Santa Cruz Professor Attacked as Lesbian After Removing Hate Literature

Nationally prominent University of Santa Cruz professor Nancy Stoller was walking about in performance of her duties last week, when she came upon a flyer with an apparently doctored photograph depicting an infant dressed as a suicide bomber. Certainly it would constitute illegal abuse of a child to post the child on flyers world wide in a manner which would make that child appear to be an armed terrorist. And there was no indication, of course, of permission from the child's parent or legal guardian for the child use (or abuse) in this manner. Professor Stoller took possession of at least one such flyer, perhaps as evidence of child exploitation, or to remove the patently offensive material, which was not apparently authorized by any legitimate campus office. According to a vitriolic screed by Lee Kaplan, writing on a SF Chronicle-linked message board, the depictions of the enfant terrible was to promoted an event featuring a supporter of the actions of the Israeli Defense Forces. The speaker was "flown in from Israel" representing a controversial pro-Zionism watchdog agency. Yet, "attendance by the general student body...was minimal". Ironically, Kaplan contends that the sole reason was because of Stoller's opposition. Yet the event had been widely publicized online, as pro-and-con arguments raged over the supposed objectivity of PMW. Could it be that many UCSC students just simply didn't care to hear the presentation? In fact, the material had been prepared by an organization with links to a foreign government. In an open publishing forum linked to the San Francisco chronicler, a statement bearing a byline of the controversial, if not notorious, Lee Kaplan admitted as much, that the material had been prepared for and by the PMW, Palestine Media Watch. According to the article, the photo was entirely fake. "We put it together in Photoshop." said Tammi Benjamin a woman identified as a "scholar", without any indication of her credentials. The Kaplan article also attacked Stoller as "a lesbian" who was granted tenure soon after only because she was a lesbian. There have also been allegations that the event's sponsors free speech was abridged by people writing "Zionism is Racism" across the flyers. But according to the Kaplan article, this was disputed. “I’ve never seen flyers defaced in this way,” said Benjamin. Ironically, the Kaplan article, adopting a shrill tone, complains that various nefarious ne'er do wells were attempting to confront the PWM Israeli's on-campus campaign. Yet in the credits at the bottom of the article, Kaplan boasts of affiliation with an organization entitled "Stop the ISM". The ISM is a human rights organization which seeks nuetral nonviolent mediation and observation of the turmoil in the Occupied Territories of Palestine. Among its activities is the push for an investigation of the circumstances behind the killing of Rachel Corrie, and American citizen who was run over by an Israeli bulldozer operator. While it is unclear why or what particular activities of the ISM Mr. Kaplan seeks to stop, it is clear that negativity and the desire to obstruct the free speech of the ISM is as much a part of his agenda as any such constraints may be on the part of these unnamed conspirators who may be opposed to the presence of an Israeli operative on campus. Gabriel Baramki, an education consultant in Ramallah, has reviewed the contentions of PMW and states bluntly that they are "poisonous attacks ... as a cover for their unwillingness to accept a Palestinian state, side by side with Israel, as the prerequisite to peace." Baramki also points out, Palestinian schoolbooks cannot and should not be examined in the absence of an equal scrutiny of the Israeli textbooks." Yet the on-campus presentation presented a critique of Palestinian textbooks only. As Kaplan put it, "just another day on campus." ============================================== Photo courtesy of UN Department of Public Information Photo Caption: According to Kaplan, maps such as these are "propaganda'. See also: http://www.palestinemonitor.org/takpoints/Itamar_Marcus_again.htm http://santacruz.indymedia.org/media/all/display/5399 Copyright by the author. All rights reserved. Comments Re: Santa Cruz Professor Attacked as Lesbian After Removing Hate Literature by 1. Footnote: Baramki reference 14 Mar 2005 http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/1998/1948/406_tdrs.htm For three decades Gabriel Baramki was vice-president of Bir Zeit University. Now he plays a leading role in raising international awareness about the dispossession of the Palestinians