[Peace-discuss] Repeat Response

[Robert Dunn]

Wow David, memory lapses, so how can you accuse Lee of lying if you do not remember if you initiated the confrontation? As far as the hostility was shown, I remember David, that you shoved me out of line at the Professor Brustein lecture and proceeded to grab the speaker by his shoulders. Get your facts straight, your paranoia is only making you look ridiculous.> Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:08:19 -0700> From: davegreen84 at yahoo.com> To: peace-discuss at anti-war.net> Subject: [Peace-discuss] Repeat Response> > I was told to send the message in plain text. I> apologize either for the repeated message or for the> previous message being difficult to read.> > DG> > In response to Lee Melhado’s letter in the N-G today,> let me make the following corrections:> > First, I did not interrupt a questioner. The speaker> had indicated that he would be taking no more> questions, after giving long and rambling answers to 4> or 5. He was either on his last or next-to-last point,> which was a question on his part: How would we respond> if we had 3,600 rockets fired onto our land. At the> point, I asked a question (without raising my hand):> How would we respond if Canada occupied Montana and> established Canadian-only settlements and> Canadian-only roads?> > I do not recall how I was “gesticulating,” nor could I> see whether my face turned red. I was certainly> passionate and angry, but not abusive in the least,> and in addition I was speaking loudly to be heard from> the back of the room. I’m not aware that it is a crime> to either turn red-faced or gesticulate. After> speaking for less than one minute (not “several> minutes”) Fred Gottheil interrupted me by shouting (as> I later was told) “We’ll bomb you just like we bomb> Hamas.” At that point, several other individuals> yelled at me (I think including Gottheil’s wife); the> infirm gentleman, Ehud Yairi, sitting near me, stood> up and shuffled toward me with his cane while loudly> and angrily berating me. I spoke for perhaps one more> minute after being interrupted, including a response> to a factual error that the speaker had made about the> percentage of “religious” settlers.> > At that point, the speaker intervened in order to not> answer my question, but at least to conclude the> festivities. He did accuse me of making up facts.> > Afterwards, I walked up to Yairi, getting no closer> than five feet. I very angrily said to him, twice,> “Don’t ever get in my face again.” At that point a> younger man intervened, and physical contact ensued.> It’s interesting that Melhado claims that I “attacked”> Yairi, while not claiming that the shoving was> initiated by me. In fact, it wasn’t, although I do not> recall exactly what happened.> > Melhado’s assertion that I have a history of> disrupting Jewish-sponsored events is nonsense. I> disrupted one small conversation at Allen Hall in> November 2005, in response to condescending treatment> toward me by the speaker, Yossi Klein Halevi, which> was a campus-sponsored, not Jewish-sponsored, event.> Other than that, there have been no “rants.” The only> Jewish-sponsored event that I have attended in years> was a talk in February at the Illini Union by Provost> Brustein. In spite of a very tense and hostile> (towards me) environment, I said what I had to say in> a completely non-disruptive manner. In that situation,> Fred Gottheil had no choice but to behave himself. Not> so at Hillel.> > Years ago, when Meredith Kruse was director of IDF,> she invited a Palestinian student from Iowa to speak.> She told me at the time that prior to the event, she> received a call from Gottheil, who was furious with> her. When Palestinian rights activist Mazin Qumsiyeh> spoke at the YMCA in April 2005 as part of the Wheels> of Justice tour, sponsored by AWARE, the directors of> the Y received a nasty phone call from Joel Schwitzer,> Director of Hillel, complaining that allowing him to> speak was doing damage to the relationship that he had> developed with the Y. This is the sort of “disruption”> that goes on.> > Finally, Melhado’s assertion that the speaker, David> Makovsky, was “moderate” and “measured” is true only> within the limited framework of Zionist discourse. He> began his talk with the following summary of over a> century of Zionist/Arab history: The Jews came in> peace, but the Arabs wanted war. I kid you not. The> main point of his talk was that the Palestinians,> somehow, were not doing a good job of “economic> development.” Gosh, I wonder why? But Makovsky, on> behalf of the Washington Institute for Near East> Policy, had made several trips over to talk to PA> leadership, and he was confident that they might be> making some progress with corruption. His conclusion> was that although he would like to see some> settlements go, it was not quite time for that yet.> Instead, he would like to see Palestinian life made> easier by Israel posting more soldiers at checkpoints> and making the process more “efficient.” I kid you> not. After all, how would we like 3,600 rockets?> > I realize that I acted out of frustration and with> poor judgment at this event. I committed no crime and> abused nobody by speaking out in the manner I did. I> did violate decorum. Out of the 80 or 90 who attended,> only 4 or 5 chose to shout me down. Clearly, they were> ready to blow, as was I, although not with a personal> attack. After all, I do have a history in this> community of being disruptive by impolitely pointing> out that what we quaintly call “Jewish culture and> society” has been placed into the service of ongoing> ethnic cleansing.> > I regret allowing these events to take us off topic.> > > > > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________> Be a better friend, newshound, and > know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ> _______________________________________________> Peace-discuss mailing list> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
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