Has your Rep signed Congressional letter against Israel academic boycott?
If not, pick up the phone or send an email right now.
I reported last Friday on the draft Bipartisan Congressional letter to denounce academic boycott of Israel.
The letter reads, in part:
We write in strong opposition to the American Studies Association’s (ASA) recent decision to boycott Israeli universities and academic institutions. While ASA has every right to express its views on policies pursued by any nation or government, we believe that the decision to blacklist Israeli academic institutions for Israeli government policies with which ASA disagrees demonstrates a blatant disregard for academic freedom….
Even more concerning is the singular targeting of Israel for boycott. Like all democracies, Israel is not perfect. But to single out Israel, while leaving relationships with universities in autocratic and repressive countries intact, suggests thinly-veiled bigotry and bias against the Jewish State.
As of Friday, there were 36 signatories. As of yesterday, the number had risen to 57. [Update – see list at bottom of post for most current numbers and signatories]
The final signature list should be released later this week.
American civil society has been heard loud and clear, with major academic organizations and 190 University Presidents (as of this writing) rejecting the academic boycott.
Now it is the time for American political society to be heard against the anti-Israel academic boycotters, as well.
Is your House Representative on the list of signatories? If not, now is the time to reach out to their offices and find out why not.
You can find your Representative and office contact information here: Find Your Representative.
Tell them the letter is being coordinated through the offices of Representatives Peter Roksam and Ted Deutch. Give them the link to this post if you send an email.
Pick up the phone or send an email right now. (I emailed my Rep. last night.)
Signatories as of 1-14-2014 8:00 p.m. (96)
| Bachmann, Michele |
| Bauchus, Spencer |
| Brown, Corrine |
| Brownley, Julia |
| Campbell, John |
| Cicilline, David |
| Collins, Doug |
| Connolly, Gerry |
| Cook, Paul |
| Costa, Jim |
| Davis, Rodney |
| Delaney, John |
| Dent, Charles |
| DeSantis, Ron |
| Deutch, Ted |
| Duncan, Jeff |
| Engel, Elliot |
| Fleming, John |
| Frankel, Lois |
| Franks, Trent |
| Gabbard, Tulsi |
| Garcia, Joe |
| Gerlach, Jim |
| Grayson, Alan |
| Green, Gene |
| Griffin, Tim |
| Grimm, Michael |
| Hastings, Alcee |
| Higgins, Brian |
| Holding, George |
| Hudson, Richard |
| Israel, Steve |
| Joyce, David |
| Keating, Bill |
| Kelly, Mike |
| Kennedy, Joe |
| Kilmer, Derek |
| King, Peter |
| Kinzinger, Adam |
| Lamborn, Doug |
| Lance, Leonard |
| Langevin, Jim |
| Larson, John B. |
| Latta, Robert |
| Levin, Sander |
| Lowey, Nita |
| Maloney, Carolyn |
| Marino, Tom |
| McCollum, Betty |
| McGovern, James P. |
| Meadow, Mark |
| Meehan, Pat |
| Meeks, Gregory |
| Meng, Grace |
| Murphy, Patrick |
| Nadler, Jerrold |
| Nunes, Devin |
| Nunnelee, Alan |
| Pearce, Steve |
| Peters, Gary |
| Pierluisi, Pedro R. |
| Polis, Jared |
| Quigley, Mike |
| Reed, Tom |
| Rokita, Todd |
|
Roskam, Peter
|
| Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana |
| Royce, Ed |
| Salmon, Matt |
| Schakowsky, Jan |
| Schiff, Adam |
| Schneider, Brad |
| Schock, Aaron |
| Schwartz, Allyson |
| Sensenbrenner, Jim |
| Sessions, Pete |
| Sherman, Brad |
| Shimkus, John |
| Sires, Albio |
| Smith, Chris |
| Stivers, Steve |
| Swalwell, Eric |
| Tiberi, Pat |
| Titus, Dina |
| Upton, Fred |
| Vargas, Juan |
| Walberg, Tim |
| Walorski, Jackie |
| Wasserman Schultz, Debbie |
| Waxman, Henry |
| Weber, Randy |
| Wilson, Frederica |
| Yoder, Kevin |
| Yoho, Ted |
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Sad to see my university hasn’t denounce it yet, I go to University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Let me know what I can do to help. Not sure how to write a formal email to them.
I am just outside Peter Roskam’s district so I sent Randy Hultgren a copy of the letter through his web site.
My representative is (unfortunately) the odious Bobby Rush. I won’t hold my breath on this one. I will, however, send an email. Perhaps the horse will learn to sing…
Here is a copy of the letter I sent to Rep. Rush.
To those of you who write, my experience with these letters is simple: SHORT and RESPECTFUL. The aide who reads these (yes, aide) simply counts the number of letters and what side each is on for each matter. They rarely read them. When they do read them, an angry, disrespectful letter is tossed without further comment. They don’t have the time and frankly all you’ll do is amuse them as they matter ‘asshole’ under their breath and click ‘delete’. A respectful letter might actually find its way to the Representative. You never know.
You’re not trying to vent your spleen here, you’re trying to persuade. Keep that in mind.
=====
my letter
=====
Dear Congressman Rush,
As a constituent of your district and a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, I write to ask your support and signature to a letter being sponsored by the Honorable Reps. Roskam, Collins, Deutch, and Schneider to the American Studies Association, denouncing their recent, terrible effort to boycott Israeli academics and prevent them from engaging with academics around our country.
Such a boycott is a blatant disregard for freedom and particularly academic freedom. Universities, such as my own, foster, encourage, and inspire constructive dialogue and original thought. This boycott undermines academic freedom by prohibiting educational and cultural exchanges with Israeli universities. It single out Israelis (who of course are not perfect) while disregarding the more odious and egregious conduct of other countries in the world such as North Korea, Pakistan, and Syria. It is nothing more than thinly-veiled anti-Semitism and bigotry.
Academic freedom is precious, and once eroded the tendency is for it to disappear. It is part of our fundamental civil discourse and part of our fundamental rights to think, speak and associate. Such hard-won freedoms should not be set aside.
I hope you will join your colleagues in the House in signing this letter and showing the world that bigotry, whatever its form, will not be tolerated.
I thank you for your consideration and for reading this letter.
Very truly yours
Steve White, MD
Professor of Medicine
The University of Chicago
Just emailed Darrel Issa. Also thanked him for his continuing investigations of Benghazi and the IRS (he’s doing the work the MSM won’t).
Don’t know if Senators will sign too, but sent both Boxer and Feinstein an email.
I don’t waste the typing since I have to deal with Mike Michaud (D-loser) and southern part of state is Pingree (D-thief) so no sense even trying.
on this issue, everyone is worth a try since it doesn’t split along usual ideological lines
both have shown anti-israel bias. I gave up on michaud, hes a real pile of crap. his office stopped responding to me last year do I don’t bother anymore.
if it gets to senate collins may be ok (and thats iffy) but king will not be.
you cannot trust any politician from maine to do the right thing here. hell you can’t trust any politician from maine for anythign that doesn’t involve expanding their power.
Sent mine last week.