US Congressman wants to defund universities boycotting Israel

[MikeWB]

http://www.timesofisrael.com/illinois-congressmen-submit-anti-boycott-bill/

Illinois congressmen submit anti-boycott bill

Peter Roskam (photo credit: CC BY-SA Gage Skidmore, Flickr)
WASHINGTON — Only one day after the New York state legislature withdrew a bill that sought to punish would-be participants in academic boycotts of Israel, two Illinois congressmen introduced a bipartisan bill that would block federal funding for American universities engaging in a boycott of Israeli academic institutions or scholars.

Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email
and never miss our top stories   Free Sign up!

Representatives Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) introduced the bipartisan Protect Academic Freedom Act (H.R. 4009) in response to what the legislators see as "the growing threat of unjustified boycotts against the Jewish State of Israel." The bill's sponsors cited the December decision by the American Studies Association (ASA) to support an academic boycott as impetus for the legislation.

In a statement released Thursday, the sponsors said that the measure was designed "to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to fund bigoted attacks against Israel that undermine the fundamental principles of academic freedom."

"This bipartisan legislation seeks to preserve academic freedom and combat bigotry by shielding Israel from unjust boycotts. It is ludicrous for critics to go after our democratic friend and ally Israel when they should be focusing on the evils perpetrated by repressive, authoritarian regimes like Iran and North Korea," said Congressman Roskam, the co-chair of the House Republican Israel Caucus.

"These boycotts not only threaten educational cooperation between the United States and Israel, but ultimately undermine the academic goals of all nations," Roskam continued. "Congress has a responsibility to fight back against these hateful campaigns, which contradict academic freedom and are designed to delegitimize the Jewish State of Israel."

Roskam noted that former Israeli ambassador to Washington Michael Oren had been instrumental in his work on the issue.

In a rare instance, Oren included a statement together with the bill's announcement.

"The Protect Academic Freedom Act represents the first legislation that defends Israel against discriminatory boycotts which impede rather than advance the peace process and that seek to deny Israelis the right to free speech on American campuses," said Oren. "As a citizen of Israel and its former ambassador to the United States, as well as an historian and visiting professor on leading American campuses, I strongly support this courageous initiative. It can be the turning point in the struggle against the delegitimization of the Jewish State."

Roskam's co-sponsor, Lipinski, like Oren, is a former professor who said that academic discourse is central to his concern on the issue.

"As a former university professor, I appreciate the value of academic exchanges involving universities and individuals, particularly between strong international allies with robust academic programs like the United States and Israel. Scholarship and research should be about the pursuit of knowledge, and universities have been and always should be a community where different opinions and ideas are encouraged and nourished," Lipinski said.

Lipinski argued that the boycott of such international exchange of scholarship "would lead to negative effects on educational and research institutions in both nations."

The Democrat legislator said that hoped that his legislation would have a deterrent impact on the decision by individual universities to join the academic boycott.

Although nearly 900 universities receive federal funding, particularly for research and development, recent studies suggest that very few universities are the main beneficiaries of federal largess. Some 20% of federal research funds went to a mere ten universities, with Johns Hopkins University leading the pack with $1.9 billion in federal funds in 2011. Johns Hopkins President Ronald Daniels was quick to reject the possibility of an academic boycott, circulating a letter to faculty and students stating his position shortly after the ASA's decision.

Around 100 other university presidents also spoke out against the ASA decision, and the Association of American Universities issued a letter slamming the vote, emphasizing that "any such boycott of academic institutions directly violates academic freedom, which is a fundamental principle of AAU universities and of American higher education in general."

Last month, Roskam began to circulate a letter in the House condemning the ASA's decision; 134 representatives have since signed the missive, which is directed to ASA President Curtis Marez and describes the boycott as an "ignorant smear campaign."

But in the battles already underway over similar bills in state legislatures, opponents of financial measures against boycotting institutions claim that defunding, and not boycotts, restrict academic freedom.

