Blog about politics (mideast and pro-Israel, Canadian and local Montreal), world events, and random thoughts.

""

The World I Know is updated on a semi-regular basis by segacs.

Think I'm the greatest thing since chocolate-covered strawberries? Think I'm certifiably insane? E-mail me at segacs2.at.yahoo.ca.

Buy me a present! Visit my Amazon Wish List.

Frequently asked questions about me and this blog.

Atom site feed

Comments are open and unmoderated, although obscene or abusive remarks may be deleted. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of segacs's world i know.

---

<< List
Jewish Bloggers
Join >>

 
12:17 PM
I should say a few words about the legal distinction between the CSU and the Concordia administration, and where I feel the role of the admin fits in.

After I posted the admin's official response, and took a jab at them for their failure to take a firm stand, several people criticized me for criticizing the admin instead of the CSU. After all, they said, the CSU is a separate legal entity, and the admin has no control over them (despite desperately wishing it did, at times). The CSU has a long history of trying to demonize and villainize the admin at every turn, and loves to make blanket antisemitic accusations about the "Zionist-controlled, corporate-controlled administration". Furthermore, it is clear from this article that the CSU's goal all along was to attempt to use this to make the admin look bad:

The other loophole is that Hillel's club privileges are suspended, not permanently, but just until the university administration investigates and clears them. Slater explains the reasoning, "CSU has a reputation for being hostile to Hillel. We wanted the final decision to be in someone else's hands." McIntosh adds, "The university could clear Hillel tomorrow and we'd restore everything. Of course, that would make the university an accessory to the crime and that suits us just fine."

Slater agrees, "The university will have trouble with the Arab and Muslim students if they clear Hillel and trouble with B'nai Brith if they don't."

For the most part, I agree with readers that criticizing the admin plays right into the hands of the CSU. If you read what I wrote following the September 9th riots that shut down Netanyahu's speech, you'll see that I came to the same conclusion:

I've seen petitions calling on the university administration and on the police to deal with the perpetrators of the violence, but blaming either or both of these groups only plays into the hands of those who are trying to pass the buck. I've heard of people withholding donations from Concordia until the school cleans up its act — but the school administrators would love nothing more than to get rid of these thorns in their side; their hands are tied, and they're just as frustrated with the situation as we are.

I still believe that. I cannot emphasize this enough. The group to blame here is the CSU, not the Concordia administration. And in terms of the actual decisions and actions that the admin has taken, I think they are absolutely right to refuse to let the CSU pass the decision to them on this one. It is the CSU's responsibility, and therefore, the CSU's failure to exercise its power responsibly.

My reasons for taking a dig at the admin have very little to do with this specific issue, and more to do with the general lack of strong leadership at Concordia. One of the reasons the CSU has been so successful in taking over the school in the past few years is that nobody's willing to stand up to them. Not the "silent majority" of students who don't bother to vote in elections. Not the faculty. And not the admin.

Without getting directly involved, the admin could have made its opinion stronger. Instead of worrying about staying on the fence to be politically-correct, it could have taken a stand and stated firmly and clearly that what the CSU did was wrong. That doesn't mean they have to step in to change anything - and it doesn't mean people should be blaming them for something that is the CSU's fault. But when you have a situation where there are no moral checks and balances, the loudest voice gets heard the most.

Still, if you're angry about the CSU's actions, blame them, not the Concordia administration. I just want to make that clear.

|

 
1:16 AM
Book glorifies suicide bombers.

France once again makes headlines as a new book is published that's sure to be a hit with all the antisemites-in-training.
Entitled "Rêver La Palestine" (Dream of Palestine), the book is written by a 15-year-old Egyptian girl who holds terrorists up as heros. According to an e-mail being circulated by the Simon Weisenthal Center:

The fifteen-year-old Egyptian author, Randa Ghazi, who lives with her family in Italy, writes about Palestinian teenagers who fight 'bloodthirsty Jews, who assassinate children and old people, profane mosques, and rape Arab women.'

Dream of Palestine is being touted as 'surprisingly mature' and 'a great text of suffering and hope.' One of the novel's heroes calls for Jihad against the Jews who are 'a doomed people' and to 'kill all Israelis.' The main character is encouraged 'to kill hundreds in his suicide bombing' and later does blow himself up along with five Israelis.

The book has become a bestseller in French bookstores. To join the protest against it, sign the online petition. And thanks to Jamie for the heads-up on this one.

Update: LGF has posted about this, and there's quite a lively debate going on in the comments about the dangers of censorship versus the dangers of the hate contained in the book. Check it out.

|

 
9:42 PM
The Mahal program is what the flyers were about that Hillel supposedly got into all this trouble over. Knave has posted a comment at the Link's site about his experience in this program, that's quite informative:

To become a citizen of Israel, there is a compulsory military service requirement. For non-Israelis who are considering immigrating, you can do a three month "basic training" to see what army life is like and whether you can handle it.

How does this differ from the army?
1) You can quit/leave whenever you want, try to do that in a real army
2) You do not carry a weapon when on leave
3) You CANNOT be called to fight in any conflict. You can't even break up a schoolyard battle. Essentially, you can't do the one thing that military personel actually do.

So... what is the point of this?
1) You get treated as if you were in the army, so you can see whether you like it or not.
2) You become phenominally physically fit
3) Unlike the actual army, its kinda fun!

Now, it is fairly obvious that the CSU has its axe to grind against Hillel, and nobody is seriously denying that. But, given that the CSU has taken it upon themselves to enforce Federal Law on behalf of our law enforcement officials and without the meddlesome burden of the judicial system, they should at least know a little something about what it is they are condemning.

Of course, the CSU doesn't care about that. They've been waiting for years for the tiniest excuse to present itself to jump on Hillel for something. The Mahal program really has very little to do with anything.

But since this is my site, and my table isn't in CSU space, I'll just mention that the program's website it over at http://www.mahal2000.com for anyone who wants to check it out. Wouldn't it be fitting if they got a ton of people signing up thanks to the CSU?

Update: Thanks, Harry, for pointing out the mistake. It seems Knave was actually describing the Marva program above, not Mahal. I apologize for the mixup.

|

 
7:16 PM
The Concordia administration once again sticks its head in the sand, by distancing itself from the whole Hillel-CSU affair. In a statement, the university expressed "concern" about the CSU ruling against Hillel, but stopped short of condemning the CSU for taking politically-charged action to shut down its opponents' right to free speech. Instead, the statement focuses on technicalities and legalities, and criticizes CSU councillor Yves Engler for trying to turn the final descision about Hillel's status over to the administration. I've posted the statement in full below:

Dec. 6, 2002 - The university has learned that the CSU Executive has apparently reversed the recent decision of the CSU Council with respect to the sanctions taken against Hillel. They have, however, imposed new conditions for the reinstatement of Hillel. The university remains concerned about the original Council decision, which effectively shut down the operations of Hillel, one of the CSU constituent organizations. The original CSU Council actions were based on the charge that Hillel was allegedly distributing materials on campus recruiting for the Israeli military.

