TAU professors denounce Dershowitz for speech against left

[IndianaGreen]

The Dershman has shown himself for the torture-loving facist swine that he is!

TAU professors denounce Dershowitz for speech against left

Academics hit back after U.S. commentator slams university staff for backing boycotts against Israel.

By Or Kashti

Senior faculty members at Tel Aviv University have come out against remarks by Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz on Saturday in which he condemned Israeli university faculty who criticize Israel and have even supported an academic boycott of the country.

Dershowitz made the remarks, in which he also criticized academics who use their academic freedom and their Jewishness to chastise the Israeli government, at a ceremony awarding him an honorary doctorate at the university.

(Watch Dershowitz's speech - starts at 50th minute of video - here)

(Read the complete text of Dershowitz's speech here)

In a letter to the university's president, Joseph Klafter, a group of faculty members demanded that Tel Aviv University disassociate itself from Dershowitz's comments and "unequivocally defend the freedom of expression of all the members of the academic community."

They wrote: "The fact that Dershowitz mentioned the names of lecturers and accused them of hurting students and harming the resilience of the State of Israel already borders on incitement."

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/tau-professors-denounce-dershowitz-for-speech-against-left-1.289796

[BrklynLiberal]

1. What the hell happened to Dershowitz? He has become a virtual neocon.

[shira]

3. He's advocating for the moderate middle to speak up more against the extremes

...and not be intimidated when doing so.

Only the Fascist Right and Stalinist Left could possibly have a problem with this.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

14. Reading this thread *proves* you're simply wrong.

There are a great many posters in this thread who clearly do have a problem with this, and clearly are neither from the fascist right nor the Stalinist left. So what you say is not merely untrue, but conclusively proved untrue by a momentary examination of the thread you're posting in.

[kenfrequed]

5. He is a mixed bag

Outside his seige mentality regarding all things dealing with Israel he still holds to some liberal ideals. He is merely making the common error of mistaking the monolithic politicking of AIPAC with the reality of political diversity within the state of Israel.

[BrklynLiberal]

11. Tunnel vision is so off-putting..even in someone like Dershowitz

[kenfrequed]

12. It's annoying really...

I mean the guy is smart about most aspects of the first amendment and is usually good with the constitution but he just seems to have gotten all tripped up to the point that he can't discern actual antisemitism with honest critiques of specific policies of Israel.

Honestly it is sad.

Apart from some of their policies regarding the Palestinians Israel is a great country.

Just as apart from Dershowitz' failing to identify those faults he is a brilliant and decent guy.

[shira]

2. Dersh vs. Goldstone on torture

One advocates its use only in extreme cases involving national security.

The other actually had blacks flogged/whipped.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[kenfrequed]

6. No one brought up Goldstone

Please cleave to the matter at hand.

[Tripmann]

7. Get used to it chief

You'll be amazed how every topic in this forum is somehow related to goldstone!

[shira]

9. IG brought up torture as one reason she doesn't like Dersh.

However, she doesn't appear to have a problem with Goldstone being an actual perpetrator of torture in the apartheid era.

[Tripmann]

10. That probably has something to do with.....

.....gasp.......wait for it......strap yourself in for the shocker........don't say you weren't warned.........

the thread being about Dershowitz.

[whosinpower]

15. Following up on this rationale

It would seem that torture is perfectly acceptable in cases where the state feels threatened for WHATEVER reason...and yet....according to Shira.....the actual use of torture, as per having someone flogged as per the directive of LAW, is immoral.

It is moral to use torture for national security outside the boundaries of the judicary, as long as that person is an enemy combatent, held without charge, and no one can defend him - but it is immoral to use it within the statutes of law.

Take your time to wrap your head around that big gaping hole of illogic.

[bemildred]

8. "Help, help, I'm being stifled!"

[delad]

13. nobody expects the spanish inquisition