People can send words of support to: communications@hampshire.edu
And what follows are two emails. One from Hampshire Students for Justice in Palestine and one from a supporter:
Dear Supporters,
Over the last 24 hours, there has been a huge response from students, parents, journalists, activists, public figures, political organizations, and individuals such as yourselves from across the country and the world congratulating us for our historic achievement this week. We are impressed and heartened by your passion in supporting us in this exciting campaign.
There have been many developments since SJP went public with the divestment, so it might be hard to keep track of the flurry of updates that have been published all over the internet. Please visit our website for the most recent statements (link to www.hsjp.org
Your support so far has been so helpful, especially since we've been working non-stop since we broke the news. There's so much more to be done, so we've come up with a few specific ways to demonstrate your solidarity with SJP and the movement. Here they are:
1) E-mail the administration and the President to voice your concern over their refusal to own up to the divestment decision. Express your disappointment that President Hexter has done nothing to condemn Alan Dershowitz's threatening phone calls to SJP's spokespeople (see update on website). Forward your letters of congratulations that you sent to us to them too. Make sure they know that divestment is not just a college—it's a movement!
A script is attached to the end of this e-mail (or the bottom of this message) as a guide if you would like to use it.
Contact:
Ralph Hexter (President): rhexter@hampshire.edu
President's Office: 
413-559-5521
2) Hampshire's endowment is very small which means that most of the college's year-to-year operating budget comes from tuition fees. For those who have donated, your contributions are greatly appreciated and important as the school is already in a troubled financial state. What we would like you to do for now is e-mail us every time you make a donation with the amount and your name so we can keep track of the funds and the support network. If you haven't donated already, here's the link:
https://alumni.hampshire.edu/giving/waysToGive/giveOnline.aspx
3) Contribute to our video series, "Voices of Divestment." We are trying to show the world that this isn't about a small group of activists, but a wide range of people from all different walks of life. We would like you to make short 30-second to 1-minute clips and send them to us by uploading the video to YouTube and emailing us the link.
Keep them informal, but stay passionate! Improvise. We want to hear why you support divestment in your own words.
Check out existing videos here: link to www.hsjp.org
Or alternatively: http://voicesofdivestment.wordpress.com/
4) Build momentum! This isn't just about us; we've been getting a lot of e-mails about help and advice for starting similar BDS campaigns at other schools, and this is one of the most important ways you can help. If the BDS movement spreads rapidly, it will become clear to the public and the media that this is not just a local administrative dispute, but that we have finally reached a critical threshold in the United States.
Many groups and individuals have contacted us asking about going on speaking tours and giving trainings for campus divestment movements. We are very excited about the prospects of helping to spread divestment to many campuses and are investigating the logistics of how to make this happen. For now if you are interested in hosting us for a speaking tour in some capacity, please email us at HampshireSJP@gmail.com with the subject "SPEAKING".
*****
The following is the script to guide you in e-mailing the president’s office:
Hello, my name is _____. I am calling/e-mailing to express my congratulations to Hampshire College for your historic decision to divest from the Israeli Occupation. This move should be an example to all institutions of higher learning across the world.
However, I am disappointed that the administration has been trying to distance itself from the decision and de-politicize the powerful statement that divestment sends. In your response to the Student's public campaign, you have repeatedly insisted that the divestment decision had a "variety of reasons" for going through, and that it had no regional or political significance. However, the length & intensity of the campaign that the Students for Justice in Palestine have run makes it clear that it was their efforts that brought this divestment to the table. I sincerely hope that you will reconsider your position on divestment and express your support for the students’ efforts in an official statement soon.
Lastly, your failure to condemn the threats Alan Dershowitz has made towards SJP’s spokespeople is deplorable. Dershowitz has called for a boycott on the College and you have still maintained your "neutral" position, hurting the students, the college, and yourself. I urge you to protect your students and their right to speak out on this monumental occasion.
Thank you.
And then there's this forwarded message:
> From: d alwan <dunyaalwan@gmail.com>
> Date: February 13, 2009 2:38:35 PM PST
> Subject: Help Hampshire College Not Back Peddle From Divestment…
>
> Hi All,
>
>
I wrote a number of you recently to say how pleased I am that Hampshire
College has taken the bold step to divest from companies that profit
from the Israeli occupation of at least some Palestinian lands.