The CSU Council meeting was held Monday, December 2, the last day of classes for the fall term and on the eve of the university's examination period. The resolution was considered at approximately midnight. Only 9 of the 27 CSU counsellors were present and the resolution passed by a margin of 8 to 1. Subsequently, CSU Vice President - Communications Yves Engler has stated that the CSU would reinstate Hillel's privileges if the university administration requested them to do so.

It is important to note that the CSU is an autonomous corporation accredited under the laws of Québec. Through this accreditation, the CSU essentially has the status, power and responsibilities akin to that of an accredited labour union. As such, they are accountable to their own board and beyond that to the Québec government, whose laws afford them this status.

The CSU has the authority and the responsibility to monitor the actions of its constituent organizations and sanction them for appropriate reasons. It is our understanding that they sanctioned Hillel for distributing information regarding recruitment for a foreign military force which, the CSU alleges, is illegal in Canada. It is unclear whether due process was followed before the CSU Council decision was taken. In fact, the university has been informed that Hillel has engaged an attorney who has sent a formal legal demand to the CSU outlining a number of procedural irregularities and demanding that the decision be reversed by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, December 9.

More to the point, it is the duty of the CSU to exercise its authority in a manner which is fair, equitable, and above all, proportionate and non-partisan. In the university's opinion, the current sanctions against Hillel are wholly disproportionate and should be modified.

In light of these facts, it is obvious that Mr. Engler's statements are inappropriate and self-serving. The CSU has asserted on many occasions that, as a result of its accreditation, it is illegal for the university to intervene in CSU business. Therefore, it is particularly offensive to request the university overturn CSU Council decisions on an invitation-only basis when it is to the advantage of the CSU. The CSU Executive has the authority to take the same action that they have requested of the university administration. We cannot absolve them of their responsibility and legal duty to conduct their affairs in a fair, equitable and non-partisan manner. And the university certainly cannot, and will not, intervene on a periodic basis or by invitation only, especially when it does not have the legal authority to do so.

If the CSU feels that it cannot carry out its legal responsibilities in a manner that is fair and equitable, and if they believe that they require help to do so, then they may turn to the government for help in the form of a government-appointed trustee who would be legally empowered to oversee the CSU.

If the CSU believes that it is exercising its legal authority fairly and in a non-partisan manner, then it is the responsibility of the students at the ballot box each spring to decide whether they agree..

*Sigh* As usual, they've taken a position that's about as firm as quicksand. Come on, guys, would it kill you to once - just once - take a stand?

|

 
4:30 PM
Duh alert: The White House has determined that the Palestinians didn't comply with the agreements that Yassar Arafat signed with the US and Israel. (via Lynn B.)

But despite the fact that legally, the US should impose sanctions on Arafat and the Palestinian Authority, Bush is choosing to waive them, citing security concerns.

The report, obtained by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency on Tuesday, says the Palestinians have not complied with several elements of its agreements, including recognizing the right of Israel to exist in peace and security, solving all disputes through negotiation and peaceful means, and renouncing the use of violence.

Because of the sanction waiver, Monday's actions have no concrete effect.

Some American Jewish organizational officials and lawmakers are nonetheless praising the symbolic gesture of chastising the Palestinians for their noncompliance, but are criticizing the president's waiver of the sanctions.

Well, of course they're criticizing the waiver of the sanctions. Not only is he telling Arafat it's okay to break his promises, he's also sending the message to the international community that it's okay.

What will happen when more countries start blatantly ignoring the terms of treaties they've signed? What will happen when Palestinian supporters claim that it's Israel who really broke the Oslo agreemements, and despite the falsehood of this, they can point to the fact that the US never sanctioned Arafat?

This is like telling a kid not to steal candy, and when the kid steals it anyway, the parents let him keep it, allowing the shopkeeper to blame the kid's little brother instead.

There needs to be a call on the US to impose these sanctions, to send a clear message.

|

 
2:17 PM
Hillel denies charges and calls for an apology from the CSU.

Hillel has concluded its investigation into the supposed excuse for its shutdown by the CSU, and has released the following press release (emphasis mine):

MONTREAL, December 6, 2002 - Concordia Hillel has concluded its internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the suspension of its club privileges by the Council of Representatives of the Concordia Student Union.

The allegations that Concordia Hillel violated the Foreign Enlistment Act by distributing a flier recruiting for the Israeli Defence Forces are entirely unfounded. The flier in question was not a Hillel flier, but rather the brochure of an independent organization with no ties whatsoever to Hillel. The flier was not put out by Hillel, or by any official representative thereof. Though the flier was allegedly found on a Concordia Hillel information table, it was never approved or endorsed by Concordia Hillel or any agent or official thereof. Further, the presence of the flier on the Hillel table was not brought to the attention of the Hillel leadership until the matter was brought before the CSU Council in a surprise, politically motivated motion to suspend Hillel.

Hillel is the Jewish Student Union at Concordia and represents the Jewish students of the university. Its mandate is to provide programs and services to meet the cultural, social, religious, and advocacy needs of Concordia's Jewish students. It does not, nor has it ever, recruited for the IDF or any other foreign agency of any kind. The motion passed by the CSU, in violation of the rules governing the adoption of such motions, was a deliberate attempt by certain forces within the CSU to smear the good name of Concordia Hillel and, in doing so, to silence their political opponents on campus. The resulting motion is a violation of the rights of Concordia Hillel to due process and, in effect if not intent, of the rights to freedom of religion, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly of the Jewish student at Concordia.

In light of this information, we call on the CSU to immediately, and without condition or qualification, rescind the motion passed at the last meeting of the Council. We further call upon them to issue a full public apology to Hillel for failing to provide us with due process. The CSU has been duly notified that we intend to take legal action against them should they fail to comply with these demands.

Well, there you have it. I don't intend to hold my breath waiting for a CSU apology, though. I think I'd be blue in the face before they'd admit to wrongdoing.

|

 
2:02 PM
Israeli army incursions in Gaza have left ten more people dead, including two UN employees. While Israel was clearly targeting Hamas terrorists (five of the ten dead were identified as Hamas members), you'd never know it from the media reports, who love to skew everything to make it look like Israel is launching unprovoked incursions simply as a show of strength and not as the defensive measures that they are.

"This loss of civilian lives, of people working for a humanitarian UN agency, is completely unacceptable, said Peter Hansen, UNRWA's commissioner-general, in Geneva. "I must condemn what appears to be the indiscriminate use of heavy firepower in a densely populated civilian area."

[. . .]

Feingold, the army spokeswoman, accused Palestinian militants of hiding behind civilians in the camps. "It's a shame because the civilian population who's not involved in terrorism ... is the one to pay the price."

But the worst comment has to come from the Danish Foreign Minister, who uses the logic that's so twisted and yet so prevailant in the EU these days:

Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller, representing the European Union, warned Israel that using "excessive might" could backfire.

"It's deeply tragic that completely innocent people again have been killed," Moeller told reporters in Copenhagen. "It creates a new fundament for more terrorism, it creates anger."

Yet another example of the backwards thinking of most of Europe. It's the same logic by which people in Montreal claimed that Hillel should never have invited Benjamin Netanyahu to Concordia, because "it might provoke anger and violence".

The blame in that case lies with the violent rioters. They can't say "well, you made us mad, so we're not responsible for our actions". Imagine if a serial killer said that about his victims? Imagine if an abusive husband said that about his wife?

