The Military Continues to Try to Save Us From Neocon Warmongering
Yesterday on Cspan, you could watch Naval Postgraduate School professor Vali Nasr talking about Sunnis and Shi'ites, at a book store, and Noam Chomsky speaking at West Point last spring. Both messages were leftwing, Nasr's about the importance of understanding Arab hearts and minds, Chomsky's about imperial ambitions. The appearances underscore one of my favorite themes: that the military is supplying the backbone to the new realist/antiwar braintrust. As brave generals are showing us again and again by speaking out, the military knows that the neocons' ideas are crazy. Chomsky got a rousing ovation from the West Point cadets. Say that again: Noam Chomsky got a rousing ovation from the West Point cadets. What a great country we could still be...
Finally, something West Point Cadets and I agree on.
West Point graduates follow linguistics pretty closely.
Chomsky is a decent person.
Needless to say, but he may
need a reality check lately.
I am wondering, if he
has spoken to ordinary
Israelis and Arabs recently.
The same question can be
asked about the West Point
cadets.
Those cadets, as a
substitute can log
on a Haaretz or
Yediot Ahranot
forum.
Reality check.
The alternative is a
bad choice.
It is no way to understand
the "Muddle" East
from US papers and TV.
Haaretz talkbacks are a bit more civilised than Yediot ones, but for real filth, you should try Israel Insider.
Mind you, none of them are as nasty as US sites like Little Green Footballs.
WestPoint cadets give all speakers applause, it's obligatory protocol. I'm sure if they first offered a reading on Chomsky's blame America first book "9/11" or an overview of his Khmer Rouge denials or his defense of the communist nationalist Slobodan Milosevic, the WestPoint cadets would still, out of respect for West Point, give applause.
Chomsky was invited to speak, and the audience at West Point applauded him respectfully and politely, both before and after he spoke. No member of the audience shouted or booed the speaker. No one stood up and turned his back on Chomsky. No group tried to block entrance to the hall in which he lectured. Indeed, after Chomsky?s lecture, a young cadet presented him with a token of appreciation from the Class of 2008 for his having taken the time and effort to come and deliver his talk. This exemplary display of dignity, pride, and honor, free speech, decency, and good manners. Wish we could say the same for even some of the people Chomsky considers colleagues and students at our nations prestigious universities.