>
>
Well, divestment is still on but in the College is back peddling from
the reasons for it. The college has a number screens aimed at socially
responsible investing. After copious research, it divested some of
these funds because of military involvement and some for lots of other
bad things. In truth, the divestment campaign on the part of Students
for Justice in Palestine (SJP) is what initiated the process that made
apparent that college was violating its own rules for investing. We
all know that that right is organized to quash all things good and
since the story broke, the college has gotten flack from a number of
quarters, Alan Dershowitz has threatened to wage a boycott against the
college itself and Hampshire has come up with a line about what
happened that is pretty hypocritical and a damn shame.
>
>
In the wake of the crimes against Gazans, with new regimes in Israel
and the U.S. and with BDS gaining unprecedented momentum throughout the
world, I think it's especially important to help Hampshire embrace
their stand against occupation, war profiteering and indeed, Israel.
It's also important to help the school face its detractors with
positive feedback. Toward that end, to follow SJP's historic
announcement of divestment, a letter I quickly wrote to the school and
will morph into letters to the editor as needed, and a letter written
to members of the Hampshire Community by school reps so you can glean
the specifics of their back peddling.
>
> I encourage you to drop Hampshire a note to support their historic move. communications@hampshire.eduDunya Alwan
Donations can be made here:
https://alumni.hampshire.edu/giving/waysToGive/giveOnline.aspx
I have sent my email congratulating Hampshire for their entry into the "misguided educators" Hall of Fame.
I sent this email:
"I support the students favoring divestment 100%. The Israeli occupation is not in the best interests of the USA or Israel. Also, in terms of plain humanitarianism, it's the right thing to do.
Anyone who knows the history of the region beyond hasbara talking points and the movie Exodus will agree. I would give you more individual support signatures
but everybody I know is out looking for a job, or trying to keep the pitiful one they have."
PS: The email address given sends you to Yahoo to first sign up for Yahoo account. You can circumvent this by copying the email address and pasting to your own email program's letter TO box.
Keep up the mojo. Chris Berel is a dinosaur.
what can you do to support the hampshire college?
Start a divestment sanctions and boycott campaign where you work or go to school. Start by spreading the words about companies that are involved in Israel ie Starbucks, Coca Cola and Nestle. If you go to school, join the Palestinian Justice group on your campus. Don't shy away at speaking up to anyone who seems to be pro Israel. Don't directly support the resistance but do not condemn it either. Focus on justice because peace without justice is still war.
And for those not working, send the issue and chance to email the college in support of divestment to everyone you know. Explain why it is important if they don't already know.
Yes, and make sure you lie because the truth will cause them to divest from Hampshire.
We don't need to do that, Chris. We just need your disapproval of this action and the fact that you are against it only helps. Cheerio.
In a few weeks after the excitement dies down if Hampshire has to rely on the Palestinian justice idiots, they will be in huge trouble. Hampshire has changed their tune about divestment to sucker in the Pro Israel Alums and their families, but it won't work.
True. But that should not be the reason hampshire turns their back on a group supporting islamic fascism. When the faculties stops being pressured by those who desire a second holocaust, or at least are prompted by those who realize that the Jews have the right to defend themselves against genocidal minded Islamic Fascists. And not with one arm tied behind their back.
Chris, could you please either define "Islamic fascism" or quit using this rubbish neo-con babble?
????"those who desire a second holocaust"????
Anyone who views political opposition as *a priori* evidence of genocidal intent is well and truly morally insane.
Are you simply repeating stuff that the hasbara folks e-mail you, or do you actually think about what it means when you accuse these students of wishing to murder millions of Jews?
Chris,
If you would take a moment to watch some of the videos on SJP's site, or on voicesofdivestment.wordpress.com,
you'd realize quickly that many of the folks who are in SJP, supportive of SJP, and have signed and contributed to the campaign are in fact Jewish American or Israeli.
SJP has taken the time to host numerous open forum discussions on this campus addressing students' concerns, and allocations of "anti-semitism" in particular. We've had several joint-meetings and community dialogues with prominent Jewish organizations on our campus as well. In fact, this coming week we are having a prominent young Jewish anti-racism activist coming to the school to do a day of workshops and trainings on fighting anti-semitism, within an anti-Zionism context. This day-long workshop will be available to all students, faculty and staff.
