Sometimes Shining a Light is a Good Beginning!
(a letter sent June 2, 2006)
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I don’t ever remember being in agreement with Susan Estrich. (I can remember being angry at some of her liberal tirades during the last two presidential campaigns & elections). But with her most recent article, I can honestly say that I am in full agreement. A link to Susan’s article appears at the end of this piece. Her column is entitled “The Movement to Isolate Israel”

It seems that Britain’s largest association of university professors - some 67,000 members strong – recently voted and passed a resolution urging it’s members to boycott “Israeli academics who have not renounced the so-called apartheid policies of Israel.” The resolution made special note of "continuing Israeli apartheid policies, including construction of the exclusion wall and discriminatory educational practices." On its face, a boycott by British academics shouldn't stike fear into the hearts of anyone....but read on.
As you might imagine the British resolution was loudly lauded by the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, whose statement after the vote was made public said, "Just as in the South African case, a comprehensive regime of sanctions and boycotts remains not only the most politically effective but also the most morally sound strategy in bringing about Israel's compliance with international law and universal principles of human rights."

I don’t know what troubles me more about the British vote, the fact that it happened in Britain, (a people to whom we are supposedly closely related), or the fact that by adopting the resolution academics were lending support to anti-Israeli and by extension terrorist groups around the world?
You might now be wiping your brow saying, ”Whew, at least it’s not happening here!” But you’d be wrong.
At the University of California at Irvine, a week of anti-Zionist programs have been presented under the title of “Holocaust in the Holy Land.” You can guess what these programs were about! During one speech the following was said, “The apartheid state of Israel is on the way down. They are living in fear, and it is about time they live in fear." After which a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Hussam Ayloush said, "If you haven't been through a bit of radicalism in college, you've missed out!" “They're very harmless, nonviolent kids, but they're very vocal."

Now where have I heard that before? “Harmless, non-violent kids.” Mr. Ayloush must be thinking of the harmless Hitler Youth who first burned books, then buildings in 1938, or of the homicide bombers the PLO and Hamas sent into Israel since the last Intifada. Those harmless kids.
I don’t know what’s more comical, Mr. Ayloush’s statement, or the fact that a Palestinian Group seeking to boycott Israel is now preaching to the rest of the world about compliance with international law and universal principles of human rights? Excuse me? A Palestinian group - an Islamic organization preaching to me about law and human rights?? What's wrong with this picture? Preaching, just like their former leader Yasser Arafat did in November 1974, when he told the UN General Assembly that terrorism is permissible as long as it has the “right” goals. And he did it with a straight face!

So now we have Islamists, who have garnered the support of British academics for their boycott of Israeli academics. Let me ask you something, how long do you think it will be before the boycott of academics grows to include Israeli products, companies, or (dare I say it) Israeli’s themselves? And while we’re at it, why stop at Israeli’s only…let’s call a spade a shovel and include Jews anywhere. How about friends of Israel, or friends of Jews in general…why not include them? Hey….how about any country who’s friendly to Israel, or who harbors Jews or Isreali’s? (Gee, I wonder where this might be leading? My antennae are starting to twitch!)

You see, Mr. Ayloush’s Council on American-Islamic Relations and many other Islamic groups have learned a number of important tactics. They've developed these tactics into a repeatable formula for success. (And I have a Doctorate in following footprints!)

· Get them young! Whether it be students in the U.S. or Britain, or homicide bombers in Palestine – get ‘em young and you have their minds forever! (At least those you allow to keep their minds).
· Tell a lie long enough and with enough conviction and people will believe it! We don’t need to look too far to see how well this works – just look at the United Nations. And - even though the Israeli wall was erected in order to protect Israel and has drastically cut down on the number of Israeli’s (and Palestinians) killed by homicide bombers, Palestinian groups are finding greater success by calling it “an exclusionary wall & discriminatory.” (Duh! I should blithely let you stroll in and blow me up? But you're right - we exclude and discriminate against homicidal bombers!)
· Blame it on the other guy!
o Abu Sayef kidnaps and kills American missionaries and European tourists on vacation, because they’re rich & trying to convert Muslims
o Iran needs nuclear weapons because the US and Israel have them, and they’re trying to destroy Iran
o American contractors are beheaded, or burned and dragged through the streets of Iraq, their scorched bodies hung from a bridge, because the US is an infidel country that set foot on Islamic soil
o 9/11 is America’s fault, they brought it on themselves because of their international crimes and their support of Israel
o Americans are like spoiled children, they need immediate gratification and have no stomach for a prolonged conflict.
· Keep up the rhetoric no matter how small each victory, support will grow!


Although she is very much more intelligent than I am, and certainly gains nothing from my support, I would like to applaud Susan Estrich for her column. She shines a light on some of the creeping & insidious methods being used to marginalize & isolate a country that we should vigorously and vocally support. Israel deserves and has earned our support.
Sometimes shining a light is a good beginning. Follow the footprints - Pass it on!


Link to Susan Estrich’s Column :
Shortcut to: http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/5/30/223259.shtml