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THE PATRIOT RETURNS |
Vol. 43, No.1 January 20, 2009
ROMER: PSC MUST HIDE ITS "ONE-SIDED" POSITION ON ISRAEL . . .
Nancy Romer, chief enforcer for our Dear Leader, PSC head Barbara Bowen, has weighed in on the union's efforts to formally condemn Israeli foreign policy. The Brooklyn College professor, elected a PSC university-wide officer on the New Caucus line, has just pronounced herself fully "sympathetic" with "a resolution that comes out squarely on one side" on the Gaza conflict. The initiative has been championed by New Caucus stalwarts Ros Petchesky, Sandor John, Costas Panayotakis, and Stanley Aronowitz. But Romer wondered if a formal PSC resolution attacking Israel's government was the wisest tactic. Instead, she proposed the following: I would suggest that an ad-hoc committee of PSCers be formed to organize around the Gaza issue. It should not be a formal or authorized group that represents the PSC but will include lots of PSC members. Perhaps it should have a name like "CUNY for a Peaceful Gaza" or "CUNY for an Immediate Cease Fire in Gaza." That gives us a vehicle to work with but doesn't implicate the union in a decision for which we haven't done our homework. Let's say it more bluntly: Romer wants the PSC to form a front organization, with an Orwellian-sounding name. . . so that the Dear Leader won't be "implicated" in her minions' "one-sided" anti-Israel agenda. ---------- . . . TO AVOID A MEMBERSHIP "REBELLION" Why does The Enforcer recommend such a cloak-and-dagger operation? Not for ideological reasons. As Romer said, she supports a "one-sided" position on Israel, and rejoiced that on Middle East issues "we have done much more than pass resolutions—we have mobilized our members around our policies and provided leadership in the city, state and national affiliates. We have a record to be proud of." (That "record," it's worth remembering, includes using union resources to recruit protesters for an event two weeks ago whose slogans included "ZIONISM = RACISM.") No, more practical concerns are behind Romer's sudden caution. Putting the PSC formally on record against Israeli foreign policy, she cautioned, will produce a "huge member-rebellion on dues" fueled by "irate members." In other words, Romer knows the membership doesn't support the "one-sided" position on Israel associated with the Dear Leader and her minions. So The Enforcer wants to conceal the union's efforts from its membership. After all, the union still has huge payments on its posh new headquarters in Lower Manhattan. All this from the union leadership that promised democracy in decision making! --------- A QUESTION FOR NANCY As the Dear Leader & Friends seek to hide their "one-sided" position on Israel behind newly formed front organizations, Romer also urges the PSC to "initiate discussions" on "Israel-Palestine" on "all our campuses." These events, she adds, "would need to be strongly chaired with clear ground rules for discussion" (presumably with PSC'ers sympathetic to Romer's "one-sided" vision on Israel running the show). Here's a question for The Enforcer. The PSC is a union of academic professionals. Why do we need our union "educating" us on what to think about the Middle East? Maybe if the Dear Leader spent more time "initiating discussions" on our absurd workload, or our insufficient salaries, and less time on the Middle East, we'd all be better off. But it seems like for the New Caucus, fighting for a reduced workload is a lot less fun than criticizing Israeli foreign policy. --------- BEDFORD AVE. BYE-BYE During her eight-year reign, Barbara Bowen has managed to alienate virtually every politician this side of Charles Barron and every administrator except . . . Brooklyn College president Christoph Kimmich. Whether it was using the personnel process to purge professors on the Dear Leader's Enemies' List or championing whatever curricular scheme the local PSC happened to be pushing, Kimmich always did what he could to advance the Dear Leader's wishes. So we can only imagine the alarm at PSC headquarters when Kimmich announced that he will resign at the end of the spring term. Who will Battlin' Barb turn to when she needs to demonstrate that at least one campus backs her agenda? Perhaps the next New Caucus "sit-in" can demand that the Board of Trustees install Nancy Romer as Brooklyn's new president. Then, the Dear Leader could still have a reliable ally on Bedford Ave.---and get a strong supporter of her "one-sided" position on Israel at the same time!
Sharad Karkhanis, Ph.D.
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