It's the same thing here. Moeller is excusing Palestinian terror and its killing of innocent people ON PURPOSE as an angry reaction to Israel's ACCIDENTAL killing of innocent people - especially ones being used as human shields by cowardly terrorists. We know that Hamas is angry and violent, Moeller is saying, so let's condemn Israel for making them mad and maybe causing them to launch more attacks. After all, it must be Israel's fault.

I could weep.

|

 
9:58 AM
International Hillel lights seventh candle in support of Concordia Hillel. On the international website for Hillel, a call went out yesterday to stand in solidarity with Concordia Hillel. While we were in the Hall building lighting our menorah, Hillel chapters around the world were lighting theirs as a sign of support.

Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life calls on Jewish students the world over to light the seventh candle of the Chanukah menorah this evening in solidarity with Jewish students at Concordia University who this week were denied the right to meet on campus by the Concordia Student Union.

"Chanukah is the festival of freedom. Tonight as we light a candle for Concordia we assert our right to celebrate our Jewishness. The Jewish people fought intolerance in ancient times and we will fight it today," stated Hillel President and International Director Richard M. Joel.

On the one hand, the expression of support is wonderful. On the other hand, I'm kind of ashamed to realize just how much Concordia's international reputation has been damaged. I graduated from that school. It's on my diploma and my resume. I had a pretty good three years there - DESPITE the idiots. They are not the majority and they do not represent most students, and most of the time I had no problem just going about my business and ignoring them . . . and getting a damn good education in the process, I might add.

It disheartens me to realize that people are giving up on Concordia instead of fighting to take it back from those who have hijaked it. Would they be so quick to give up on McGill, or Harvard, or Princeton? Would they be so quick to just shrug and say "the school's been taken over by the professional shit-disturbers, good riddance"? I doubt it. No, they'd fight for their school.

To any Concordia student who may be reading this: the power ultimately rests with you, at the voting booth. Get informed, get involved, get organized, and make a change. Victory may be difficult at Concordia but it's not impossible. And the rewards are great: reclaiming the school for the students, in the name of democracy, freedom, and the right thing.

|

 
9:39 AM
The evidence against Arafat is mounting. AP reports that that an Israeli accountant has come forward about having helped Arafat manage a secret $300 million slush fund.

Former Israeli envoys to peace talks with the Palestinians were involved in the illegal transfer of $300 million US to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat through a secret Swiss account, one of the envoys said Thursday. [. . .]

The money was transferred from an official Palestinian Authority account on the West Bank of the Jordan River by Arafat and one of his top aides, said Ozrad Lev, a former assistant to one-time top Israeli envoy Yossi Ginossar. He said he could no longer live with the secret.

Lev, an accountant, said he and Ginossar helped open and manage the Swiss account. [. . .]

"The money could have been used for personal needs, to form a shelter for Arafat and senior Palestinian officials, to pay salaries or even, and I really hope not, for illegal activities," Lev said.

The money was transferred by Rashid to an unknown destination some time last year, Lev said.

Arafat has issued the standard denials, but among the documented evidence that Lev presented are papers with Arafat's signature and copies of his passport. The truth is, the money simply vanished. So as the world cries about the "poor, starving, underfunded Palestinians", remember that Arafat simply made $300 million in foreign money disappear. Anyone have three guesses where it went? I think you'll only need one, and it wasn't to install a new swingset in the park.

|

 
12:16 AM
The CSU responds. This is a copy of the e-mail that Aaron Maté, VP Campaigns of the CSU, has been sending out in response to all the letters that they've been receiving. Thanks to Steven for sending me a copy. Words in bold parenthesis are my comments:

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Aaron Maté, Vice-President (campaigns) of the Concordia Student Union. (For more on the CSU's favourite "see, look, we're not antisemitic, some of our best friends are Jewish" poster boy, Aaron Maté, see this past post) This message is going out to you in response to your concerns raised about the Concordia Student Union Council of Representatives decision of Monday, December 2nd to suspend Concordia Hillel for passing out flyers for Mahal, the IDF-volunteer program that Council representatives alleged to have been in violation of the Foreign Enlistment Act (R.S. 1985, c. F-28).

Due to the high volume of e-mails that I have received on this issue, I am writing this general message in which I will attempt to address the many arguments, questions, and concerns that have been raised to me about Councils decision. (Way to go on the "high volume of e-mails", guys! Keep up the good work!)

The motion was passed after Hillel's co-president, also a member of the CSU Council, refused to provide an apology for passing out the flyer, explaining that he needed to consult with the rest of his executive. (He makes it sound as though Noah Joseph should have apologized, which, of course, is the first problem with his argument.) The motion stipulates that it will be rescinded if Hillel either makes an apology or if the Concordia University administration conducts an investigation of this matter and recommends that both the funds and privileges of Hillel are restored. (Side note here: it's apparently the CSU's intention to force the admin to overturn its decision. This will give the CSU more "ammo" in their war of words against the admin. To them, this is nothing but a chess game.)

I'd first like to make a distinction: as a member of the CSU executive, I have no authority or voting status on the Council of Representatives. Under CSU-bylaws, the CSU executive, headed by President Sabine Friesinger, and five VPs including myself, are mandated to follow Councils orders. The Council is a separate elected body of 30 students who serve as the CSU's board of governors. They meet once a month to decide on a variety of resolutions and motions that are put before them. (While technically true, that doesn't mean the exec has no power. Far from it. Aaron Mate is trying to pass this one off like the hot potato it is, even though he knows full well that the exec shares responsibility here.)

The motion in question accused Hillel of passing out flyers that recruited students for the Israel Defense Forces. The flyer, entitled "Mahal 2000, Volunteer for the IDF", advertises the Mahal program, which provides "international volunteers the opportunity to serve within elite programs combats or as part of the Paratroop brigade." It lists the qualifications of this program as being "non-Israeli Jewish males/females aged 18-30. Willing to serve in the IDF for 18 months. Reasonable health profile as required by the IDF." It then goes on to describe the Chain of Events of the program, which includes: "4. Join the IDF for 18 months." (So what?)

In presenting the motion on Monday, CSU Councilor Adam Slater alleged that the Mahal flyer violates section 11 of the Foreign Enlistment Act which states that "Any person who within Canada, recruits or otherwise induces any person or body persons to enlist or to accept any commission or engagement in the armed forces of any foreign state or other armed forces operating in that state is guilty of an offence." [the full text of the act is available at http://www.canlii.org/ca/sta/f-28/whole.html] (Neglecting to specify, of course, that it's only illegal to recruit for an enemy of Canada or a hostile state against Canada. There's nothing illegal about the Mahal program, which, from what I understand, is a multi-step program for Jews in Galut to make Aliyah, which includes some time in the army.)

Personally, I don't agree that the Mahal flyer violates this act. But this is my personal opinion -- I have friends who have done the program and doubt that whoever recruited them to are in violation of Canadian law. On the other hand, lawyers that have spoken to me today have given me conflicting opinions, with most informing me that they think the flyer does violate the act, while a few have said that the flyer is completely legal.(Explain how "conflicting opinions" justifies shutting down Hillel.)

