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To get the attention of elitist faculties, cut off donations

Re: Politicized campus atmosphere is alienating American public, April 23.

Sadly, I must agree with this column as to the politicization of the academic scene. I am a graduate of Harvard, Class of 1955. This year is my 50th anniversary. I'm not going to the party. The recent disrespectful antics of the Harvard faculty toward president Lawrence Summers have just turned me off completely. I know of only one way to get this situation turned around. That is for the alumni to shut off the money spigot.

This conclusion has not come to me recently. I have been disaffected since the nonsense of the 1960s was allowed to get totally out of control. The recent actions are only a manifestation of the fact that the inmates have taken over the asylum. The present faculty and fellow travelers are just the students of the 1960s who forced the university to do away with ROTC and establish such nonsensical courses as women's studies, black studies, etc.

I have given no small amount of thought to the situation and have concluded that the alumni are a key source of the problem. We have always given large amounts of money to the university. For whatever reason, the fact is that Harvard is swimming in money. The other Ivies are, too.

If money were in short supply at the university, the faculty would be far more inclined to listen to their benefactors. Now, the faculties think they are above the rest of the world. Their elitism and socialistic tendencies could be curbed by the desire to keep their tenured positions safe from the budget-cutting ax. The alumni are the source of the money that grows the endowment and provides the basis for the overindulgence of the faculty elite. Shut the spigot off now!

Ideas are being stifled

Re: Politicized campus atmosphere is alienating American public.

Steven Goodman's column is one of the most reprehensible opinion pieces I've seen in your newspaper - regardless of whether one's political beliefs are on the left or the right.

Colleges and universities are supposed to provide the scholarly background for political debate. How can they do this if no offensive ideas are allowed? We are not talking about flat-earth type opinions. Michael Moore produced the highest-grossing documentary ever. A large percentage of people in this world believe that Israel is more at fault in the failure to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than are the Palestinians.

But, of course, it is because these ideas are popular that their opponents want them stifled. It used to be that newspapers such as yours, and the Washington Post where this column originated, were staunch defenders of free speech. But now you bow to political pressure groups which have private agendas. Clearly the writer of this column primarily opposes colleges that allow strong criticism of Israel, and would suppress anti-Israeli ideas by allying with those who wish to silence Michael Moore.

Being ethnically Jewish, I remember that when I was annually winning best-student awards in the 1950s at Temple Emanuel in Yonkers, N.Y., my temple was a staunch defender of free speech. This allowed Jews to speak up as well as Christians. But the tendency of Jewish groups to be subservient to the wishes of the Israeli government has poisoned our political thinking. We are willing to go back on our basic beliefs to protect Israeli interests, especially when they are different from America's true interests.

Don't distort Mideast responsibility

Re: Stumbling toward peace, April 16.

This editorial represents a fine effort to opine on the current Middle East conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. It misses the mark, however, by overlooking some very significant information which could persuade the reader that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Israel bear the greater responsibility for the stalemate.

We are told that Israel's continued expansion of settlements is a major stumbling block. The readers are not informed that the so-called settlement, Ma'alah Adumin, is actually a suburb of Jerusalem, with some 35,000 Jewish residents.

The issue of Jerusalem is a "red herring" item. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. It is sacred to Jews. The Temple Mount is sacred to Jews. Nowhere in the Koran is there any mention of Jerusalem. Despite this, Israel has allowed an Islamic group to have authority over the Temple Mount. Jews are not even allowed to pray there.

While the editorial alludes to the killing of "a Palestinian man" under "disputed" circumstances, it appears to lower the bar for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas who has not yet begun to disarm the Palestinian terrorist groups who initiate acts of homicide bombing against Israeli civilians. Israel's prime minister has acted via the democratic process in his country. Whether his Palestinian counterpart can and will remains to be seen.

Compromise for the sake of peace

In the recent past both the Israeli and Palestinian peoples have suffered great wrongs at the hands of each other. Both have legitimate grievances, legitimate fears and legitimate distrust of the other people's willingness to compromise for the sake of peace. An alternative must be found to endless war, which only increases the fears and distrust on both sides.

A tenable solution to the endless war would entail two national states, Israel and Palestine, living under the conditions set forth by Resolution 242; recognition of the state of Israel to live in peace by both Arab and Palestinian states, and cessation of all armed conflict on both sides.

The United States can play a great role in the settlement of all Middle East conflict by respecting the needs, fears and expectations of people on both sides of the issue.

Territorial claims should be settled in an atmosphere of mutual trust, fairness and concern for all people living in the area. Solutions should be found for all those who have become displaced persons needing assistance due to the many years of conflict.

Fair and equitable arrangements should be sought for all people, Israeli and Palestinian alike, and should take the form of right of return, compensation for loss of property and assistance in procuring available means of employment.

We believe a just settlement can be reached, and we hope the United States can actively join in the peace process.

Time to tax the churches

Now that Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee has made the Baptist church an official lobbying group of the Republican Party and in light of the new pope's activities in demanding Catholic politicians obey Rome as opposed to their actual constituents, can we all stop pretending that America's churches are places of worship and not big business? It's time for the tax-exempt status of these organizations to be taken away. If they want to play, they must pay.

[Last modified April 27, 2005, 12:01:03]