Sincerely yours :: aidan, Hampshire Student
aidan, no one here takes chris seriously, don't try to reason with him otherwise, you will also be called anti-semetic.
Great work at Hampshire, keep it up!
Kevin MacDonald adds his personal experience to Karin Friedemann's accurate exposition of the emotional violence of zionist advocacy: Talking with Jews (or not)
"A topic that is not discussed enough is the screaming, in-your-face, hostile aggression that people must withstand when they dare to trample on Jewish sensibilities. We are not talking about the sophisticated rationalization one sees in the op-ed pages of the mainstream media, or even the smear techniques of organizations like the ADL or the SPLC. We are talking about interpersonal aggression. There is something absolutely primal about it.
"Now comes a refreshingly frank blog post by Karin Friedemann, an ethnically Jewish anti-Zionist. She notes the “violent intolerance” that defenders of Israel show towards people with different opinions…
David, Hamas desires the destruction of the State of Israel. That would mean a genocidal attack, culminating in a second holocaust.
A Jew who is not a zionist is a Jew by accidental birth, not a Jew by religion. Hitler would have murdered them anyway.
Aiden, unlike weiss, Joachim, kelly, eva, rowan and martin, I am not ignorant of your position. I believe that you are not considering reality, rather waxing romantic. That doesn't work.
Jewish anti-semites are the worst kind, Witness Phil himself. I have to admit though that Karin Friedmann is in a class by herself. Eva Braun couldn't do any better. Although I imagine being married to Martillo would make anyone nuts.
Chris you have to understand a place like Hampshire college. It's to demented liberalism the way the air force academy trains future officers. It's full of jews who are only jews when their knocking Israel. They want hamas and hezbollah to win. Strange position for a liberal to take but like we both know. Jewish anti-semites are the worst kind.
SOG, Berel, and friends provide graphic illustration why interfaith activities with so many Jews are completely pointless as I argue in Open Letter to MPAC.
David, Hamas desires the destruction of the State of Israel. That would mean a genocidal attack, culminating in a second holocaust.
Chris, dude, not only did early Zionist leaders desire the destruction of historical Palestine, they went ahead and, militarily, through pogroms and good ol' fashioned ethnic cleansing, acheived their goal — the destruction of historical Palestine. (Read Pappe! Everyone read Pappe!) You thus sit on the smoking rubble of one genecide, a genecide by your own hands, and claim the moral high ground by wagging finger at the prospect of another. That don't wash. It's time to make amends.
A Jew who is not a zionist is a Jew by accidental birth, not a Jew by religion.
This has to be the most anti-semitic statement ever posted on Wiess. Somebody frame it?
It is pointless when the opposition are worthless antisemites like Joachim, and their best friends, like philip Weiss.
Chris ::
Your statement that "A Jew who is not a zionist is a Jew by accidental birth, not a Jew by religion" reminds me of something that's very important to keep in mind here :: Judaism as a religion has not been exclusively tied to any particular state or government for the overwhelming majority of its fraught history. In fact, there is quite a legacy of Jewish anti-state sentiment. There's been a history of fundamental mistrust of governments as such, and of course state violence against Jewish peoples. And some of the world's most noted Jewish activists and agitators were anarchist.
A really good read is the collection :: "Prophets Outcast: A Century of Dissident Jewish Writing about Zionism and Israel."
I would ask that you clarify what you mean when you said that I am "not considering reality, rather waxing romantic." What precisely am I waxing romantic about?
As for what Sword of Gideonthe has to say ::
There is no unanimous perspective among the student population at Hampshire on anything, least of all Hamas and Hezbollah. You're being arrogantly polemical in a way that does you disservice :: reducing a critique of the state of Israel to support for the parties of Hamaz and Hezbollah is sloppy.
I myself am most certainly *not* liberal, and take some offense to being characterized as such. I am certainly further left than any liberal, and find liberalism a rather distasteful ideology very tied historically to imperialist and colonialism ventures.
As for the political makeup of the campus, you'd probably find several students who'd identify as radical along some line or another. But you'd also find several who'd identify as "liberal" or "moderate," and some even as "conservative." Within SJP itself there is quite a variety of nuanced positions on various aspects of the Occupation itself, though what we have in common is an understanding that there can be no peace without justice, and that there can be no justice without end to occupation. Opinions on specific things like the political party of Hamas tend to vary among us. And we share with one another an openness to internal debate and dialogue about these issues.
