Breaking Wind

For a university with the reputation that Queen's enjoys it's disheartening to know that like so many other universities in Canada, they host students whom one might suppose to be in possession of a decent intelligence, and powers of reason, but there remain prime exceptions, withal. One would like to believe they are exceptions. Exceptional in the sense of their brutalization of intelligence.

Could anyone with an ounce of intelligence really believe that Israel is a genocidal state? That the disagreements it has with its Arab neighbours are reflective of a propensity to death-dealing to solve vexing problems? That Israel's presence in the Middle East as a legitimate state whose birth reflected the purpose of offering a homeland in the geography of their living provenance to Jews proves that the ideology of Zionism equates with racism?

That Israel's governments have, while focusing in the need to protect its citizens from the attacks of neighbours' armed forces, and the ongoing attacks of non-state terror groups, conspire to destroy the aspirations of its neighbours, considering them to be less than worthy of owning a state of their own? Might it not occur to these heavy thinkers that a state's first obligation is to ensure the safety and security of its people?

A population, just incidentally, that includes citizens with equal rights to those of its Jewish citizens. A population that includes Christians, Muslims, Arabs, Druze, Bedouins and Jews. All of whom are deemed under the law to enjoy equality, to the extent that they elect their own representatives to the Knesset. And among that population there are minorities whose security is guaranteed only in Israel. Where women and gays are seen to have equal rights, unlike elsewhere in the Middle East.

It appears more than evident that all those rhetorical questions represent a firm belief in the iniquitous evil of Israel's reality on the part of those who are inspired to view Israel and Jews as the world's most egregious conspirators bent on destroying others. Israel, according to those consumed by a genuine and visceral hatred for the presumed characteristics of Jews, is a "genocidal" state. What could conceivably be more evil than committing genocide? That concentrated act of mass ethnic slaughter is one experienced notably by the Jews themselves. Jews know the meaning of genocide.

The shameful display of public anti-Semitism that goes on display yearly at Canadian universities which is labelled "Israeli Apartheid Week", speaks volumes about the gross ignorance and racism of those who celebrate the event. Claiming they are only alerting the world to the unequivocal reality of Israeli politics and ideology. In solidarity with Palestinian groups who originally mounted the concept of this slanderous reputation-bashing celebration, far-left-leaning students and faculty join their support to the cause.

This is done with complete disinterested disregard of the complexity of Middle East politics and the history of the Jewish people in the geography, let alone that of the State of Israel. It is done with scant knowledge of the volatile political situation that has always reflected the reality of life in the Middle East, and with no interest in obtaining any knowledge of it. Above all, it is done with the single-minded conviction that whatever Jews have a hand in, must of itself be with malice and danger to others. And that any descriptive however vile, of derision and blame is never egregious enough to convey the hatred felt for Israel and Jews.

Queen's University elected a student to represent the body of students in support of their social and academic affairs. This man has taken it upon himself as the elected student representative to chastise and hector the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada for having stated his considered reaction to the phenomena of "Israeli Apartheid Week", as "a dangerous cocktail of ignorance and intolerance".

In response the rector Nick Day wrote: "If you continue to condemning critique [?] happening [sic] in Palestine, you and the party you lead are complicit in that genocide. This makes you an active and powerful accomplice in a human rights tragedy, perhaps the biggest human rights tragedy of my generation." This incoherent, poorly written accusatory piece of trashy condemnation illustrates a mind not in very good working order, confused and righteous and completely out of teach with reality.

It would appear that in insisting that he speaks on behalf of the entire student body of the university, Mr. Day has struck some sensibilities that abhor his line of reasoning. In response to his bilious accusations students representing Israel on Campus, and those representing campus Liberals and Conservatives, have quietly gone about collecting signatures representing student support for a referendum that would have the effect of re-considering whether Mr. Day is fit to hold the office, on the basis of his performance in this matter.

"Really, what our concern is is that he does not speak for the 20,000 students he claims to represent. No matter what your political beliefs are or your opinion on this particular matter, he can't publish his personal stance and sign it on all of our behalf, no matter what he's saying", explained one student who gathered signatures in protest. Precisely so. If Mr. Day wishes to express his personal opinion in the blog Rabble.ca he should be free to do so, but not as one who does so leaning on his elected position.

"I was elected to represent the approximately 20,000 students of Queen's University", he states out in his pointed letter to Michael Ignatieff published on Rabble.ca. He seems to labour under a clear misunderstanding here; obviously the elevated rector's position he has attained has gone to his head, leaving him with the idea that he is qualified and authorized to pronounce on behalf of the student body his unfortunate world view, as though it were their own.