Regardless, I think it was a mistake of the Council to impose these sanctions on Hillel without giving their members the proper time to respond to the allegations against them. And in fact, I think this regardless of whether the flyer was illegal or not: I think there's a heavy burden of proof to be met in order to suspend any student group, particularly over objections to the content of their material. And in this case, legal or not, I don't think that this burden of proof is met. (Oh you do, do you? Where were you on September 9th, huh?)

But I also would hope that anyone who agrees with me would support the right of Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights, hypothetically, to recruit for the Palestinian resistance. What, I think we should consider, would have been the reaction had students tried to recruit for Palestinians defending their towns from Israeli incursions? Or for the Iraqi army, or the American army, or any for that matter? If we cannot apply the same standards to others as we apply to ourselves, then we are hypocrites. (Here's where this really begins to unravel. . . I think this is self-explainatory, but for anyone who's a little slow, Mr. Mate just said that the IDF is equivalent to the "Palestinian resistance" (aka suicide bombings and terrorist attacks).

To be clear, I also do see some logic to the rationale of the councilors in favour of the motion: should the flyer in fact be illegal, then as it was handed out by a CSU club, then that could implicate the entire Concordia Student Union in a criminal offence. (The CSU should be no stranger to criminal offences by now, though, right Mr. Maté? How many arrests does the executive have cumulatively, exactly?) Furthermore, its important to remember that the motion leaves plenty of room for it to be completely rescinded: If Hillel can either provide an apology, or prove that legally the flyer was not illegal; or furthermore, even if it refuses to fulfill either of those demands, then the motion also says that the Concordia University administration can declare at any time whether it views the flyer as illegal or not, and Council will respect whatever decision the administration makes. (So I didn't steal the sweater, and even if I did, they can make me give it back anytime so it's not really wrong.)

This whole affair could thus be ended pretty easily: if the flyer is illegal, then Hillel can apologize, or, if it does not want to apologize, then the Concordia administration can decide that irrespective of the law, all of Hillels privileges can be restored nonetheless. Or, if the flyer was completely legal, then the CSU Council should rescind the motion that they passed. (No, you morally corrupt fool, the motion should have never been passed in the first place! That's the whole friggin point!)

In many of the messages that I have received, this motion has been accused of being fueled by anti-Semitism, in accordance with what many feel is a policy of systematic anti-Jewish, and specifically, anti-Zionist discrimination by the Concordia Student Union. (No, there's no antisemitism at Concordia. Silly me. I must have been making the whole thing up. Maybe it's part of the international Zionist conspiracy! I think I saw an Asper at today's rally . . . )

While again I do not agree with the way Council handled this affair, I think that these charges are completely unfounded. From the position of those that view the Mahal flyer as illegal, I can understand their concern of implicating the Concordia Student Union in illegal activity. And given that the flyers aim is to get people to volunteer and enlist in the Israel Defense Forces, I do think they have reasonable argument for due cause.

And as a Jewish member of the Concordia Student Union executive, it pains me to hear that my union and my school is being painted as an anti-Semitic bunch that wants to destroy Israel. (That's because you ARE an antisemitic bunch who want to destroy Israel. And I find it amazing how the only time that Mr. Maté claims to be Jewish is when he's criticizing Israel.) Granted, I do hold personal political views on Israels policies that I doubt many of you would agree with, but I simply cannot tolerate the attempts to equate a student body known for its opposition to the Israeli occupation with one that is anti-Jewish. (True colours at last.) This is a fallacy that I think provides not just an unfair and completely unwarranted damage to the international reputation of Concordia University (since when has the CSU been concerned about the international reputation of Concordia University?), but grossly demeans the crucial efforts to fight the very real and very terrible forms of anti-Semitism that threaten our people around the world. (Here we go with the "anti-Zionism isn't antisemitism" stuff again. Excuse me while my stomach turns.)

Please accept my apologies if this letter has not answered any specific questions that you posed in your initial query. Please feel free to send them again and I will respond personally as soon as I can find the time.

Chug Sameach to all,

Aaron Maté
Vice-President, Concordia Student Union

Aaron Maté
VP - Campaigns
Concordia Student Union
(514) 848-7970

Well, the invite is on the table. Mr. Maté wants responses. I suggest we comply with his wishes. What do you say?

|

 
11:45 PM
Just watched the mainstream media coverage of the Concordia rally on Pulse (CFCF) at 11:30. I'm disappointed but I can't say I'm too surprised. Zero coverage inside the event - all they showed was the police cars outside, with the reporter saying that "tensions erupted again at Concordia between Jewish and Arab students", and a report on how many times the cops have been called to campus. Not a word about what was said inside the rally. Not a word about the CSU trying to shut down Hillel, or what any of the speakers said, or even an estimate of turnout.

I guess if it bleeds it leads, and all that, but it is kind of a letdown. That's why it's all that much more important to spread the word about what REALLY happened today, so that people won't have to get their information from the shoddy news coverage.

|

 
8:05 PM
And now, to write about what happened tonight at Concordia:

I arrived at about a quarter to five, unsure what to expect in terms of turnout - after all, this event had been organized less than 24 hours in advance, and students are in the middle of final exams. No sooner did I get there but I caught sight of people walking in with sound equipment and others carrying large Israeli flags. After a few minutes went by, the crowd in the lobby began multiplying exponentially. There was a bit of confusion as to the location of the event, and then everyone was asked to enter the H-110 auditorium and have a seat. By the time the event began, the auditorium was more than half full; by the time it ended, it was well over three-quarters. Definately an amazing accomplishment in terms of sheer numbers!

Noah Sarna, co-president of Concordia Hillel, spoke first. He welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming, and told us that we were there to celebrate our freedom, just as the Maccabees proclaimed theirs. Noah spoke briefly but powerfully, and then passed the microphone over to the president of McGill Hillel.

He spoke more at length about the issues that Concordia is facing, and how this is big news not only at Concordia, but at McGill, in the greater Montreal Jewish community, across Canada, the US, Europe, Israel, and around the world. "We are a small people," he said, "with Am Echad, Lev Echad - one nation, one heart!" (Judging by the amount of e-mails of support I'm receiving from around the world, I'd have to say he's right).

Next to speak was Rabbi Reuven Poupko, who is very active in community and campus affairs. Rabbi Poupko definately knows how to work a crowd. He spoke passionately about how targeting Hillel is antisemitism, no matter how the CSU tries to cloak it. He said that Hillel is being targeted not because of any law, but because it is a Jewish students' organization. And that the CSU only believes in freedom of speech when it agrees with what is being said.

At that point, some pro-Palestinian hecklers began shouting from the back of the auditorium, hoping to agitate the crowd. At first, heads turned as they distracted us. Rabbi Poupko addressed them directly, claiming that if they truly believed in freedom of speech and democracy, they would be right down there in support of Hillel. He then began talking about how there is no democracy or freedom in most of the Arab world, and how despite the abuses and lack of freedom, the words "human rights" are only used in the context of criticizing Israel. "When democracy and freedom comes to the Arab nations of the Middle East," he shouted over the heckling, "then there will be peace!" This drew loud cheers and a standing ovation, but it wasn't as loud as the cheering when he declared, shouting into the microphone, "AM YISRAEL CHAI!"

