Shame on the New York Times

The New York Times publsihed and edotirial excoriating CUNY for refusing to award playright Tony Kushner with an honorary degree.  Mr. Kushner has accused the State of Israel of many things, chief among engaging in the ethinic-cleansing of Palestinians.  A member of the CUNY Board of Trustees, Jeffrey Wiesenfeld, led the campaign to withhold the degree from Kushner; claiming that Kushner's accusation crossed a red-line.  It should be noted that In the past he has voted in favor of awarding honorary degrees to individuals who have voiced criticsm of Israeli policies.

If the NY Times editorial board had any intellectual integrity it would censure both Kushner and Wiesenfeld. This editorial is the exemplar of hypocrisy. It calls Kushner's comments "not all that remarkable" and under the purview of "free speech and free thought" and demands that Wiesenfeld resign for expressing his thought which were not gategorical in nature. Would anyone of us not say that people who wish death for their children aren't human? The terrorists (and parents) who idoctrinate their children with hate and encourage them to strap explosive belts around their waists or engage in other forms of terror aren't human.  

The standard should be support and protection for free speech and academic freedom for all. The New York Times has a different standard: freedom of expression only applies if you articulate beliefs and opinions with which we agree.  Shame on them.

Our Innocence, Their Guilt

I give Robert Klitzman a lot of credit for sharing his grief with a worldwide audience, but then he turns to a political critique at the end of his New York Times op-ed piece and loses me when he states:

"When the members of Al Qaeda attacked on 9/11, Americans wondered, “Why do they hate us so much?” Many here believe they dislike us for our “freedom,” but I think otherwise.

There are lessons we have not yet learned. I feel Karen would share my concerns that underlying forces of greed and hate persevere. American imperialism, corporate avarice, abuses of our power abroad and our historical support of corrupt dictators like Hosni Mubarak have created an abhorrence of us that, unfortunately, persists. We need to recognize how the rest of the world sees us, and figure out how to change that. Until we do that, more Osama bin Ladens will arise, and more innocent people like my sister will die." (You can read the entire piece (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/opinion/04klitzman.html?ref=opinion)

Yes, Robert, they hate us; they hate anyone who doesn't submit to their brand of Islam. Al Qaeda has killed as many if not more Muslims as it has non-Muslim Americans. As an American and a Jew (a favorite target of Al Qaeda and other Muslim terrorists) I agree for the need for self-reflection and critique (greed, avarice and other vices are certainly a part of American society which we need to confront), but we, the victims, are not responsible for the crime that was committed against us. Osama bin Ladin and Al Qaeda are (were) evil. We are not. They are Islamic imperialists who will continue to seek to kill, maim, and dominate Muslim and non-Muslims alike. They are the guilty ones, the perpetrators, and they must be defeated!