Letters To
LETTER TO THE EDITOR | Let Ann Coulter ’84 Speak
|
Attend Coulter’s speech. Or don’t attend. But if you do attend, listen to what she has to say and do not shout her down.
The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/category/opinion/lettersto/page/2/)
Attend Coulter’s speech. Or don’t attend. But if you do attend, listen to what she has to say and do not shout her down.
There are moments you need to publicly admit a mistake and change course. This is one of them. Publicly reverse course. Do it now.
Provost Michael Kotlikoff clarifies the invitation of Ann Coulter ’84 to speak on campus.
Re: “The Coalition for Mutual Liberation Threatens to Harm Cornell From Within” (opinion, March 8)
According to the Cornell Standards of Ethical Conduct, “an environment that encourages the highest level of integrity from its members is critical to the university.” Integrity here demands further clarification. Oxford Dictionary defines integrity as “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles” (I do not want to sound too lawyerly, but please bear with me). Honesty with moral principles requires us to speak up when witnessing moral wrongdoings. Protest is one way to do it. Writing is another way.
Re “Palestinians and Israelis Both Deserve to Thrive” (opinion, Feb. 17)
Prof. Joseph Margulies, government and law, was part of Cornell’s Collective for Justice in Palestine, a group dedicated to the freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people (Israeli and Palestinian) from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. In his Guest Room submission, “Palestinians and Israelis Both Deserve to Thrive,” Margulies hits on many liberal Zionist talking points without explaining the reality of the current situation for both of our groups. In his submission, Margulies reveals himself as a typical liberal, with one notable exception: his stance on Palestine. I completely agree with Margulies’s assertion that both Israelis and Palestinians deserve to thrive, but we must examine why this is currently not the case.
Could one really argue that anti-zionism equates to antisemitism? We think not.
Imagine a group of people accused of racism demanding the University adopt a definition of racism that would exempt them. This, in essence, is what the Cornell Coalition for Mutual Liberation did on Dec. 1 when they demanded Cornell define anti-Zionism as an “ideology” and not antisemitism. It seems Jews are the only minority denied the right to define aggressions against them as bigotry. Defining Zionism is simple: It is the desire by an indigenous people, the Jews, to return to their ancestral homeland and for those who never left to regain/retain sovereignty.
We write in full support of Cornell University’s efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion on campus because those principles are core features of the Cornell Tradition. In fact, Cornell University’s founding principle of “any person, any study” was indeed our beloved University’s first ever DEI statement.
“Mr. Lindseth, I hope that you will reconsider your remarks, given the great history of Cornell as a pioneer in eschewing prejudice and promoting growth of mankind.” – Charles L. Schlumberger ’76
Individuals should not try to coerce a diversion of Cornell funds from Cornell’s educational purposes.