That was the signal for the time to light the menorah. The crowd was implored to ignore the hecklers and face the front, and Hillel led everyone in the singing of the Chanukah brachot while they lit the electric menorah. The singing drowned out whatever heckling was still going on - which was minimal - and as soon as we finished the brachot, we went straight into Chanukah songs - Maoz Tzur, for example - and then began singing Israeli folk songs, leading off with "Am Yisrael Chai". Dancing broke out at the front, with circles of men and women doing the hora around the Israeli flag. Everyone stood and clapped and sang along.

This went on for about twenty minutes. Then, Noah Sarna once again stepped to the microphone and thanked everyone for being there, and stressed the importance of leaving peacefully and not getting drawn into a fight. Before we left, we all stood and sang Hatikvah together, proclaiming once and for all that the Jewish voices at Concordia will not be silenced!

The scene in the lobby afterwards was pretty calm, with most people just talking amongst themselves and their friends. At one point, I saw people with cameras running outside. I followed to see what was going on. A police car was there. I couldn't see that well because of the crowd but apparently, Palestinian activist Samer Elatrash was arrested, ostensibly for violating the terms of his bail (after being arrested for participating in the anti-Netanyahu violence on September 9th, he's only allowed on campus for classes and exams). The cameras seemed to be busy interviewing Elatrash's buddies, and I'm sure that that's the message that the mainstream media will carry - not the overwhelming message of peace and freedom that the rally was all about. And as much as that bothers me, I know what I saw. I know what happened. And I think that despite efforts to disrupt things, Hillel and the Jewish community organized an event that was an overwhelming success.

I invite anyone who attended the event to e-mail me with their firsthand accounts. I'm only one person, with two eyes and two ears (and no camera), so the more stories the better. If you give me permission I'll post them.

Concordia has been hijaked. It's time to reclaim it as an environment of equality, openness, and freedom for all.

Update: I accidentally and erroneously referred to Samer Elatrash as a CSU vice-president. This is incorrect. The reference has been removed, and I apologize for the error. Mr. Elatrash is, in fact, a former member of the CSU council of representatives, not of the executive.

|

 
7:20 PM
Wow!

Tonight was easily the best Chanukah party I've ever been to. Hundreds of Jewish students and members of the community showed up to Concordia today to light the Chanukah candles, sing songs, and proclaim our freedom.

I'll post more at length about this later, but in the meantime, here are a few photos (credit: Michael D. Smith):







The CSU has no right to shut down the voice of the Jewish students on campus. Am Yisrael Chai!

|

 
12:47 PM
The Hillel ban made Israeli news. Check it out. And Damian Penny, Meryl Yourish, and LGF are among those who have blogged it.

But no sign of it anywhere in this morning's Montreal Gazette. Apparently, at the Gazette, it's only news when the CSU's freedom of speech is suppressed, not Hillel's.

|

 
11:15 AM
Their true colours: See what the Montreal Muslim News is reporting about the attempt to shut down Hillel at Concordia:

The CSU left two loopholes open for Hillel. While there's general agreement that an apology from Hillel at the council meeting would have avoided the sanctions applied, opinions differ about what would be accepted as an apology. Adam Slater says, "We want an admission that it was inappropriate to violate the FEA and we also want an apology for violating CSU and University regulations on racial discrimination. The recruiting program is only open to non-Israeli Jews. If they're willing to do that, this all goes away." Councilor Trish McIntosh takes a harder line. "The infantry unit that this program feeds into is the Nahal Brigade (http://www.idf.il/english/organization/nahal/nahal.stm). They create and defend West Bank settlements. Recruiting for Nahal isn't just a violation of the FEA, it's also a violation of the 4th Geneva Convention. Hillel has to issue a condemnation of the Israeli Army's practices as well."

It's no secret that the CSU's politics are anti-Israel, as well as radically anti-establishment, anti-capitalism, and anti-globalization. But what Trish McIntosh and her cohorts are saying is that unless Hillel toes the line, and apologizes for not holding the same political beliefs as the CSU, they'll be shut down.

Yet another example of the CSU's concept of freedom of speech only applying to those with whom they agree.

When the moratorium was imposed, the CSU was the first to rally for freedom of speech, and a lifting of the ban. But they've never had a problem shutting down any speech that opposes their viewpoints before (the Netanyahu riot being a key example). This is one more example of the same. McIntosh believes that settlements in the West Bank are illegal, but the problem is that she's claiming that Hillel must believe that too, or else no funding, no tabling privileges, no operations. The CSU's aim is to create a totalitarian dictatorship at Concordia, where anyone who is anti-Israel has freedom of speech, and anyone who is pro-Israel doesn't. That kind of "freedom" is really no freedom at all.

The CSU has no right to dictate to Hillel what to believe or what politics to profess. Hillel is a Jewish students' organization, a Zionist students' organization, and they cannot and should not apologize for either. If anyone owes an apology here, it's the CSU that should apologize to Hillel for trying to strip the club of its legitimate right to expression.

|

 
1:25 AM
Further update: Hillel's holding a quasi-rally/ Chanukah gathering tomorrow (Thursday) at 5pm on the Mezzanine of the Hall Building, in defiance of the Hillel ban. Be there if you can!

|

 
12:18 AM
Update on the Concordia situation: Hillel has issued a press release, and has begun circulating a petition for action and support:

This is an urgent appeal going out to all those who may be interested in ending the humiliation and suffering of Jewish Students at Concordia University (Montreal, Canada). While Jewish students have been subjected to hatred, racism, and violence at Concordia, Jewish students are now engaged in an all out war. Hillel, the only Jewish presence on campus has been "shut down" by the Concordia Student Union. Hillel is a student club which promotes awareness about issues relating to Judaism and Israel.

The CSU's council of "representatives" passed a motion at a meeting this week. The CSU has suspended all funding to Hillel
and has revoked its ability to hold events, displays, and information tables. All this, the result of Hillel, allegedly, distributing a flyer for Mahal, a volunteer IDF program. The CSU is revoking from Hillel -and as a result Jewish students- the same basic rights which were just restored to all students following the end of the moratorium. Now that the Board of Governors moratorium is over, the CSU has taken it upon themselves to impose their own moratorium on Jews. This is a dangerous escalation in the war against Jewish students on campuses across North America. Is the closure of Concordia Hillel "legitimate" criticism of Israel?

The Jewish students of Concordia need your help NOW!

Whether you are a student or not, you can help. Below are important contact info and a copy of Hillel's press release. Bombard CSU VPs with phone calls and e-mails. Write to the press, to the Concordia administration, call radio shows, and tell people what's going on!

DO NOT REMAIN SILENT! TAKE ACTION NOW! MAKE NOISE!

Let the CSU know their actions are not acceptable and have consequences, and that JEWS HAVE RIGHTS TOO! If you are a
Concordia student demand that your CSU fees be refunded. Show your solidarity with Hillel and the Jewish students of Concordia!

Steven Rosenshein
Concordia Hillel Member, and Damn proud of it!

