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Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel. 1400+ killed, 2400+ wounded, 240+ abducted. Israel declares war

efyu_lemonardo

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Expel the students defending Nazis.
It's no longer just the students:
The liberal college is engaged in a "civil war" as professors are taking sides in the Israel-Hamas war, with 54 Columbia Law School professors sending a letter to leadership blasting them for suspending pro-Palestine students.

Pro-Israel liberal professor Shai Davidai is on the other side of the conflict, hammering Columbia for barring him from entering the campus.
 
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Woggleman

Member
What gets me is how these protestors shout about how their free speech rights are being denied but aren't they cut from the same group that shouts down any speaker on campus who is to the right of Che Guevara? I am a free speech absolutist but the hypocrisy is not lost on me. The cancelers hate that they can also be canceled.
 
What gets me is how these protestors shout about how their free speech rights are being denied but aren't they cut from the same group that shouts down any speaker on campus who is to the right of Che Guevara? I am a free speech absolutist but the hypocrisy is not lost on me. The cancelers hate that they can also be canceled.
Or supporting a group that wants to kill their free speech all together.
 

efyu_lemonardo

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What gets me is how these protestors shout about how their free speech rights are being denied but aren't they cut from the same group that shouts down any speaker on campus who is to the right of Che Guevara? I am a free speech absolutist but the hypocrisy is not lost on me. The cancelers hate that they can also be canceled.
Students that have been taught to believe that the fundamental building block of modern society is the power struggle, rather than the idea of a social contract that includes freedoms, rights and responsibilities, inevitably become selfish anarchists. It's sad and infuriating how predictable this is.
 
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efyu_lemonardo

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How many bloody revolutions started with or were primarily college students?

Damn near all of them, I think.
Pretty easy to explain - this is a sector that is mostly young, poor and still free from most of life's economic obligations on the one hand, and on the other hand is in an environment that encourages exposure to an enormous variety of uncomfortable and often radical ideas. It's the perfect storm. Which is why good faculty and good institutions are so important.
 

efyu_lemonardo

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I agree with much of what this woman says. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...pletely-lost-supporting-terrorist-regime.html

Do these left wing protestors who hate oppression so much not realize how oppressive these regimes are?
Like I said, they don't hate oppression, quite the opposite in fact: They've been taught that the most effective tool at their disposal is the power struggle, and they are applying what they've learned to forcefully take back what they think they deserve. They're not at all trying to hide their willingness to oppress others in the process. To them, life is like a ferris wheel and it is now their turn to be on top.
 

Woggleman

Member
Like I said, they don't hate oppression, quite the opposite in fact: They've been taught that the most effective tool at their disposal is the power struggle, and they are applying what they've learned to forcefully take back what they think they deserve. They're not at all trying to hide their willingness to oppress others in the process. To them, life is like a ferris wheel and it is now their turn to be on top.
That is how they think but they frame their whole argument in terms of oppressed vs oppressors. The very same people who fund and sponsor much of the terrorism against Isreal and the west are the oppressors in the middle east but that does not register with them. The people who claim to hate patriarchy so much will cheer on a regime that literally murdered a woman for having her hijab on crooked because they attack Isreal who are seen as the ultimate oppressors in the middle east.
 

efyu_lemonardo

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That is how they think but they frame their whole argument in terms of oppressed vs oppressors. The very same people who fund and sponsor much of the terrorism against Isreal and the west are the oppressors in the middle east but that does not register with them. The people who claim to hate patriarchy so much will cheer on a regime that literally murdered a woman for having her hijab on crooked because they attack Isreal who are seen as the ultimate oppressors in the middle east.
Ideologically it's more like they're chearing for Western institutions to lose power, because they believe they themselves are victims of these institutions. Palestine or Iran or Yemen or ISIS or whatever are just straw men, they represent a "non western" hierarchy.
The fact that they believe that anything "non western" is by default better for them is due to pure ignorance and magical thinking, probably fueled by hate for their own institutions.
 

wa600

Member
I wish there would be more (legal) consequences for spreading misinformation on social media. Its beyond frustrating. Just look at this tweet:



He is making it look like the people misbehaving are not pro-palestinians but 'Zionists" who aim to make the other side look bad.
So who is this Max Blumenthal? His own info says he is editor at "The Greyzone". On youtube they have 361k subs and in their own description it says "Independent news and investigative journalism on politics and empire."
Investigative journalism my ass. He purposefully makes it look its a current tweet and also purposefully leaves out the majority of the information. The tweet speaks of this weekends protests, but was posted in February.
There is also another tweet from back then revealing the details of this 'operation'. Its a bit long, but here are parts of it:
  • Our mission is rooted in peace, legality, and the protection of all individuals from hate and discrimination, especially within Jewish communities.
  • Legal Compliance: We affirm that all activities suggested or implied by our initiative are intended to be conducted within the full bounds of the law.
  • We do not endorse nor encourage any form of illegal activity, violence, or harassment.
  • We advocate for banning masks to conceal the identities of those committing acts of hate, and we seek stricter enforcement of laws against hate crimes, ensuring accountability and protection for Jews.
  • The aim of “Operation Global Insight” is to highlight the need for protective measures that safeguard individuals against hate crimes, with a specific focus on the challenges faced by Jewish communities at protests.
 

Bry0

Member
I wish there would be more (legal) consequences for spreading misinformation on social media. Its beyond frustrating. Just look at this tweet:



He is making it look like the people misbehaving are not pro-palestinians but 'Zionists" who aim to make the other side look bad.
So who is this Max Blumenthal? His own info says he is editor at "The Greyzone". On youtube they have 361k subs and in their own description it says "Independent news and investigative journalism on politics and empire."
Investigative journalism my ass. He purposefully makes it look its a current tweet and also purposefully leaves out the majority of the information. The tweet speaks of this weekends protests, but was posted in February.
There is also another tweet from back then revealing the details of this 'operation'. Its a bit long, but here are parts of it:
  • Our mission is rooted in peace, legality, and the protection of all individuals from hate and discrimination, especially within Jewish communities.
  • Legal Compliance: We affirm that all activities suggested or implied by our initiative are intended to be conducted within the full bounds of the law.
  • We do not endorse nor encourage any form of illegal activity, violence, or harassment.
  • We advocate for banning masks to conceal the identities of those committing acts of hate, and we seek stricter enforcement of laws against hate crimes, ensuring accountability and protection for Jews.
  • The aim of “Operation Global Insight” is to highlight the need for protective measures that safeguard individuals against hate crimes, with a specific focus on the challenges faced by Jewish communities at protests.

Grayzone “journalist” pushing divisive extremist narratives that just happen to always benefit foreign interests with a strong anti-American tilt? No surprise there.
 

NickFire

Member
There are innocent people being held hostage and large numbers of the supposed best and brightest students in the US are cheering for the captors. And 99% of us who are appalled, myself included, will say very little outside of the shield of anonymity because social media has been weaponized by the people who support this lunacy. This is not good.
 
This student protests are basically George Floyd protests of 2024.

Would not be surprised if student loan forgiveness also encourages these students not to do anything.
 
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jason10mm

Gold Member
Damn, just expell a few dozen and the rest will STFU when they realize their student loans don't get canceled just because you are kicked out. Columbia is FUCKED, how bad does it have to be where you cancel classes a month early?
 

WoJ

Member
Ive been somewhat tuned out on the Israel/Gaza stuff for a while but seeing what is going on at college campuses right now is really sad. I know college kids trend more progressive but FFS we basically have an entire demographic that is cheering for known terrorists, acknowledging they are supporting terrorists with people in Congress approving of the behavior.

Really sad where we are at in this country right now.
 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Columbia has been circling the drain for a while now, between all their sham $200k+ master’s degrees, losing their school ranking for falsifying data, and extreme ideological slant on campus. Getting so out of control that they had to cancel all in-person classes for the final month of the semester is an impressive mess though even for them.
 

Chuck Berry

Gold Member
Jesus christ this is now happening across the country?! Yale, Harvard, MIT, UVA, UNC, Berkeley, Princeton, Stanford..what the FUCK? Demanding the faculties stop doing business with Israel? :messenger_tears_of_joy: Really? Can we just send in the National Guard to all of these campuses to start launching tear gas and/or to start mowing these ignorant dumbfucks down?

My country is a fucking embarrassment.
 
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Lord Panda

The Sea is Always Right
Jesus christ this is now happening across the country?! Yale, Harvard, MIT, UVA, UNC, Berkeley, Princeton, Stanford..what the FUCK? Demanding the faculties stop doing business with Israel? :messenger_tears_of_joy: Really? Can we just send in the National Guard to all of these campuses to start launching tear gas and/or to start mowing these ignorant dumbfucks down?

My country is a fucking embarrassment.
It's spreading to some campuses here in Australia too.

University of Sydney is my alma mater from way back when, and now it's becoming increasingly infested with these knobheads.

