Posted on 03/28/2003 5:44:19 AM PST by Sparky760
Defeat Troops, Professor Says Wants 'a million Mogadishus' By Ron Howell STAFF WRITER March 28, 2003 At an anti-war "teach-in" this week, a Columbia University professor called for the defeat of American forces in Iraq and said he would like to see "a million Mogadishus" - a reference to the Somali city where American soldiers were ambushed, with 18 killed, in 1993. "The only true heroes are those who find ways that help defeat the U.S. military," Nicholas De Genova, an assistant professor of anthropology and Latino studies at Columbia University, told the audience at Low Library Wednesday night. "I personally would like to see a million Mogadishus." De Genova was referring to the Mogadishu ambush and firefight, known for its graphic image of a slain American soldier being dragged through the streets. The battle was portrayed in the film "Black Hawk Down." The crowd was largely silent at De Genova's remark. They loudly applauded him later when he said, "If we really [believe] that this war is criminal ... then we have to believe in the victory of the Iraqi people and the defeat of the U.S. war machine." At least two of the speakers who followed De Genova distanced themselves from his comments. One of them was teach-in organizer Eric Foner, a history professor, who disagreed with De Genova's assertion that Americans who called themselves "patriots" also were white supremacists. In a telephone interview yesterday, Foner went further in his criticism, calling De Genova's statements "idiotic." "I thought that was completely uncalled for," Foner said. "We do not desire the deaths of American soldiers." Foner said that because of the university's tradition of freedom of speech, it was unlikely De Genova would suffer professionally in any way because of what he said. "A person's politics have no impact on their employment status here, whether they are promoted, whether they are fired or whether they get tenure," Foner said. De Genova did not want to discuss yesterday whether he had tenure. Acknowledging his beliefs are more radical than those of many others at Wednesday's forum, he said his remarks reflect his concern for oppressed people. While he did not retract his statements, he said he hoped they do not lead to "death threats," like those he received after a controversial speech at a pro-Palestinian rally last spring. Regarding Wednesday's reference to Mogadishu, the professor, who is 35 and from Chicago, said the U.S. Army is composed largely of men and women who have a "treacherous lack of prospects for a decent life," but even so, they "have a choice" in whether to oppress people like the Iraqis. He said the Iraqis must liberate themselves from domestic oppressors as well as from foreign invaders like the United States. More than 3,000 students and faculty attended the Wednesday teach-in, which lasted from 6 p.m. until about midnight and featured more than two dozen professors and other scholars. The applause at De Genova's call for the defeat of U.S.-led forces in Iraq reflected widespread frustration at the inability to reverse President George W. Bush's Middle East policies, Foner said. "A kind of flamboyant statement like that will get an applause in the heat of the moment," the history professor said. By turns, the speakers Wednesday night said the Bush administration's actions in Iraq were bullying, illegal, deceitful, corrupt and murderous. History professor Barbara J. Fields said like-minded Americans should vigorously oppose Bush. "The 'good Germans' of the Nazi era were the few who said, 'No,'" Fields declared. Copyright © 2003, Newsday, Inc.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
It sounds less like treason and more like somebody wants tenure...
********************************************
[cssn] vigil for justice TONITE!!!
From owner-cssn@columbia.edu Fri May 4 11:33:35 2001 Return-Path: Received: by maillist1.cc.columbia.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) id LAA14399 for cssn-outgoing; Fri, 4 May 2001 11:29:26 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from ciao.cc.columbia.edu (ciao.cc.columbia.edu [128.59.59.11])by maillist1.cc.columbia.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id LAA14395 for ; Fri, 4 May 2001 11:29:25 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from localhost by ciao.cc.columbia.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id LAA00928;
Fri, 4 May 2001 11:29:24 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 11:29:23 -0400 (EDT)
From: Stephan Paul Theberge
To: cssn@columbia.edu
cc: NICHOLAS PAUL DE GENOVA
Subject: [cssn] vigil for justice TONITE!!!
Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
X-MIME-Autoconverted: from QUOTED-PRINTABLE to 8bit by maillist1.cc.columbia.edu id LAA14396
Sender: owner-cssn@columbia.edu
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: Stephan Paul Theberge
if you have not had the opportunity to check out victor's incredible project, please come by tonite to the silent vigil in support of ethnic studies here at c.u.