If you're reading this and you want to help out, please copy the above article and the press release below and forward it to everyone you can think of. Here are some places you can send your letters and make your voices heard:

Campus Media:

• The Link - letters@thelink.concordia.ca (letters under 400 words)
  
• The Concordian - yourconcordian@hotmail.com (letters under 300 words)
  
• Thursday Report (Concordia admin's official PR magazine) - barblak@alcor.concordia.ca

Mainstream media:

• Montreal Gazette - letters@thegazette.southam.ca
  
• National Post - letters@nationalpost.com

Copy these people to let them know how you feel about what they're up to:

• Concordia Student Union - csu@csu.tao.ca
  
• Sabine Friesinger, CSU President - prez@csu.tao.ca
  
• Yves Engler, CSU VP Communications - communications@csu.tao.ca
  
• Sameer Zuberi, CSU VP Finance - finance@csu.tao.ca
  
• Aaron Maté, CSU VP Campaigns - campaigns@csu.tao.ca
  
• Ralph Lee, CSU VP Academic & Advocacy - academic@csu.tao.ca
  
• Kealia Curtis, CSU VP Internal - internal@csu.tao.ca
  
• Frederick Lowy, Concordia Rector - Frederick.Lowy@concordia.ca

The petition asks that you please send a copy of all letters, comments, complaints, to concordiajews@hotmail.com.

Here is the press release sent out by Hillel today:

Hillel Opposes CSU's shut down of Concordia Hillel

MONTREAL, December 3, 2002 - At a regular meeting of the Council of Representatives of the Concordia Student Union last night, a
motion was made to suspend Concordia Hillel, the representative organ of the Jewish student body at Concordia University.

The resolution bars Concordia Hillel from holding information tables, booking university space for events and all other activities of a student club.

The motion was made in response to a flier that was allegedly distributed at an information table held by Concordia Hillel a week prior. The pamphlet provided information on a volunteer program with the Israeli Defense Forces for non-Israeli Jews interested in aiding in the defense of the Jewish state.

The motion, passed by a majority of 8-1 of councilors present, was brought to the floor as an emergency motion. The chair ruled the motion Out of Order, but council overturned the decision, moving the resolution despite no time given for Hillel to investigate the issue.

"Council has acted irrationally and irresponsibly yet again," said Concordia Hillel co-president and CSU councilor Noah Joseph, in reference to the heated discussion that erupted at the council meeting of Sept 11. At that meeting, like this one, an appeal was made to let the matter sit until all parties had a chance to properly look into the issues involved. And again, council voted repeatedly to open and take immediate action regarding the issue.

"The councilor who moved the resolution obviously put a significant amount of time into it and easily could have submitted the motion earlier and given us chance to investigate the issue properly. He decided specifically not to do so and council supported these ambush tactics," said Joseph.

Earlier in the meeting, CSU president Sabine Friesinger moved that the CSU hold a conference on antisemitism. An amendment for
Concordia Hillel to co-sponsor the event was rejected of council. "I find it appalling that the CSU wants to have a conference on hatred against Jews and yet has voiced clearly its opinion that it specifically does not want the Jewish student group to take part in the planning of the conference," said Joseph. "I'm afraid we're going to have our own little Durban here at Concordia." The reference was made to the UN Conference on Racism held in Durban, South Africa, that ended up as UN-sanctioned forum for propaganda against Jews and Israel.

This issue is too important to ignore. Please make your voice heard in support of Hillel's right to freedom of speech at Concordia!

|

 
12:07 AM
Iraq may have been forced to accept UN weapons inspectors, but Saddam's not exactly rolling out the welcome mats. Now he's whining that the inspectors are really spies:

Iraq on Wednesday accused U.N. arms inspectors of being U.S. and Israeli spies and helping Washington prepare for possible war on Baghdad, but the United States cooled any talk of imminent military action.

You know what this reminds me of? A parent, entering the bedroom of their teenager who's been smoking pot. The kid knows that it's only a matter of moments till his stash is found, so he yells at his parents: "You hate me! You're always accusing me of stuff I didn't do!"

Well, Saddam, your stash is gonna get found, whether you like it or not. Enough with the excuses and denials already. Everyone knows what's really up, and your days are numbered.

|

 
12:02 AM
More Concordia Resources for any of you who may be visiting my site from outside Montreal and wish to learn more about what's been going on at Gaza U. You can get a good sense at the Link's website, but most of it will probably make your stomach turn.

To help, I've assembled a list of other articles and websites for further reading about the school described as a "hotbed of prejudice". The signs were there long before things erupted last September 9th. See for yourself:

• Concordia section at Campus Watch
  
• Focus on Concordia by the Israel Hasbara Committee
  
• Antisemitism at Concordia - article from the main section of my site written last year.
  
• Protest at Concordia: The Blame Game - another one by me, this time about the Netanyahu riots.
  
• Defeating the Concordia Syndrome - feature article by Gerald Steinberg in the Canadian Jewish News
  
• Pro-intifada handbook sparks outrage at Concordia - article by Irwin Block, the Montreal Gazette.
  
• Timeline of anti-Jewish hatred at Concordia compiled by David Janes at his blog. A little skimpy on some of the in-between stuff, but not a bad starting point.
  
• Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights - No, I won't link to it, as a matter of site policy against linking to racist or hateful material. But if you really want to know what's going on at the SPHR's stronghold, you won't have too much trouble finding their site.

If you know of any other good resources I've missed, e-mail me.

|

 
11:08 PM
Good ol' Canadian spinelessness: Ha'aretz Reports that Ottawa is training Palestinian security forces in "peacekeeping" in anticipation of an eventual Israeli pullout of the Disputed Territories:

Thus, the Palestinians responded positively to an invitation by the Canadian government and sent a group of senior Palestinian security officers to Bosnia and Macedonia to learn first-hand about the international forces operating there. The study trip was but one chapter in a comprehensive curriculum the Canadians have established for preparing the groundwork for international involvement in the territories.

Good ol' Canada, always ready to lift a finger . . . except to help Israel. Troops to fight terrorism or outst Saddam Hussein? No can do, we're Canadians, eh? We just send in peacekeeping forces and make sure to stay as politically-correct as possible, cause we sure as hell wouldn't want to piss anyone off by actually doing the right thing, now would we?

I wonder if it's ever occurred to our good-hearted peacenicks in government that security training can also be used as military training? The lessons in discipline, organization, and command can come in mighty handy if and when Israel is pressured to pull out of the territories and the Palestinians suddenly find themselves in possession of a state and an army. The British trained the Jordanian army, which then used that training to attack Israel in 1948. I wonder where our good-natured Canadian peacekeeping forces will be when Israel comes under attack by the to-be-Canadian-trained Palestinian army?

Instead of preparing international peacekeeping forces to enter the territories, the pions in charge of foreign policy might want to take a closer look at Israel's situation - and maybe lend it a little support in the international community while they're at it. But no, that would be too much to ask from the government who gives more support to Hezbollah than to the Magen David Adom.

|

 
12:58 PM
CSU trying to shut down Concordia Hillel. Yep, our friends at Gaza U are at it again. The CSU has passed a motion that effectively shuts down Hillel, banning it from tabling or booking space, until it formally apologizes and submits to an "investigation". This time, the supposed trigger was a brochure on Hillel's table that was allegedly "recruiting" for the IDF:

Concordia Hillel has had its funding and tabling privileges revoked late last night after allegedly distributing recruitment material for the Israeli Defence Force. The motion demanded an apology from the group as well as a Concordia administration investigation if they wished to be reinstated. The motion was presented by Arts and Science councillor Adam Slater.