75a8e6809ed9f1053bbd3df753ad2dec421b848b
 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
I am a Columbia graduate myself and I embarressed of my alma mater.
It’s still an elite school with rigorous standards, one that you should be proud of attending. This kind of idiocy will hopefully pass. Probably requires a change in leadership though, as with Claudine Gay.
 

NickFire

Member
It’s still an elite school with rigorous standards, one that you should be proud of attending. This kind of idiocy will hopefully pass. Probably requires a change in leadership though, as with Claudine Gay.
Respectfully, I disagree with the notion that it is still an elite school. Any school that goes remote to coddle the people who support the bad guys in the below story does not seem elite in my opinion. Rather, in my humble opinion it just sounds like an overpriced daycare for coddled little brats that severely lack in common sense.

 

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
Respectfully, I disagree with the notion that it is still an elite school. Any school that goes remote to coddle the people who support the bad guys in the below story does not seem elite in my opinion. Rather, in my humble opinion it just sounds like an overpriced daycare for coddled little brats that severely lack in common sense.

It’s very concerning yes, and tarnishes the school’s reputation to openly align with radical terrorists. But that’s not speaking to the academic standards for the most part. Just like how UC Berkeley is a hot mess on campus at the best of times but still produces a lot of Nobel prizes and elite computer scientists.
 

efyu_lemonardo

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Why are these schools so deathly afraid to expel students ? Is it the money?
Almost certainly yes. The fact that they've been accepting massive funds from the likes of Qatar for years indicates that they haven't exactly been swimming in options.
 
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Why are these schools so deathly afraid to expel students ? Is it the money?

Expel and put on no fly lists for the next decade for support of terrorism.
There actually is a legal reason they should be shy of this as these schools are bound by 1st amendment considerations, or their equivalents in other countries, and expelling students, especially in large numbers, opens them up to some pretty hefty lawsuits for that reason.

That said, I don't think it is just that. That factors in, but I think if the institution's weren't so heavily inundated with people sympathetic to these causes, you're probably see them being considerably more willing to try their luck.
 

Woggleman

Member
I am proud of my education and I attended in the 90s which was a more sane Era. That being said I can't deny what a lot of colleges have become.
 

wa600

Member
Damn.. that video of Hersh hit me hard. For me personally he had become the symbol of Oct 7th.
If you havent seen the videos there are at least 2 videos of the Oct 7th incident with him. The first one is from a car dashcam thats pointed towards one of the bomb shelters at the side of the road. People from the Nova Festival are trapped inside while at least 10 Hamas fighters surround them and start throwing grenade after grenade inside. From the timestamp you can tell that parts of the video are cut out. It may be the very first grenade when one of the people inside tries running out but he doesnt make it far. You can see him falling slightly outside of the picture. Then one of Hamas runs toward him and shoots him point plank 7-8 times.
They keep on throwing grenades inside, the grenades keep getting thrown out until at least one (or more?!) explode inside.
The second video is from one of the Hamas fighters and shows some of the aftermath. They lead three guys from inside and basically throw them on one of their toyota pickup tracks. One of the three guys is Hersh who is missing half of his arm.

Since then I have often thought about Hersh. And to be honest I was rather certain that they may have killed him directly after this (because he wouldnt be worth saving) or that he died because of this heavy injuries. So its very weird to suddenly see a video with him. Guy must have been through hell. His family must have been through hell. I cant imagine how they must have felt in all this time and how they feel now. Part of me is surely glad he is still alive, but part of me fears they might kill him 'to prove' another hostage died because of Israels bombing. I wish things will play out differently and he will be able to reunite with his family.
Hamas is beyond evil using him for their propaganda. Its clear as day these words arent coming from him and he is forced to say them. I just hate all hamas supporters and apologists and it makes me sad that people are not able to see through this.
 

efyu_lemonardo

May I have a cookie?
But first we have to expel the teachers that are indoctrinating students and break the cycle.
How to do this smartly is what needs to be figured out, I think.

If it's done too obviously I fear the optics will be a nightmare. It could be portrayed as an Academic purge akin to those done in fascist countries.

Edit: to be clear, the Jewish professor mentioned over 50 Hamas supporting faculty members, but I've also come to realize he's a bit overzealous so hopefully that's an exaggeration. If it's significantly less they could be let go without making too much noise.
 
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Woggleman

Member
People need to realize that no matter what the accusations will come and do what needs to be done. If rational people keep cowering in fear they will lose. Stop being afraid to be the bad guy.
 

winjer

Gold Member
How to do this smartly is what needs to be figured out, I think.

If it's done too obviously I fear the optics will be a nightmare. It could be portrayed as an Academic purge akin to those done in fascist countries.

