Ole Miss student politics turns nasty over schools Israeli arms investment
After more than two hours of debate, the ASB senate voted not to pass a resolution that would withdraw the university’s investment funds from companies which sell arms to the Israeli military Monday night.
Resolution 09-05 was defeated by a vote of 19-11, with seven abstaining.
The Campus Anti-War Network (CAN) set up a table in front of the Student Union before the meeting in order to educate students and gather more signatures for their petition related to divestment.
“Our purpose was to just make ourselves visible,” CAN president, ASB senator from the graduate school and author of Resolution 09-05 Dan Blazo explained before the meeting. “We intend to keep the petition going no matter what happens.”
The text of the resolution stated that its purpose was to recognize the “social responsibility as pertaining to financial investment … resolving to modify the investment portfolio held by the University of Mississippi … by divesting university funds from those companies and corporations that currently provide arms for the Israeli military.”
DM EDITORIAL by Michael Zubick
Criticism of Israel has been widespread lately on campus, and few seem to publicly stand in Israel’s defense. Did you know that the only reason the region is called “Palestine” is because the Romans wanted to punish their Jewish subjects for rebelling?
Americans are quick to forget just how we became the nation we are today. On Feb. 2, 1848, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave America what is now the majority of the West Coast. It required a war and conquest to gain those territories, regardless of the money paid to Mexico after the war.
Today, almost no one refutes America’s right to those states, and when they do we laugh at them.
On June 10, 1967, Israel was declaring a major victory in the region, having just won a war against three of its neighbors that would change the face of the Middle East forever.
For months, intelligence reports showed that Israel’s neighbors were busy acquiring the latest in Soviet equipment and planning an attack. Egypt, Jordan and Syria had amassed an air force that consisted of more than 1,000 aircraft.
ASB Senator Dan Blazo said he has filed a formal harassment complaint with the University of Mississippi concerning content on a Facebook group created by student and Daily Mississippian columnist Michael Zubick.
According to Blazo’s written statement to the university, Zubick’s creation of an offensive Facebook group specifically targeted Blazo and caused him distress.
Blazo alleged that Zubick violated portions of the “Student’s Rights” section of the M-Book, including: “Free Inquiry, Expression, and Assembly,” “Disorderly Conduct,” “Harassment,” and “Appropriate Use Policy,” the statement said.
“This experience has inhibited my ability to function in the university, has inflicted emotional distress and fear, and has damaged my reputation with false claims,” Blazo said, according to the complaint.
The Facebook group no longer exists.
However, screen shots were taken of the group, including the one submitted by Blazo in his complaint and a matching one secured independently by The DM.
Daily Mississippian
4/22/9
Magnolia Tribune
