Meryl Yourish and Rick Richman (and probably a lot of other people soon) point to this long essay by Benny Morris at TNR eviscerating (literally) John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt's Israel Lobby screed. This is especially interesting because Mearsheimer and Walt cited Morris as support for several of their more egregious assertions.
Benny Morris comes through again. He's definitely no longer the Israel-bashers' poster boy. Make time to read the whole thing.
You know, every time this happens (and, as Meryl points out, it's happening a lot), the academics who continue to support M&W's "work" (not to mention M&W themselves) look more and more foolish. If that's possible.
Juan Cole's original "Freedom of Speech on the Israel Lobby Petition," has already been deactivated at the author's request. Probably because of stuff like what I've copied in the extended entry below. Of course Cole's got a new petition up that he claims is troll-proof. Whatever. The academics who are signing it really don't need any help making fools of themselves. If you have or will soon have kids in college, if you're headed that way yourself or if you're contemplating a gift to your alma mater, you should definitely check out the names and institutions on this list first. The First Amendment guarantees (limited) free speech. It doesn't guarantee free speech without consequences.
Here's a small sample of what Professor Cole's original petition looked like before he deactivated it. I just happened to capture it yesterday to email to a friend as an example of how online petitions can, well, get away from you.
526. Professor Mullah Peezfull Mooslim Jiharvard University In an ideal world, Islam will be peaceful towards the West so long as they convert, pay the dhimmi tax, or die.
525. Dracula Godfry Jewish Vampire Blood Blood U Oy Vey, stand up for jooses being blood suckers!! Arab blood libel is free speach. Next they will be saying Islam is not a religion of peace but a religion of beheaders. Go get those J-E-W-S you anti-semetic jackass.
524. Arlene Jennings-Arqat Brown
523. Ted McGinley Quarterback, Adams College My uniform is #72, Buckaroo!
522. Samalalma dignadon Crapmepants U (PU) Will there be a cheese function?
521. Aisha Tumala student Noam Chomsky, may I just say how unimpressed I am with your work?
520. Henry IX Conception U He is currently working on a book about homosexuality and the arts in turn-of-the-century France
519. Joe Bloke Average Guy To: The Learned Elders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, please accept my apologies for others assuming you are a controlling cabal controlling the thoughts of people with probably Jewish names. We all know that honor belongs to AIPAC. LOL. The mere addressee of this petition denotes an anti-semitic stereotype of a cabal of Jewish control.
518. CHARLES JOHNSON OF LITTLEGREENSNOTBALLS AND HIS BAND OF ZIONAZI DROOLERS DANNY PIPES SCHOOL OF SNITCHERY AND BURYING HEAD IN THE SAND EVERY INANE DISGUSTING COMMENT YOU READ HERE POSTED AT THE DIRECTION OF CHARLES JOHNSON OF LITTLEGREENSNOTBALLS. CONTACT HIM AT: charles@littlegreenfootballs.com
517. Professor Ringo the Gringo Buck Owens Honky Tonk University, Bakersfield, CA. The best thing about being a professor is all that sweet young pooon-tang!
516. Machmood Ackmeninjihad Tehran University Yay! Kill the infidels!
515. Rashid Khalidi Professor of History, Columbia University
514. Noam Chomsky Professor of Linguistics-MIT
513. Bobby Brady 8th Grade The Jooooos ate my homework.
512. Log Cabin IHOP University 495. Frank Costanza I miss you, little dumpling.
511. Son of Monkey and Pig University of Michigan Access Blocked In the long run, we won\\\'t let a few miserable provocateurs ruin the free speech of millions of responsible participants at PetitionOnline.com. By calm persistence, together we will hold the upper hand over that tiny number of people who apparently can\\\'t handle the basic responsi----------------------- \\\"Congress shall make no law...abridging...the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.\\\"
510. Jeffrey Dahmer Michigan University I'm eat yo ass, if youse don't sign this mufuhn petition.
509. Nim Chimpsky Professor Emeritus, Primate Department, Columbia University I was actually a professor at Columbia!
508. B. Zell Bubb gatekeeper oh, cool, a guest list! This will save me loads of time. (except for the obnoxious fraudulent entries here)
507. Professor Peter Kurgman Harvard University The Zionist threat is real; we must resist it. http://kurgman.blogspot.com/
506. Lori Ford unafiliated It's amazing how such a very tiny percentage of the earth's population, miniscule really, can be so prevalent, powerful, and manipulative as to control the whole rest of the world. From behind the scenes, of course. It seems they are everywhere, and omnipotent. All the makings of a really great conspiracy theory. . . . . Things that make you go hmmmmm . . . . .
505. Joseph Massad Columbia University
504. Mulva NYU Jews never remember my name
503. Laura Bier Assistant Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology
502. Jesus Christ Heaven I didn't get nailed to a cross for the Jews, I did it for the chicks. Chicks dig martyrs.
501. George Steinbrenner NY Yankees I think the Jews killed Costanza
500. Faker Khan Shame State University "free speech is sacrosanct" Unless of course I don't like what you say, Or maybe you think Jews are human beings too, then, we need to repress such incitefull speech.
499. Josef Mengele Schickelgruber University
498. Nadia Abu El Haj Professor of Anthropology, Barnard College
497. Lowell Bouma Georgia Southern U (emeritus)
