Israel propaganda to an extent unimaginable a generation ago, representing violations of intellectual honesty and academic impartiality that may be unique in our academic life.

Worth a read.

Alexa McDonough jumps on the NDP bandwagon by making a speech at Concordia as part of a panel speaking to a group organized by the Canadian Muslim Forum.

This is just weeks after NDP MPs Svend Robinson and Libby Davies spoke outside Concordia – after an injunction prevented them from speaking on campus – in support of the CSU and against the temporary moratorium on mideast events. I guess Alexa McDonough just wanted to make it really really clear, for anyone who was confused, that the NDP supports the alliance between the Palestinian movement and the Left.

NDP leader Alexa McDonough spoke out yesterday in heartfelt support of Canadian Muslims. Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, she said, “they have been on the receiving end of hateful sentiments.”

McDonough received a standing ovation from the crowd of about 100 people at Concordia University. She appeared on a panel, Citizens Under Siege, organized by the Canadian Muslim Forum and Alternative Perspective Media.

Of course, speaking out against racism is never wrong. But McDonough was making a political statement by holding her speech at Concordia, and by specifically only referring to anti-Muslim racism and supporting the “Palestinian cause” at a site where anti-Jewish racism has been especially rampant.

The NDP leader noted that her party had been Ottawa sponsors of the UN-sanctioned International Day of Solidarity With the Palestinian People – though “some irresponsible members of the media will portray that in a dishonest way. Thank God for the alternate media.”

McDonough urged Palestinian activists not only to speak out, but to reach out to build coalitions with other people. But she admitted, “It’s not always easy to get beyond the dire circumstances at the centre of your cause.”

In true NDP fashion, a bit of America-bashing and Bush-bashing was thrown in for good measure.

The NDP leader deplored the “message of hatred” set in motion by U.S. President George W. Bush, when he told the world: “Either you’re with us or you’re against us.” McDonough dryly commented, “Most of us see much better choices.”

Yeah, most of us do see better choices . . . certainly we see better choices than you, Ms. McDonough.

Jaggi Singh fights deportation from Israel. (via LGF and Damian Penny.) Singh was travelling to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as part of what he calls a “fact-finding mission into allegations of human rights abuses against Palestinians”.

The CBC is calling him a “peace activist” and making Israel look like the villain for not letting him in. But what else can we expect from the good ol’ CBC? Singh has long been made into a media darling by the clueless left, even while being considered one of the most dangerous militants in Canada.

Jaggi Singh, for anyone who’s unaware, is one of Canada’s most annoying and notorious “activists”. He personally was largely responsible for starting the Concordia riot against Benjamin Netanyahu on September 9th – at which he authored the so-called “arrest warrant” for Netanyahu, accusing the former Israeli Prime Minister of War Crimes. After the riot, he wrote the following article, widely-disseminated, flinging accusations of brutality against the police and shifting blame everywhere other than on the rioters.

He was arrested in Quebec City protesting against the Summit of the Americas, and used his arrest to generate further publicity including a petition on rabble.ca to “free” him.

And now he has won a preliminary injunction as the first step to be allowed into Israel.

But since when is a country forced to admit anyone and everyone into its borders? People with criminal records have difficulty entering the US. Singh has a criminal record – why should Israel have to let him in anyway? And I just love the fact that he’s using the Israeli court system to fight the ruling. I wonder if he sees the irony in that, given all of his anti-Israel propaganda about it not being democratic.

Al Gore has announced he will not be running in 2004.

“I’ve decided that I will not be a candidate for president in 2004. … I personally have the energy and drive and ambition to make another campaign, but I don’t think that it’s the right thing for me to do,” Gore said, in an interview on the CBS news program “60 Minutes.”

In other words, the powers that be in the Democrat party flat-out told him to get lost and make way for some new candidates.

Among the names being tossed around as possible candidates is Senator Joseph Lieberman, Gore’s running-mate in 2000. But I don’t know why they’re bothering. Lieberman has about as much of a chance of winning the nomination as I do. America is simply not ready for a Jewish President. A woman for President? Sure. A Black or Hispanic presidential candidate? Very soon. But there’s simply no way a Jew is getting anywhere near the Oval Office . . . at least not in the near future.

The CSU must be mighty pleased with themselves for all their successes in inducing riots, shutting down Jewish speech on campus, and battling evil pro-capitalist speech. Now they’ve voted to reward themselves with Christmas bonuses.