VIGIL FOR JUSTICE!
Friday, May 4, 8.30 PM
In solidarity with the week long hunger strike and protest on College Walk, the Native American Council invites you to a silent candle-light vigil this Friday at 8.30 PM near the Sundial on College Walk. On Monday graduate student artist Victor Cervantes initiated a 5-day protest and hunger strike to dramatize the lack of resources, space, and academic programs for people of color at Columbia. He has locked himself in a mock jail cell, painted with art dealing with the Diallo shooting, the Zapatista rebellion and important people of color of the past. Cervantes will stay in his "cell" and will only accept bread and water, leaving his cell only to use the restroom when another student of color agrees to take his place until he returns.
Todos Somos Victor!
"The less you eat, drink, and buy books;the less you go to the theatre, the dance hall, the public house; the less you think, love, theorize, sing, paint, fence, etc., the more you save - the greater becomes your treasure...your capital. The less you are, the less you express your own life, the greater is your alienated life, the more you have, the greater is the store of your estranged being."
Your friend, Karl Marx.
*******************************
"I received your letter, I ran to my orchard, and in the wounded, bountiful earth, I deposited three lemon seeds and, although water was not scarce, I spilled onto them the three tears that you sent me for how much I have suffered: Not to cultivate thorns, to flourish sourness, or to harvest bitterness; but as a tribute to love, to freedom, to life.." -Antonio Camacho Negrón
******************************************************************************* This message sent to cssn from Stephan Paul Theberge . http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cssn/
To unsubscribe, send mail to cssn-request@columbia.edu with the word 'unsubscribe' in the BODY of the message. This message must originate from the mail account under which you were originally subscribed.
To reach the list owner, send mail to owner-cssn@columbia.edu.
Having a Certificate of Advanced Graudate Study (Fingerpainting), the doctoral candidate will be an honor to Cornell.
What has happened to these schools? The tuitions skyrocket, and the subject matter is valueless.
I am appalled at your remarks during your speech recently at Columbia University, wherein you stated that you wished for a "million Mogadishus'".
How dare you, you pompous piece of liberal trash, wish for the deaths of the very persons that are defending your right to spew your treasonous treacle?
You aren't fit to wipe the boot of a US Soldier.
To protest the war is one thing, to decry the actions of the government is acceptable, to criticize President Bush in a reasonable manner is also acceptable, but for you, sir, to call for the deaths of our soldiers, is despicable. I will not, cannot, defend such "freedom of expression".
I will contact every person with whom I am acquainted, and encourage them to contact Columbia and express their disgust with your treasonous remarks.
May you be damned to the pits of Hell.
By the way, "professor", I am one of those soldiers that have a "treacherous lack of prospects for a decent life,", as you so eloquently put it.
I enjoy quite a decent life, professor, or should my life be better if it were modeled on yours, should I be better off going about giving speeches of this nature?
You liberalism is showing, professor. Perhaps you should also raise your skirts and verify your manhood. I suspect it is sorely lacking. Could I challenge you to repeat your remarks in front of a company of US Soldiers?
For that matter, would you accept a challenge to repeat them in the presence of one US Soldier? One on one? Mano y mano? I thought not, you spineless jellyfish.
But that's not your way, is it, professor? You repose in your lofty seat of academia and issue your barbs and expect them to go unchallenged, and, God forbid, someone actually take offense to them. Physical effort on your part is not an accepted method of defense for your bovine excrement.
There is a special place reserved in Hell for you, professor. Go ahead, choke yourself out, get there early, and give us all a break. You totally and thoroughly disgust me.
Of The Troops, For The Troops.
--Name Removed for ID protection--
Sergeant Major, US Army
(Retired, but still able to take a candy-ass liberal professor, any day, any time)
Too much...or too little?
Phone:
MS 4-0199
+1 212-854-0199
Fax:
+1 212-854-0500
EMail:
npd18@columbia.edu
I wouldn't change a word.
Ask for LEE C. BOLLINGER the nineteenth President of Columbia.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.