Richard Stallman answer to me

[Stan Goodman]

On Monday 06 June 2011 at 09:58:36 (GMT+2) Shachar Shemesh 
<shachar at shemesh.biz> wrote:

> On 06/06/11 03:05, Stan Goodman wrote:
> > Since they themselves are students or faculty in universities,
> > it occurs to them to boycott other universities, never considering
> > that universities are precisely where they are most likely to find
> > their soul-mates.
> 
> If, as you said, the Israeli academia were unanimously left wing,
> then silencing them will not significantly decrease the diversity of
> thought that the academia is supposed to encourage. It is precisely
> because Israel is a potential source for dissenting view that anyone
> calling for an academic boycott on Israel is undermining their own
> academic legitimacy.

Nowhere have I said that Israeli academics are unanimously left wing. 
Everyone know, however, that many are, and that Ilan Pappe was not alone 
before he took his nonsense to the more "kosher" environment of the UK. 
Nor have I said that the phenomenon is unique to Israel -- the same 
thing can be observed in the US, Canada, and especially almost anyplace
 in Europe. I have CERTAINLY not intimated that I wish to stifle dissent 
or silence leftists from expressing their ideas, foolish though they may 
be. 

I have not understood, on the other hand, why so many evidently 
intelligent people fall for a destructive philosophy. That is a 
relatively new phenomenon; I do not remember it from the time when I was 
at university.

-- 
Stan Goodman
Qiryat Tiv'on
Israel