Council has authorized Christmas bonuses for the CSU’s executive. President Friesinger will get $600, while the remaining five executives will get up to $300 each, plus an extra $100 for those with a perfect attendance record at Council meetings.

Note that these “bonuses” come straight from student money, which all undergrads at Concordia are forced to fork over each term or else they risk being de-registered from their courses. So nice to see democracy in action.

The double-standard of targeted killings has just become a step clearer with the revelation that the CIA is authorized to kill terrorists.

President Bush has authorized the CIA to kill “the worst of the worst” terrorist leaders, including al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and his top deputy, The New York Times reported in its Sunday editions.

[. . .]

Officials said the special authority did not mean Bush had waived executive orders banning assassinations. They said the presidential authority to kill terrorists defined al-Qaida operatives as enemy combatants, making them legitimate targets.

But of course, when Israel targets terrorists – who masterminded bombings of buses, cafes, discos, and universities – that’s wrong according to Bush, who has frequently criticized Israel for being heavy-handed in its response methods.

Killing innocent school children is part of a “legitimate struggle”, but killing murderers is “heavy-handed”. Sure, makes perfect sense to me. (More sarcasm here).

Yasser Arafat has reportedly asked Osama Bin Laden to stay out of Palestinian affairs.

“I’m telling him (bin Laden) directly not to hide behind the Palestinian cause,” Arafat said in an interview published in London’s Sunday Times newspaper.

Bin Laden “never helped us, he was working in another completely different area and against our interests,” Arafat said.

In other words, Arafat is saying, Osama, we’re trying to convince the world that it’s okay to kill innocent Jews. When you start killing other innocent people, it makes us look bad for killing innocent Jews. So please stop, cause we wouldn’t want to be giving terrorism a bad name or anything.

Damian Penny alerted me to this disgusting news:

A respected Saskatchewan Indian leader said Friday Hitler did the right thing when he “fried” six million Jews during the Second World War.

In comments one local Jewish leader described as unfortunate, David Ahenakew, a senator with the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), a former chief of the organization and a former chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), said in an interview Friday the Nazi leader was trying to clean up the world during the war.

“The Jews damn near owned all of Germany prior to the war,” Ahenakew said.

“That’s how Hitler came in. He was going to make damn sure that the Jews didn’t take over Germany or Europe. That’s why he fried six million of those guys, you know. Jews would have owned the goddamned world. And look what they’re doing. They’re killing people in Arab countries.”

I must admit, words fail me. Except to point out that the rise in worldwide antisemitism in the past two years among the fringe extremes has exactly mirrored the rise in anti-Zionism among people who consider themselves more “mainstream”.

But one, of course, has nothing to do with the other. (Insert sarcasm tag here).

As many of you may have heard, Hillel is pursuing legal action against the CSU. Hillel has issued the following appeal to Concordia students:

As you may know, Concordia Hillel has filed suit against the CSU for failing to provide us with due process when passing a motion to ban Hillel on campus, thereby violating our right of association, expression, and religion.

Following a meeting with our lawyer, Michael Bergman, the following is what we need from the students at Concordia who feel the CSU does not represent them, (or has not in the past) and feel their rights have been violated:

We need students to come to the Hillel house on Sunday December 15th @ 11:00 a.m. (3460 Stanley street) prepared to make a statement if you feel you have been offended by the actions (or lack thereof) of the CSU. Only Concordia students came make statements, but non-Concordia students are welcome to help us prepare for trial.

We need help sorting through the piles of evidence we have against the CSU.

The following is what we need help researching specifically:

• Everything about the CSU meeting December 2nd, when the motion was passed to ban Hillel on campus
• Chronology of events surrounding the Benjamin Netanyahu visit
• Any anti-Semitic, or anti-Zionist materials published, speakers or events approved by the CSU (last year’s agenda, SPHR’s tombstone display, posters put up by the SPHR approved by the CSU, emphasis on the role of the CSU and CSU executives in any of these events, etc)
• Violations of the moratorium
• How the CSU controls space on campus
• Anti-Israel, Anti-Semitic resolutions passed by the CSU over the past two years

If you have any personal knowledge of any or all of the above, and you’re a Concordia student, please take the time to go over there and make a statement.