Our universities should be places where students can come together and discuss issues like the attack on the Gaza Strip openly and honestly. Right-wing and pro-Zionist spokespersons and organizations, such as Alan Dershowitz, the Zionist Organization of America, and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, regularly try to stifle such discussions by accusing people who criticize Israel of being anti-Semitic (or "self-loathing Jews" if the critics happen to be Jewish themselves). At Purdue, the Zionists have even joined forces with the new generation of "anti-communist" (read "anti-terrorist") organizations like the Tea Party and its campus counterpart, the Conservative Coalition for American Values. Together, these organizations will combine charges of "anti-Semitism" with those of "anti-Americanism" in an effort to preempt any constructive discussion or debate about US or Israeli militarism. Although they've managed to disrupt a few events here and there, none of their efforts at Purdue has resulted in anybody losing or being denied tenure yet.