Though your characterization of the campus is fairly inaccurate, I don't think it does much to hinder our commitments to our position on the occupation and the U.S. government's role. Blindly calling us "liberal" seems to be a rather desparate move, in my opinion, and one that effectively substitutes for thought.
So you prefer to be labeled as ultra-liberal? Interesting.
You are a romantic as the pre 1860 poets were romantic, but not a classicist. Until you can define the palestinian concept of justice as a function of Islamic fascism, you have little to say worth hearing.
Divestment from Israel as a consequence of the latest spanking of gaza is support for Hamas. As for hezbullah, any moron who supports hezbullah deserves whatever insults come their way.
I am not "ultra-liberal" either. It's a shame that the simplistic construction of a liberal-conservative/left-right dichotomy has such sway over your political imagination.
I guess I don't know much about romantic poets. Care to share more?
Note :: there is no unanimous, monolithic "palestinian concept of justice," for the same reasons that there is no unanimous, monolithic Jewish concept of justice. Understand that the Palestinians are in fact a complex, diverse people who share a variety of political opinions.
Your statement on Islamic fascism is downright confusing. Watching "Obsession" much?
And for clarification :: We have no divested from Israel, the way other institutions in the world have, but have done a relatively conservative thing by just divesting from corporations that assist Israel in its occupation of Palestine.
Our divestment comes as a consequence of the totality of the Occupation, and not just because of Israel's recent incursions in Gaza.
Divesting on grounds of occupation is not inherently in support of any particular political party.
Some nuance on your part is needed.
Hardly sways my political imagination. If your sole political identification is hatred of irael, identification with Islamic Fascism, and post nei-hindu, mattrs not much what else you label yourself. that you are not faniliar with standard terminology is not unusual as your prose does indicate an ignorance of many subjects. no, i do not care to educate you, thyat is for your professors to do.
that the term "islamic fascism' confuses you is to be expected of one such as yourself. professing ignorance of standard terms is an art form with those like you. Sort of being television illiterate, you take pride in being ignorant of certain subjects.
You are not divesting based on some occupation, as then you would divest from China. You divest for a different reason.
By the way, there is a monolithic concept of justice in Judaism. Another feigned ignorance on your part?
Chris Berel: your comments on this site quite consistently reflect a truly demented mind. And they provoke in me, a generally non-violent Jew, the desire to "spank" you with the sort of highly destructive weaponry your war criminal pals in Israel dropped on a trapped population of human beings in Gaza. Imagine then how the real victims of that weaponry feel about Israel and the Jews in whose name Israel claims to be acting. If there is anyone here inciting attacks on Jews simply for being Jewish, it is YOU.
The logic of the Israeli campaign, which you so gleefully support, invites a thoroughly logical reaction: any Israeli could be seen a legitimate target for murder should the rest of the world act the way Israel (with total US backing) has acted against the Palestinians. Keep this up, and it will happen.
Boycotts, Divestment, and Sanctions are the humane method of bringing the Israeli murder machine to a halt. There are more violent means as well, that will gain greater appeal should Israel continue on its current course. That's not a threat, simply an observation based on human history.
It's long past time for you to stop defending the indefensible. Be a mensch, or be a monster. Your choice.
Posting a response to an ignoramus, feigned or otherwise, always makes me post to quickly to check spelling.
Jim, get out much? Funny how you deem any Jew a target for death because of the spanking of Hamas. Any other antisemites in your family? Or are you the only moron spawned?
The amount of times you comment here, you should ask yourself that same question (get out much?).
Seriously, why do you bother (I really mean that)? Is it to measure yourself up to competition, entertainment, education (of the supposed enemy) or just plain boredom? Do you feel like you ever get anywhere with your invectives, sarcasm and flippancy? (This could be directed to SOG and Suzanne.)
Immediate and deliberately misquoting someone's self-description back at them ('ultra-liberal') is an old police trick, like making fantastic allegations then when they are disproved claiming that the truth must be 'something like' them. Berel and Suzanne use all these tactics, sometimes in concert, which implies either rudimentary police training or a sort of spontaneously-emerging police mentality.
