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At DePaul University, this year's graduation ceremony assumed some elements of a protest regarding the utterly moronic University decision to deny tenure to Norman Finkelstein and Mehrene Larudee.
Kathryn Weber, a junior at DePaul, is one of the leaders of a group of students protesting the decisions. "We're willing to do whatever it takes, by whatever means necessary, to make sure these two professors get tenure. It is not negotiable," Weber said.
If you're one of the vast majority of Americans who gets news from the MSM, you probably don't know anything about the issue of Norman Finkelstein's tenure fight and the reprehensible little egomaniacal putz and pompous AIPAC butt-smoocher Alan Dershowitz's waaaaayyyy over-the-top efforts to prevent Finkelstein's tenure.
Now let's do a brief comparison, eh?
The US Congress has had 6 years to stop this horrific Bush Administration march toward totalitarianism and global armageddon. What have they done? Nothing. The cost? Dead and injured US troops, dead and injured Iraqis, dead and injured New Orleans citizens, massive increases to the contributions toward global climate change, huge American treasury deficit and an abhorrent percentage of US debt with the creditors being arguably the most advanced and, even on our own terms, competitive, industrialized nations with whom we share the planet -- China, Japan. We have a whole planet of other nations who fear us because of Mr Bush's reckless disregard for human lives, for cultural monuments and other important historic locations and buildlings, for the inevitable societal destruction wrought by 6 years of illegal war. We have a gutted Constitution and eviscerated civil rights. Our President can declare any one of us an "enemy combatant" and in that simple two-word declaration, we can be deprived of every one of our native rights -- including life itself.
And yet the US Congress does nothing.
Then, at DePaul University, we have a group of students who have studied under, taken classes from, got to know Norman Finkelstein and out of those interactions, determined that from their view as students at the University, the University should give Dr Finkelstein tenure on the faculty. They supported his faculty tenure bid. And yet, the University chancellor denied the tenure bid, and publicly determined that Dr Finkelstein's research and writing are too politically "touchy" -- translated, the Chancellor is a moral and intellectual coward, and doesn't want to have to explain or justify the tenure of the "insensitive" Dr Finkelstein, and surely doesn't want to be seen as supporting Dr Finkelstein.
So some students protested during the graduation ceremony.
College students are willing to stand up for a professor, when it's not even their JOB to do so. They are supporting Dr Finkelstein because they think it is the right thing to do for Dr Finkelstein, for the University, and for the University's students.
Yet a group of "representatives" in the Congress who make a big fat salary and get huge $$$ from their wealthy supporters can't even muster a single tiny obstacle in the path of the runaway Bush Administration juggernaut.
The errors of Vietnam are repeating themselves, a hundredfold. And it's happening because the US Congress don't even collectively muster the simple courage to do what's right -- and so, the example of proper courageous conduct must be shown by a group of college students.
I'm way more optimistic about Dr Finkelstein's chances in light of the students advocating his tenure, than I am for our Nation's chances in light of the apathy, complacency and "loyal Bushies" complicity of the US Congress.