Purges are done more often that you might think, even in democratic countries.
Example, before WW2, both the USSR and the USA did purges of their military.
The USSR did this because of political ideology, as to remove any opponents to Stalin and to the Communist party.
In the USA, the purge was done to remove incompetent officers, that otherwise, could be a severe risk to their own troops.
The term "purge" has a negative connotation, but the reality is done quite often and there are good reasons for it.
Even private companies do purges to trim the fat, remove incompetent managers, as to save the company.
In the case of several US Universities, a purge is needed to remove people spreading antisemitism, supporters of terrorism, enemies of democratic institutions and free speech.
A professor in a university is there to teach, not to be a hub of propaganda.
 

Woggleman

Member
The mob will gleefully cancel people for expressing views that were considered progressive in the 90s but sane people are afraid to go after people spreading blatant hate. Just at any woke type of forum and they never happier than when they cancel somebody.

They are the aggressors in this situation and should not be allowed to cry victim when they catch the same heat they gleefully dish at anybody who disagrees with them.
 

efyu_lemonardo

May I have a cookie?
Purges are done more often that you might think, even in democratic countries.
Example, before WW2, both the USSR and the USA did purges of their military.
The USSR did this because of political ideology, as to remove any opponents to Stalin and to the Communist party.
In the USA, the purge was done to remove incompetent officers, that otherwise, could be a severe risk to their own troops.
The term "purge" has a negative connotation, but the reality is done quite often and there are good reasons for it.
Even private companies do purges to trim the fat, remove incompetent managers, as to save the company.
In the case of several US Universities, a purge is needed to remove people spreading antisemitism, supporters of terrorism, enemies of democratic institutions and free speech.
A professor in a university is there to teach, not to be a hub of propaganda.
The issue in Academia is tenure making it a bit more complicated to fire for any old reason. But apparently there are ways around that. I found this online, for example, and it makes sense:

What is the process for firing a tenured professor for incompetence? Are there any examples of this happening?
The benefit of tenure is that it is hard to fire a professor for any reason. There are examples of professors being fired for criminal activities or harassment of something else that is very egregious and having nothing to do with job competence.

Some colleges and universities have post-tenure review processes where someone periodically has to demonstrate teaching effectiveness and research performance, but I have not heard of that leading to the firing of a faculty member.

The most common reason for firing a tenured professor is financial. The university will claim a financial crisis, leading to the closure of academic programs/departments, including the dismissal of tenured faculty.

A good source is the AAUP. Any institution that attempts to removes tenured faculty will draw the AAUP’s attention and public condemnation.

It should also be noted that proving incompetence is not easy. Many faculty are not good teachers, so incompetence in the classroom is often accepted. If the argument is that the professor does not know their subject or is not a good researcher, this should have been discovered in the tenure process. Once someone has been granted tenure, saying they are incompetent is saying that all of the faculty and administrators who approved tenure are also incompetent. Good luck with getting people to agree with that assessment!
 

winjer

Gold Member
The issue in Academia is tenure making it a bit more complicated to fire for any old reason. But apparently there are ways around that. I found this online, for example, and it makes sense:

Of course it would be difficult, but when we reach the point of having teachers supporting terrorists and convincing students to attack other teachers and students, that is a severe situation.
 

efyu_lemonardo

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Of course it would be difficult, but when we reach the point of having teachers supporting terrorists and convincing students to attack other teachers and students, that is a severe situation.
Completely agree, I was just looking for a way to do it while potentially avoiding the bad optics that come from an academic purge. Shutting down or downsizing the relevant departments, seemingly for financial reasons, is a possible way to mitigate that.
 
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winjer

Gold Member
Completely agree, I was just looking for a way to do it while potentially avoiding the bad optics that come from an academic purge. Shutting down or downsizing the relevant departments, seemingly for financial reasons, is a possible way to mitigate that.

It might be better to make it public. Set an example, that such behavior will not be tolerated in a modern democracy.
If a handful of the most vocal professors, that are supporting terrorism and inciting violence with their students, are fired and even criminally charged, it will send a message to all the others.

And mind you, there is a paradox in the democratic system, that dictators and extremists try to use to sabotage it.
The idea is that in a democracy, that all forms of speech are to be allowed. And because of that, instigators, can use that same preset to attack democratic institutions.
But the reality, is that democracy has to defend itself against authorities and extremism.
Also consider that in a free society, inciting others to do violence is a crime, no matter the reason.
So a professor that is inciting students to attack other students and professors, and that are supporting terrorist organizations, are committing a crime.
 
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