Our little zionistas are foaming at the mouth aren't they? Their keyboards are probably melting down.
I sent a letter to Hampshire and forwarded Phil's columns to my nephews at Duke and UNC asking them to spread it around campus. Anyone with any children or nieces or nephews at college…forward it to them.
Thank you for your input, aidan. Keep up the great work.
I agree, thank you for your input aidan And yes, keep up the great work. I also contacted relatives and friends in colleges and other schools in behalf SJP.
And BTW, Chris Berel is ignorant to the extreme. His comments illustrate this all the time, as they do his immense bigotry and lack of intellectual nuance and moral integrity. All you need to know to correctly guess how he will respond to any comment on this blog is this: Israel right or wrong. Tomorrow the sub-human goys with their scout kapos are coming to exterminate me. SOG, ditto.
Chris Berel also knows nothing about poetry.
LOL…too good to pass up
Financial Times
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wall Street Swindler Strikes Powerful Blows for Social Justice
By James Petras
"We never thought he would do this to us, he was one of our people",
Wall Street broker Bernard ('Bernie') Madoff, former president of NASDAQ, revered and respected investor confessed to pulling off the biggest fraud in history, a $50 billion dollar scam. Bernie was known for his generous philanthropy, especially to Zionist, Jewish and Israeli causes.
The Positive Side of Madoff's Mega-Swindle (The Inadvertent Hand of Justice)
While it is understandable that the super-rich and wealthy, who have lost a large portion of their retirement and investment funds are unanimous in their condemnation and cries of betrayal of trust, and the editorials of all the prestigious newspapers and weeklies have joined the chorus of moral critics, there is much to praise in Madoff's deeds, even if such praise was not at the heart of his fraudulent endeavour.
It is worthwhile to list the inadvertent positive outcomes of Madoff's mega-swindle. First of all the swindle of $50 plus billion dollars may make a big dent on US Zionist funding of illegal Israeli colonial settlements in the Occupied Territories, lessen funding for AIPAC's purchase of Congressional influence and financing of propaganda campaigns in favour of a pre-emptive US military attack against Iran. Most investors will have to lower or eliminate their purchase of Israel bonds, which subsidize the Jewish State's military budget.
n Secondly, the swindle has further discredited the highly speculative hedge funds already reeling from massive withdrawals because of deep losses. Madoff's funds were one of the last 'respected' operations still drawing new investors, but with the latest revelations it may accelerate their demise. The dismissed promoters may finally have to perform an honest, productive day's work.
n Thirdly, Madoff's long-term, large-scale fraud was not detected by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) despite its claims of at least two investigations. As a result, there is a total loss of credibility. More generally, the SEC's failure demostrates the incapacity of capitalist government regulatory agencies to detect mega frauds. This failure raises the question of whether alternatives to investing in Wall Street are better suited to protect savings and pension funds.
n Fourthly, Madoff's long-term association with NASDAQ, including his chairmanship, while he was defrauding his clients of billions, strongly suggests that the members and leaders of this stock exchange are incapable of recognizing a crook, and are prone to overlook felonious behavior of 'one of their own'. In other words, the investing public can no longer look to holders of high posts in NASDAQ as a sign of probity. After Madoff it may signal time to look for a king-size mattress for safe keeping of what remains of a family's wealth.
nThe fifth point is that the investment advisors from top banks in Europe, Asia and the US managing billions of funds did not carry out the most elementary due diligence of Madoff's operation. Apart from severe bank losses, tens of thousands of influential, affluent and super-rich lost their entire accumulated wealth. The result is total loss of confidence in the leading banks and financial instruments as well as the general discrediting of 'expert knowledge'. The result is a weakening of the financial stranglehold over investor behaviour and the demise of an important sector of the parasitic 'rentier' class, which gains without producing any useful commodities or providing needed services.
nThe sixth point is that since most of the money stolen by Madoff came from the upper classes around the world, his behavior has reduced inequalities – he is the 'greatest leveller' since the introduction of the progressive income tax. By ruining billionaires and bankrupting millionaires, Madoff has lessened their capacity to use their wealth to influence politicians in their favor – thus increasing the potential political influence of the less affluent sectors of class society and inadvertently strengthening democracy against the financial oligarchs.
