It’s the first commandment of American journalism: Criticize Israel and thou shalt be called an anti-Semite. Jonathan Rosenthal’s letter to The Badger Herald continues the sleazy Zionist tradition of character assassination. Rather than refuting my ideas, he attacks me personally: “Barrett is distasteful and anti-Semitic.”
I am proud that my name has been added to the growing list of heroic voices who have broken the silence and incurred the wrath of the Zionist lobby, that hidden terrorist group which has hijacked U.S. Middle East policy and is flying it straight toward disaster. Listen to Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu: “Somehow, the Israeli government is placed on a pedestal, where to criticize them is to be immediately dubbed as anti-Semitic. The Jewish lobby is powerful, very powerful. So what? This is God’s world.” (Boston Globe, 4-14-02)
We need more Desmond Tutus. Almost all of the professors I have spoken to on the subject have no use for Sharon’s Israel, yet are cowed into silence by the Zionist character-assassins. May they one day find the courage to follow Tutu’s example. The moral force of the Tutus of the world will one day force Israel to end its apartheid, allow Palestinian ethnic-cleansing victims to reclaim their land and homes, and establish a country in which all citizens are first-class citizens, regardless of religion or ethnicity.
Kevin Barrett
African Languages and Literature
In response to Jonah Gaster’s April 19 letter to the editor, I would like to address the issue of disrespectful and disruptive behavior at rallies. Over the past weeks, the Madison community has been bombarded with various displays of activism, which ultimately serve to educate and motivate the public towards a goal of peace. In any emotionally charged situation, one can find individuals who represent their views in a destructive and disrespectful way, and that is embarrassing and unfortunate. But living in a democratic society, we accept that, in order for the voices of reason to manifest themselves for the greater good, we will have to ignore those who are unable to express themselves in a mature way.
Last Wednesday’s rally was one geared towards peace and coexistence, and as we focus on the goal at hand, peace, let us not be distracted by those who are only interested in the sensationalistic aspects of this struggle.
Johanna Loewenstein
UW senior
Earth Day events are just another opportunity for liberals to celebrate their moral relativism. No doubt many of the participants traveled to events in their cars or SUVs and littered everywhere. They take the opportunity to condemn the nearest Republican or corporation for their destructive ways, while not working with these people to find alternative environmental solutions.
They support labor unions, unless they work in the oil or lumber industry — then they should be fired. Liberals demand that everyone has a right to a job, but also complain that welfare recipients are being made to work. They have no qualms about trampling your private property rights for a spotted gopher, but as soon as the government puts restrictions on abortion, they scream fascism. Protestors also support Third World progress in other countries, never realizing that they will someday pollute as much as First World countries. Finally, most want to end dependence on foreign oil but fight against drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska.
When it comes to these kinds of events or witnessing protests on campus, I generally disregard them, since there are two sides to a story, and usually they pick the wrong one.
Dan Golemb
UW senior
