For some reason, the Daily Californian yesterday printed an advertisement, shown above, by the “David Horowitz Freedom Center” that alleged Muslim students around the country were “waging” a “stealth jihad on America’s college campuses.”

While the advertisement does contain a disclaimer “PAID POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT,” probably to distance the views expressed from the newspaper itself, it’s difficult to see why this classification was chosen: the advertisement does not support nor oppose any specific political candidate, legislation, action, or issue. All it does is bash Muslims. Since the Daily Cal is under no obligation whatsoever to print all advertisements, it retains full discretion over what it does and does not agree to print. Why it did agree to print this is still unanswered.

[Read more →]

Tags: Absurdities by yaman
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When it comes to Iran, Barack Obama says that the US needs to be careful about the use of force and must pursue other avenues, invoking George Bush and Iraq as foils to his “new foreign policy.”

When it comes to Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama says that Americans should not be quick to judge the man, and should make an attempt to understand his statements, sentiments, and beliefs within the context of his experience in a racist America.

But when it comes to the Palestinians, Barack Obama rejects any such nuanced approach. Instead, he, Hillary Clinton, and every other Democrat try to the best of their abilities to sound as much like George Bush as possible. Deviation from the norm here is not called ‘debate’ or an ‘exchange of ideas,’ it’s downright sedition.

For those who would claim that he might be “concealing” his true opinions: I don’t believe in trojan horse politics; I don’t believe a trojan horse democracy is democracy; the only trick trojan horse candidates play are on those who might support them on that premise. [Read more →]

Tags: Absurdities by yaman
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Too much anti-war sentiment in the United States focuses on the disastrous consequences wrought by American violence on the Iraqi people. Not enough pays attention to the sickening extortion of Iraqis’ natural and material resources to cover the cost of crippling, starving, invading, occupying, and destroying their country.

This is the democracy racket: a fraudulent enterprise that offers freedom, in exchange for occupation; human rights, in exchange for Abu Ghurayb; security, in exchange for bribed militants; and a parliament, in exchange for the oversight of an embassy-fortress.

America’s debt to Iraq will never be paid.

Tags: Absurdities by yaman
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I received a report today that the letter on the left has been appearing on the footsteps of fraternity houses near UC Berkeley.

Attending perhaps their first protest ever, Berkeley frat boys will be gathering around the tree near Wheeler Hall on Friday to denigrate Fresh, the protester who has been living in the tree for nearly two weeks to support the Free the UC campaign.

The notice contains a “nota bene:” first, these crusaders for a better world will be screaming “Fuck Schuck.” They claim that Fresh’s real name is Michael Schuck. Second, if they run into Zachary Running Wolf, they will call him “Running Mouth.” [Read more →]

Tags: Absurdities by yaman
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Gee thanks Daily Cal, this really helped me understand what people were protesting about yesterday. It’s nice to know that students oppose “conflict.”

Actually, Daily Cal, yesterday students participated in a die-in in solidarity with the 116 Palestinians that the Israeli army killed over the weekend in Gaza. We did not stand against “conflict,” but the Israeli occupation. Can you say those words, or is that a little too informative?

Tags: Absurdities by yaman
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Yesterday, members of Students for Justice in Palestine held a die-in on campus in solidarity with the people of Gaza, 116 of whom were killed by Israeli attacks over the past few days.

In typical fashion, a small number of people from the new organization Tikvah: Students for Israel appeared to counter-protest. Their counter-protest consisted of a sign displayed ahead of our protest that read, “Victims of Palestinian Terror,” meant to confuse passers-by as to the purpose of our action.

Tikvah’s actions are consistent with Israel advocacy campaigns in this country. They rely upon introducing a false binary. If Palestinian deaths at the hands of a state army are mentioned or acted upon, members of Tikvah and other such groups will instead attempt to draw attention to Israeli civilian deaths–as if it were impossible for both to be repugnant, and as if it weren’t the case that all of SJP’s events over the past 3 years that did not revolve around a specific incident mentioned both Israeli and Palestinian civilian deaths. Rather than recognize the deaths of all people, Tikvah instead engages in a competition to prove that the Palestinians are in fact “more evil” and thus that their deaths should be overlooked or ignored in favor of Israeli deaths. [Read more →]

Tags: Absurdities by yaman
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One of the absurdest ideas that has arisen regarding the Berkeley City Council’s now-abandoned resolution telling military recruiters they were not welcome in the town, is the idea that “freedom of speech” for military recruiters was at stake. The internalization and reproduction of this idea by many people who supposedly are on the left, cautiously dissenting–in their heads, without action–against the American occupation of Iraq has also been startling. The Daily Californian and The Daily Clog are no exception.

No official paid representative of the American government has a right to say whatever he or she wants to say in an official capacity (this is different from their free ability to share their opinions, and to lie, unofficially). And certainly nobody should agree that representatives of the American government are allowed to lie, deceive, or trick citizens without consequence, especially minors. This is one of the allegations that has been raised against military recruiters, who are situated near Berkeley High School–that they exaggerate the benefits to students of joining the military. [Read more →]

Tags: Absurdities by yaman
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According to ASUC Senator Gabe Weiner, Israel wants peace. Really, it does. Weiner tries to appeal to readers by invoking Barack Obama and Martin Luther King Jr in support of his position (as if they support his position).

Pretenders like Weiner hijack the language of anti-imperialist and anti-racist groups by claiming to be examples of “peace” and “diversity.” And, of course, they never fail to invoke iconic progressive figures like Martin Luther King Jr. [Read more →]

Tags: Absurdities by yaman
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