n A seventh point can be made that by swindling life-long friends, self-same ethno-religious investors, narrow ethnically defined country club members and close family members, Madoff demonstrates that finance capital shows no respect for any of the pieties of everyday life: Great and small, holy and profane, all are subordinated to the rule of capital.
n Eighth, among the many ruined investors in New York and New England, there are a number of mega slumlords (real estate moguls), sweatshop owners (fancy name-brand clothes and toy manufacturers) and others who barely paid the minimum wage to their women and immigrant labourers, evicted poor tenants and swindled employees out of their pensions before moving their operations to China. In other words, Madoff's swindle was a kind of secular 'divine' retribution for past and present crimes against labor and the poor. Needless to say, this 'unconscious Robin Hood' did not redistribute the money fleeced from the employers to their workers, he reinvested part of it in charities which enhanced his philanthropic image and to payout to some of his early investors so sustain the overall Ponzi scam.
n Point number nine is that Madoff struck a severe blow against anti-Semites who claim that there is a 'close-knit Jewish conspiracy to defraud the Gentiles', laying that canard to rest once and for all. Among Bernard Madoff's principle victims were his closest Jewish friends and colleagues, people who shared Seder meals and frequented the same upscale temples in Long Island and Palm Beach.
Bernie was discriminating in accepting clients, but it was on the basis of their wealth and not their national origin, race, religion or sexual preference. He was very ecumenical and a strong backer of globalization. There was nothing ethnocentric about Madoff. He defrauded the Anglo-Chinese bank HSBC of $1 billion dollars and several billions from the Dutch arm of the Belgian bank Fortes. $1.4 billion was from the Royal Bank of Scotland, the French bank BNP Paribas, the Spanish bank, Banco Santander, the Japanese Nomura; not to mention hedge funds in London and the US, which have admitted holdings in Bernard Madoff Investment Securities. Indeed Bernie was emblematic of the modern up-to-date, politically correct, multicultural, international…swindler. The ease with which the super rich of Europe forked their fortunes over caused one Madrid-based business consultant to observe that, "picking off Spain's wealthiest was like clubbing seals" (Financial Times, December 18, 2008 p.16)
n The tenth point is that Madoff's swindle will likely promote greater self-criticism and a more distrustful attitude toward other potential confidence people posing as reliable financial know-it-alls. Among self-critical Jews, they are less likely to confide in brokers simply because they are zealous backers of Israel and generous contributors to Zionist fund drives. That is no longer an adequate guarantee of ethical behavior and a certificate of good conduct. In fact it may raise suspicion of brokers who are excessively ardent boosters of Israel and promise consistent high returns to local Zionist affiliates – asking themselves whether this business about 'what is good for the …' is really a cover for another scam.
n The final and 11th point is the demise of Madoff's enterprise and his wealthy liberal Jewish victims will adversely affect contributions to the 52 Major Jewish American Organizations, numerous foundations in Boston, Los Angeles, New York and elsewhere, as well as the Clinton/Schumer militarist wing of the Democratic Party (Madoff bankrolled both of them as well as other unconditional Congressional supporters of Israel). This may open Congress to greater debate on Middle East policy without the usual high volume attacks.
Conclusion
Madoff's swindle and fraudulent behaviour is not the result of a personal moral failure. It is the product of a systemic imperative and the economic culture, which informs the highest circles of our class structure. The paper economy, hedge funds and all the 'sophisticated financial instruments' are all 'Ponzi schemes' – they are not based on producing and selling goods and services. They are financial bets on future financial paper growth based on securing future buyers to pay off earlier cash ins.
The 'failure' of the SEC is totally predictable and systemic: The regulators are selected from the regulatees, are beholden to them and defer to their judgments, claims and audit sheets. They are structured to 'miss the signs' and to avoid 'over-regulating' their financial superiors. Madoff operated in a milieu of a Wall Street where everything goes, where impunity for mega-bailouts for mega swindlers is the norm. As an individual swindler, he out-defrauded some of his bigger institutional competitors on the Street. The whole system of rewards and prestige goes to those best able to juggle the books, to cover the paper trails and who have willing victims begging to get fleeced. What a mensch, this Madoff!