Palestinian activist Samer Elatrash objected to the material, saying it supports "a military brigade set specifically to guard settlements." Arts and Science Councillor Patrice Blais also agreed with the motion, citing a student vote to forbid military recruitment on campus. "The students voted to have the [Hall Building] mezzanine declared a de-militarized zone a while ago," Blais said.

The motion was ruled out of order by Chairperson Omar Badawi who cited lack of notice. The ruling was overruled by the Council. "If we don't do anything about this how do we know we won't be held responsible?" asked President Sabine Friesinger.

The motion passed with a vote of 8-1.

Hillel spokespeople have said that they were unaware of the contents of the brochure, but I don't even know why they're trying to apologize at all. I think Hillel should stand by its handouts and instead, call the SPHR to task for the many virulently racist and discriminatory pamphlets and handouts on its tables. Concordia has no right to shut down the only group fighting for Israel in the middle of a pro-Palestinian enclave that is the campus, based on a few brochures for the Machal program (a program for non-Israeli Jews who want to help the IDF, from what I understand).

Hillel has been criticized before, and the pro-Palestinian CSU has tried every trick in the book to de-legitimatize the group. Just last week, a Hillel flyer with the headline "We've 'JIHAD' enough: it's time to stop using the Koran to justify murder: there's a whole world of Muslims who still believe Islam is meant to be a religion of peace." was criticized - if you can believe this - for "mocking Jihad"! Yes, you read it right. One of several letters in this week's Link contains the following statement:

They are deliberately undermining an important Islamic concept. Jihad literally means struggle, and there are many forms this struggle can take. One sort of Jihad is the struggle to be a decent and moral person, another type of Jihad is standing up and speaking the truth in the face of a tyrant or despot, and yet another type is the right to defend oneself when one has been kicked out and robbed of one's home; which incidentally is exactly what is happening in Palestine. But all that is beside the point. Who is Hillel to determine what Jihad is? How dare they make fun of it? How dare they insinuate that Islam is a religion promoting murder? How dare they say that Islam is no longer a religion of peace?

As a student and as a Muslim, I demand that Hillel issue a public apology for their vulgar, distasteful provocation, and take steps to ensure that this sort of thing does not ever happen again.

Vulgar and distasteful? The only thing that is vulgar and distasteful is that Hillel - who went out of its way to make it clear that it is not referring to all Muslims, but only to extremist terrorists waging "holy war" - could be criticized by someone who calls suicide bomb attacks "the right to defend oneself". If anyone should demand an apology here, it should be Hillel.

Sadly, this lack of moral grounding has become the norm at Concordia. In the topsy-turvy world of the Hall building, any defense of Zionism or Israel is racist, and any criticism of it is "legitimate free speech".

But this latest motion has gone too far. The CSU is doing everything in its power to shut down the voices of its critics and opponents. They must be stopped. Please spread the word about what's going on at Concordia.

|

 
5:43 PM
Remembering the victims of terror. I invite you to check out Enough is Enough, a website dedicated to remembering Israel's victims of Palestinian terrorist attacks since September 2000.

This site is one of many that remembers the people, not just the statistics. There are videos and presentations, and on the righthand side, there is a list of Israeli victims of terror. Each name is a link to a page about the person, including a photograph and brief details about the victim's life, age, home, family, and the circumstances of his or her death.

They had hopes and dreams, families and friends and communities who cared about them and miss them. They were people who, just like you and I, just wanted to live their lives. And all of them had their lives cut tragically short. Media reports tend to quote the death tolls as crisp statistics, and few of the victims are truly remembered outside of their home communities.

It is far too easy to get caught up in the numbers game and to reduce victims to mere statistics. It's harder to remember them as the living, breathing people that they were. But we must try, because if it could be one of them, it could just as easily be one of us.

|

 
5:23 PM
If a tree falls in the forest and it doesn't make a sound . . . then I want to work in that forest. It's gotta be quieter than my office.

|

 
2:35 PM
With Affirmative Action back in the US courts (and the news), now may be an opportune time for me to weigh in with my two cents on the subject.

I don't support affirmative action in university admissions - or in the workplace, or other such domains for that matter. It's a dangerous thing to say that, especially for politicians. Anyone who speaks out against affirmative action is considered to be racist, bigoted, discriminatory towards minorities, or all of the above. The perception is that these policies are a politically correct way to help counter discrimination and under-representation of minorities in certain spheres, and it certainly hasn't been very politically correct to oppose them.

My reason for opposing these policies is hardly original: to me (and to a lot of people) they're just another form of discrimination. If student X has higher grades and test scores, but student Y gets admitted in his or her place simply because of the colour of student Y's skin, then that's wrong in my book - whether it's discriminating against blacks, whites, or purples. Any decision based on skin colour is just another form of racism.

Oh, sure, it's not that simple. Of course it's not. Certain groups are dramatically under-represented in the top schools and workplaces, and these policies are only a way to counter years of past discrimination, proponents argue. Because of systematic bias against minorities, these policies are necessary in order to make up the difference.

But I don't agree that two wrongs equal a right. Past wrongs cannot be corrected by committing present wrongs. And there are a lot of reasons why affirmative action, especially in the context of university admissions, is wrong. On the one hand, it creates separate sets of standards. In order to be "good enough" to get into a certain school, students from some ethnic groups have to achieve one set of standards, while those from other groups have another set of standards. All this does is widen the gap between these groups, because mediocre performance is considered "good enough" for some people and not for others. What sort of future community leaders does this create? Furthermore, some schools are so desperate to fill their enrollment quotas, they accept students who are clearly under-qualified. You can't take a student who graduated from an inner-city school and has a sixth-grade reading level and plunk him into a university classroom and expect him to keep up. And since it looks bad, politically, for a university to have higher failure rates among certain ethnic groups, some schools even resort to passing students who should never have been there in the first place.

When transplanted into the context of Quebec, some of these wrongs may become a little clearer. Recently, it was announced that medical schools in Quebec will boost the CRC-scores of applicants from regions outside of Montreal by a half-point, because there's a shortage of doctors in the outlying regions and students from those regions are considered more likely to go back home to practice medicine when they graduate. But tell that to the student who pulled straight As all her life, volunteered at every hospital in her spare time, participated in every extra-curricular activity, and devoted her life to her dream of being a doctor - and who had all the qualifications but was rejected from medical school because of this policy. Don't we want our doctors to be the best? In med school applications, where a tiny fraction of a point can make all the difference in the world, a half-point is huge. Why should someone's zip code be a more important factor in admissions than the qualifications of the candidate?

In another example, lobby groups have pressured the provincial government to hire more anglophones and minorities in the Public Service, claiming that they are vastly under-represented. The government complied, making a whole host of positions available to specific minority communities - and nobody applied! The government is having an extremely difficult time filling these quotas. Speculation is that the positions are of little interest to the members of these minority groups, as most qualified people are already working at jobs in the private sector for better pay.

