Columbia's De Genova responds -and it's worse than we thought!

To the Editor:
Spectator, now for the second time in less than a year, has succeeded to quote me in a remarkably decontextualized and inflammatory manner. In Margaret Hunt Gram's report on the faculty teach-in against the war in Iraq (March 27, 2003), I am quoted as wishing for a million Mogadishus but with no indication whatsoever of the perspective that framed that remark. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that your Staff Editorial in the same issue, denouncing the teach-in for "dogmatism," situates me in particular as the premier example of an academic "launching tirades against anything and everything American."

In my brief presentation, I outlined a long history of U.S. invasions, wars of conquest, military occupations, and colonization in order to establish that imperialism and white supremacy have been constitutive of U.S. nation-state formation and U.S. nationalism. In that context, I stressed the necessity of repudiating all forms of U.S. patriotism. I also emphasized that the disproportionate majority of U.S. troops come from racially subordinated and working-class backgrounds and are in the military largely as a consequence of a treacherous lack of prospects for a decent life. Nonetheless, I emphasized that U.S. troops are indeed confronted with a choice--to perpetrate this war against the Iraqi people or to refuse to fight and contribute toward the defeat of the U.S. war machine.

I also affirmed that Iraqi liberation can only be effected by the Iraqi people themselves, both by resisting and defeating the U.S. invasion as well as overthrowing a regime whose brutality was long sustained by none other than the U.S. Such an anti-colonial struggle for self-determination might involve a million Mogadishus now but would ultimately have to become something more like another Vietnam. Vietnam was a stunning defeat for U.S. imperialism; as such, it was also a victory for the cause of human self-determination.

Is this a tirade against "anything and everything American"? Far from it. First, I hasten to remind you that "American" refers to all of the Americas, not merely to the United States, as U.S. imperial chauvinism would have it. More importantly, my rejection of U.S. nationalism is an appeal to liberate our own political imaginations such that we might usher in a radically different world in which we will not remain the prisoners of U.S. global domination.

Nicholas De Genova
March 21, 2003
The author is an assistant professor of anthropology and latina/o studies.

Here is my latest reply to the Columbia President (cc'd to De Genova) based on this information:

President Bollinger,
March 31, 2003

I wrote you a few days ago about the unbelievably atrocious comments of a professor there at Columbia, Dr. De Genova, regarding his wish for a "million Mogadishus" to befall our American service men and women in Iraq. Wishing death to those personnel.

Apparently the professor wanted to put his comments in context and he replied to the Columbia Spectator with theses remarks, among others.
"In my brief presentation, I outlined a long history of U.S. invasions, wars of conquest, military occupations, and colonization in order to establish that imperialism and white supremacy have been constitutive of U.S. nation-state formation and U.S. nationalism. In that context, I stressed the necessity of repudiating all forms of U.S. patriotism. I also emphasized that the disproportionate majority of U.S. troops come from racially subordinated and working-class backgrounds and are in the military largely as a consequence of a treacherous lack of prospects for a decent life. Nonetheless, I emphasized that U.S. troops are indeed confronted with a choice--to perpetrate this war against the Iraqi people or to refuse to fight and contribute toward the defeat of the U.S. war machine."
and
"Is this a tirade against "anything and everything American"? Far from it. First, I hasten to remind you that "American" refers to all of the Americas, not merely to the United States, as U.S. imperial chauvinism would have it. More importantly, my rejection of U.S. nationalism is an appeal to liberate our own political imaginations such that we might usher in a radically different world in which we will not remain the prisoners of U.S. global domination."
This individual is beyond the pale. His explanation of the context is as bad, if not worse, than the original statement. He is so blatantly anit-American and is now calling for American soldiers on the war front to defy direct orders, to be insubordinate at best, and to turn traitorus themselves at worst.

He is doing great harm to Columbia.

I intend to contact as many Alumin of Columbia as I possibly can and ask them to completely dry up funding for the UNiversity as a whole until this man is fired and his comments are completely and forcefully repudiated. I will send out mass emailings to my ownm email list of several thousand, I will post at internet forums, I will take out advertisments and do whatever I can to accomplish this goal.

Until that time, I will presume that you defend this individual.

If he had an ounce of stregnth for his own convictions, he would depart this nation that he despises as quickly as possible and take up residence in a nation more to his liking ... perhaps Cuba or one of the other few MArxist nations left on earth. I will not hold my breath for such an eventuality because I do not believe that he has any strength to his own convictions ... he is too busy living off the bounty, the freedom and the tolerance of the land he hates. Well, that tolerance has limits, and this individual has crossed them four square.

Sincerely,

Jeff Head
http://www.jeffhead.com

Isn't that nice. A "CYA" letter from the Ivory Tower.

It deserves a counter reply.

I would make it polite yet nasty. How 'bout this for openers?.

"Kindly know that I am in receipt of your missive today on the issue of your Professor Nicholas de Genova. After contemplating the substance of this reply, I would like to continue this dialogue with you. But in the meantime, might I accordingly suggest that you take your reply to me this day and appropriately insert it into your specific orifice which retains the characteristic of total darkness."

GREAT letter ! . . .

I bet this idjit thought this was great. . .

Here is a link to the SF-IMC site where these FAR LEFT LIBERALS posted an actual pic (below) of one of their Support Saddam/Terrorists events recently and changed the image when I posted/linked it to an FR thread. The pic at the top of that link (of 2 Allied Soldiers TORTURING someone) was what they changed it to . . .

These folks at San Francisco Indy-Media are terrorist supporters . . .
Oh, the lurkers on FR from SF-IMC CANNOT change that picture (above) now since it is hosted by FR friendly sources ! Take that, FOOLS !! . . .

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