In a few days, one individual, Bernard Madoff, has struck a bigger blow against global financial capital, Wall Street and the US Zionist Lobby/Israel-First Agenda than the entire US and European left combined over the past half century! He has been more successful in reducing vast wealth disparities in New York than all the white, black, Christian and Jewish, reform and mainline Democratic and Republican governors and Mayors over the past two centuries.
Some right-wing conspiracy theorists are claiming that Bernie is a secret Islamic-Palestinian agent (from Hamas) who set out to deliberately undermine the financial base of the Jewish State of Israel and its most powerful, affluent and generous US backers and foundations. Others claim that he is a closet Marxist whose swindles were carefully designed to discredit Wall Street and to funnel billions into clandestine radical organizations – after all, does anyone know where the lost billions have gone? Unlike the leftist pundits, bloggers and protest marchers, whose earnest and public activities have had no effect on the rich and powerful, Madoff has aimed his blows where it hurts the most: Their mega-bank accounts, their confidence in the capitalist system, their self-esteem and, yes, even their cardiac well-being. Does that mean we on the left should form a Bernie Madoff Defence Committee and call for a bailout in line with Paulson's bailout of his Citibank cronies? Should we proclaim "Equal bailout for equal swindlers!?” Should we advocate his flight (or his riht of return) to Israel to avoid a trial? It might not fly with his many Jewish victims to make the case for an Israeli retirement for Bernie.
There is no reason to mount the barricades for Bernard Madoff. It's enough to recognize that he has inadvertently rendered an historic service to popular justice by undermining some of the financial props of a class-ridden injustice system.
Postscript
Was it out of sheer admiration or because of some covert linkages with Madoff that our current Attorney General Michael Mukasey is removing himself from the investigation? Others of equal importance and influence are most certainly tied in the Madoff Affair, and not just the 'victims'. We are facing a serious case of matters of State … No one can believe that a single person could by himself pull off a scam of this size and duration. Nor can any serious investigator believe that $50 billion dollars has simply 'disappeared' or been squirrelled into personal accounts. – James Petras is a Bartle Professor (Emeritus) of Soiology at Binghamton University,
I do not believe, as Petras does, that the exposure of Madoff was ultimately unrelated to the general zionist paroxysm. Petras has bought this hypothesis as an ironic narrative line for his story, and thus committed himself to it, without any justification – as his final sentence seems to admit.
If the congressional investigators and MSM investigative reporters do not track the paper trail beyond Madoff to specific individuals, beginning with Madoff's immediate, and then, extended family, and into relevant federal instruments such as the SEC, it is ipso facto
a cover-up. They could start with getting information from that guy who tried for so many years to wake the appropriate federal entities up. Go from the names and entities he addressed who stone-walled him. I'm sure he kept records of his ineffective attempts to blow the whistle on Madoff.
The SEC investigation, covering its own ass, is going absolutely nowhere:
link to nakedshorts.typepad.com
Reminds me of the AIPAC spy trial.
Today a NY Times article by Ethan Bronner describes a joint degree program between Bard College in New York and Al Quds University in Jerusalem and Abu Dis.
One merit of a joint degree program, Bronner explains, is to get round Israeli intransigence:
————
Accreditation proceedings [with Israel] have been stalled for two decades. At the moment, a degree from Al Quds, which is widely seen as among the best Palestinian universities and has medical, law and engineering schools, is not recognized in Israel, meaning that teachers, for example, cannot get jobs with adequate pay in Israeli schools.
One side benefit of the Bard program would be to change that for its participants, since the joint degree would carry accreditation in New York State and thereby receive recognition in Israel.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/world/middleeast/15quds.html
————
Ain't that amazing? A degree from faraway New York gives you carte blanche in Israel, while one from Al Quds — hard by the apartheid wall — is just a g-damned piece of paper. So Bard's imprimatur can help monkeywrench the Israeli system for a lucky few.
It all sounds very promising until the final paragraph of the article, quoting Bard College president Leon Botstein:
'It is also clear that being a Zionist and favoring the security and healthy future for the State of Israel is absolutely compatible with creating a Palestinian state. That’s why we’re very proud of what we’re doing.'
Oh, my. Isn't the non-cooperation of the zionist state — its relentless efforts to marginalize Palestinian institutions — one of the main drivers of this innovative joint degree program? Yet Mr. Botstein sticks to the 'two-state solution' fantasy, which would look a lot like today, except with statehood for the Palestinian Authority.
