[Peace-discuss] Repeat Response

Thu Apr 24 06:51:39 CDT 2008

Robert, that is utter nonsense. I never touched anyone
at that event. By the way, at that particular event,
Robert accused AWARE of being anti-semitic.

--- Robert Dunn <prorobert8 at hotmail.com> wrote:

> 
> 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
>
_________________________________________________________________
> Make i'm yours.  Create a custom banner to support
> your cause.
>
http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/Contribute/Default.aspx?source=TXT_TAGHM_MSN_Make_IM_Yours

      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Be a better friend, newshound, and 
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now.  http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