Therein lies the crux of the problem. Unlike McGill University's quotas for Jews in the early part of last century, where many Jewish applicants were rejected due to lack of enough places, these new quotas are creating just as many problems - but in the opposite direction. There aren't enough applicants from certain minority groups to fill the quotas - and so schools have had to lower the standards in order to fill them.

A related problem is that minority groups are under-represented in universities because of a lower degree of economic affluence in certain communities leading to a reduction in the affordability of the schools. But there are ways to combat these problems. More financial aid can and should be made available to students who need it. There's nothing wrong with scholarships or grants designated specifically for certain groups.

But admissions quotas? Hiring quotas? Different standards? Those have got to go. It may not be politically correct of me to say so, but in the long run it's the only right thing to do. The only way to end racial discrimination is to stop institutionalizing policies that legitimatize it - no matter who they favour.

|

 
12:55 PM
Hypocrites International (a.k.a. Amnesty International) is dismissing a British report about human rights abuses in Iraq as propaganda and - get this - "selective attention to human rights".

"This selective attention to human rights is nothing but a cold and calculated manipulation of the work of human rights activists," said Irene Khan, Amnesty International's secretary general.

Yes, this is the same Amnesty International who selectively targets Israel for what it perceives as human rights abuses, while turning a blind eye to those committed in most of the Arab world. Are you laughing yet?

The following quote is from a Letter to the Link by a member of Amnesty International at Concordia:

You can't fight all causes at the same time; you have to make choices. For example, I am an anthropology student. I believe in the equal value and richness of all cultures, but I cannot be an expert on all of them. I have to pick.

In fairness, this author claims to have chosen West Africa and the Carribean as her areas of expertise - but then, most of her letters to the Link seem to pick on Israel. In a disucussion thread about that letter, the same author posted the following comment:

Please don't get me wrong, I condemn HRs violations equally on both sides each time they happens but since HRs violations against Palestinians happen more often than against Israelis, I personally condemn the Israeli military, in particular, not Jews, more often then Palestinian suicide bombers! Palestinians impact on Israel is also much less significant than the other way around, assuming they had a state anyway. Also, my little finger told me that when Palestinians rights will be respected, suicide bombers will cease to react that way because they will have no more cause to fight.

Obviously, this is one individual and she does not represent all of Amnesty International. But it can be enlightening to see how some of these people think. It is unbelievable that criticism of Israel is fine by Amnesty International, but criticism of a totalitarian dictatorship such as Iraq, with a madman like Saddam Hussein at the helm, is "propaganda".

Just to put things into perspective, imagine for ten seconds that Israel were a Muslim country, and Palestinians and Iraqis were a Jewish. (Yes, I know, that sounds absurd, but just pretend for the sake of argument.) What do you think all the so-called "human rights activists" at Amnesty International would be doing? My bet is that they would be lobbying daily for war against Iraq, while defending Israel's legitimate right to self-defense and mounting an international campaign against suicide bombings and terror attacks!

Makes you think, doesn't it?

|

 
1:27 AM
More quiz fun! For all you quiz-addicts out there, now you can answer ten short questions to determine your true political beliefs with the World's Smallest Political Quiz.

Instead of the traditional left-right spectrum, this one scores you on a chart, with personal issues along one axis and economic issues along another. People fall into the "Left Liberal", "Right Conservative", "Libertarian", "Authoritarian", or "Centrist" categories, based on the answers they give. The quiz is run by a Libertarian site, so it seems to be a bit biased in that direction, but it's still kinda fun. Even if it did describe me as a Centrist but on the border of Left-Liberal . . . hmmmm . . .

Oh, and according to this clock, it's 1:28am, which is way past my bedtime. Time for sleep.

|

 
10:47 PM
Learn Hebrew online (sort of). The Passing Phrase project set up by Eli Birnbaum may not teach you your aleph-bet or turn your bar mitzvah Hebrew into fluency. But it sure is entertaining. If you want to know what the Israeli taxi driver was really shouting, check it out.

|

 
4:50 PM
Sovereignty is back on the PQ agenda with the creation of a new fund to promote Quebec independance.

Premier Bernard Landry said on Friday the fund will be announced at the party's annual convention this weekend in Quebec City, as the Parti Quebecois gears up for a provincial election, expected next June.

The fund will be made up of contributions from citizens, and donations are expected to be tax deductible, Landry said.

On the one hand, we're all so sick of hearing about sovereignty that I'm not overjoyed to hear it being discussed again. On the other hand, we're all so sick of hearing about sovereignty that this will probably end up hurting the PQ come election time. Certainly, current polls seem to indicate as much:

Friday's polls suggest the Action Democratique and the Liberals are neck and neck in the run-up to the elections.

On the issue of Quebec's separation from Canada, one of the polls showed 61 percent of Quebecers opposed independence while 39 percent were in favor.

Mind you, with the riding system, a Liberal-ADQ split could mean a PQ majority victory. It depends on the geographical spread, which generally favours the PQ. The ADQ will probably lose considerable support between now and next spring, while the PQ and the Liberals will likely gain support, mainly because of money - the two major parties have it, the ADQ doesn't. The winner will probably be the party who loses the least support to the ADQ - the party that has managed to give a whole new meaning to "fence-sitting".

Of course, support for sovereignty may be at a low right now, but that doesn't mean anything. Who could've predicted such a close referendum result in 1995? Who could forget the tension, watching on two or three tv stations at the same time while they counted the votes that would decide our future? Who could forget the panic, the droves of people who made the trek down the 401? Who could forget the suspicion and divisions in our society, as we somehow expected anyone who'd voted Yes to have horns hiding in their hair or something? I had very little political perspective back in 1995. All I knew was that people were scared of what might happen.

But today, I've found my attitude shifting somewhat. I still think the arguments for sovereignty are stupid. I still hate having my rights infringed upon as an anglophone, or listening to endless debates on how to outlaw English on the Internet or blame Ottawa for the latest Quebec goof-up. I'm sick of referendums and of electoral fraud and of the hard-line buffoons who love to blame everything on "money and the ethnic vote". And if it should ever happen that a Yes vote passes in a future referendum, I'll probably pack my boxes and move to Ontario or the States in tears and sadness.

But there's a part of me that's relieved, too. Relieved that the sovereignty debate is a bunch of people debating in government and passing dumb laws and holding neverendum-referendums, and that's about the extent of it. Because I look around the world, and I see that almost every movement for nationalism has been through violence and bloodshed. I look at places like Ireland, Croatia, or the current conflict in the Middle East, and I think to myself: wow, it could be a whole lot worse! With the notable exception of the FLQ, the Quebec nationalism movement has been refreshingly free of violence for the past 30 years.

Therefore, if endless political debate is the price we pay for a non-violent nationalism movement, then I'm more than happy to pay it.

|

 
3:58 PM
I hate - HATE - HATE shopping at this time of year.

The mall is disgustingly crowded. Everyone pushes and shoves their way through the stores. A fight over a parking space can evolve into World War III. All this stress in order to spend our money!

And to think I used to look forward to the Christmas Season . . . but then, that was when I was actually working in the mall.

|