Man … zionoids sho' is crazy.
I really want an answer. I want to know WHY they continue to permeate websites like these. Lay it all out.
Why would Israel hire an Al-Quds graduate. Somebody who wants to destroy the country. And why would an Al-quds graduate want to work for the 'zio-nazi" war machine.
Joshua, they are worried the American "unwashed masses" might wake up and sever the AIPAC-Israel zio-nazi war machine from its American tracks.
And re chris berel & soggy's stopped stop watch: "A Jew who is not a zionist is a Jew by accidental birth, not a Jew by religion. Hitler would have murdered them anyway."
This statement merges zionism with the jewish religion. Zionism is a secular movement that from the time of its appearance right up to the present day has been denied as Judaism by many Jews, including ultra-orthodox Jews even now living in Israel. The basis of historical Zionism has earlier, but the same roots as Nazism. Both are tied from the beginning to a belief in a romantic fairy tale past, secured
by the concept of Volk, blood & soil, and Darwinism. Et tu: Lebensraum.
Phil speaks as a Jewish American for the highest values of the country he was born in, grew up in, and very much benefitted from. Earlier models
of his stance from other religions and birth nations–Joachim Martillo details a few of these models and their historical context on his blog (you can click on it to the right of your screen in Phil's blog roll.)
1. Doctor Seuss (Theodore Geisel) –German American. Stood loudly against Nazism, advocated early USA entry into war against Germany.
2. Marlene Dietrich–stood loudly against Nazism. Spent the war supporting American troops after emigrating from Nazi Germany. Often told the world that if Nazis defined what it meant to be a German, then she was not a German. (The largest single ethnic American group to fight against Germany in both wars were German Americans–Christians, agnostics, and aetheists.)
3. Nataśa Kandić –Serb who regularly condemned Serb racism to hinder Serb anti-Albanian action and advised NATO to attack Serbia.
4. The White Rose–German anti-Nazi student resistance group that distributed leaflets against the Nazi regime. They were murdered by the Nazis of course. The Hampshire students to divest from companies enabling the Israeli occupation follow the example of the
White Rose, as did
Allegra Pacheco affirmatively when she took Israeli citizenship to fight Zionism.
" companies that are involved in Israel ie Starbucks…"
Starbucks is not involved in Israel at all. It does not do any business in Israel, has no franchises there. It does do business in quite a few Arab countries.
Shirin is an hasbara agent:link to inminds.co.uk
I am a pedophile.
Starbucks is not in Israel. But I understand why a good boycott would cause a guy like citizen to whack off to his Hitler poster.
chris and sword are just annoyed because both their sisters love to suck uncut dicks.
Here's an old article from 2003 that sheds light on why Starbucks closed:
excerpt: Quite possibly the reason I chose to spend my time at Starbucks, instead of visiting the popular and locally-based Arcaffe coffee shop across the street, was the reason that owners Starbucks Coffee International and Delek Group decided to close up shop – the six outlets of the chain were not attracting customers. For me the empty tables and the lack of a line at the counter were an advantage; the owners, however, lost 20 million shekels last year.
Starbucks had grandiose plans when it entered the Israeli market in 2001. It planned to open 20 outlets a year for a total of 100 branches around the country. But then it made almost every mistake possible and stopped its expansion.
What went wrong? Maybe the Starbucks failure can be blamed on bad management (the whole team was fired in 2001). Maybe the chain chose the wrong locations (customers preferred the more familiar coffeehouses just across the street). Maybe Starbucks forgot to advertise. Maybe the recession and fear of terrorism kept potential coffee drinkers at home. Or maybe Israelis just didn't like the taste of Starbucks coffee.
Doesn't sound like a political decision to me.
chris and sword are just annoyed because both their sisters love to suck uncut dicks.
Posted by: Moel | February 15, 2009 at 08:04 PM
Who put you up to this? Rowan? Martin? Eva? mohammed? Phil?
Yeah. That's not right. They are annoyed because its getting a tad harder to catch and hold little kids:
"I am a pedophile.
Posted by: chris berel | February 15, 2009 at 05:20 PM"
Typical friends of Philip Weiss. Nice group he party's with.
At least they don't lay their hands on little tots.