The bill in the New York legislature, which would remove state funding for boycotting institutions, was pulled from committee Wednesday for retooling, after a number of organizations complained that it violated academics' freedom of speech.

The New York bill's opponents, which included the New York State United Teachers Union, got a leg up when the American Jewish Committee applauded the bill's withdrawal.

In a statement issued late Wednesday, Steven Bayme, AJC's director of Contemporary Jewish Life, said that although "the academic boycott against Israel is a gross violation of academic freedom," such legislation "raised academic freedom questions" and was "not the answer to discriminatory acts against Israeli academics, such as boycotts."

A more restricted defunding bill was also introduced last month in the Maryland Senate. That legislation would impose a 3% reduction in funding to any college that used any funds – even not state subsidies – to pay membership fees or travel expenses related to academic groups that boycott Israel.

[yankeedoodle]

Somehow this seems to be an extremely important issue.  I mean, let's just see how many fucking Congressmen/women and Senators actually vote against America's future - it's youth - as opposed to that fucking shitty little country Israhell.

That's quite a big demand, even for the fucking jews.  Oh, sending some Yankee goy off to get killed - those who enlisted so they could get government funded education - is one thing,  but actually denying the funding for the education that Americans are programmed to believe is their only hope for the future is like denying a future itself to America's youth.

That just tells you just HOW EVIL AND MALICIOUS these fucking jews are.  Just as that bitch Nuland (Nudelman) said "fuck the EU", so these jews say "fuck the youth".   

To realize how significant this action is, just consider that the New York bill was actually withdrawn, even with all the jews in New York.  When Yankee Doodle heard of the New York bill, he thought it would be a slam-dunk, and he is absolutely shocked - and pleased, of course - that the bill was withdrawn.

Of course, the jews don't care about aid to education, because they've stolen so much money that they can send their fucking kids to university; and also, of course, they've so deeply infiltrated the educational institutions that they control the scholarship programs, so what money is available will go to jews.

This bill, if passed, would, essentially, theoretically - assuming boycotts are put into place - deny a future to anybody but jews and the offspring of the rich, such as that little bastard George W. Bush.

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO WATCH THE PROGRESS OF THIS BILL -  Protect Academic Freedom Act (H.R. 4009)

This bill is more than money, foreign aid, etc.  This bill is about the future of America's youth, i.e. potential "middle class" youth, not the unfortunates who risk dying for the military just for tuition benefits. 

All these fucking politicians that talk about "education" and "our children" and "our grandchildren" really are up against it with this bill.  It's either "education, our children, and our grandchildren" or the fucking shitty little Israhell.  VERY BIG, EXTREMELY IMPORTANT DECISION. 

Any bets it gets withdrawn, like the New York bill?

[Idaho Kid]

I think they only draw more and more attention to our enslavement to the Jews.  Hell, they might even awaken the gonads of academia. 

[yankeedoodle]

Here is a link to a website set up to protest against this bill:  http://www.capwiz.com/cair/issues/alert/?alertid=63086436

Action Alert
Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailMore Sharing Services
Take Action   Tell Congress to Drop 'BDS' Bill Restricting Academic Freedom, Free Speech
An unconstitutional bill was recently introduced in Congress designed to limit academic freedom and the free speech rights of American universities and student groups participating in the campaign for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS).

The BDS campaign seeks an end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, equality and justice for the Palestinian people and the right of return guaranteed Palestinian refugees by United Nations resolutions.

Introduced by Illinois Representatives Dan Lipinski (D) and Peter Roskam (R), the misleadingly-titled Protect Academic Freedom Act (H.R. 4009) would unlawfully block any American university from receiving any federal "funds or any other form of financial assistance," if they boycott "involvement with academic institutions or scholars on the basis of the connection of such institutions or such scholars to the State of Israel."

CAIR has provided a "click and send" letter for all Americans to call on Congress to reject the Protect Academic Freedom Act and support the academic freedom and free speech rights of American universities and student groups that engage in political boycotts of any kind.


Take Action
1   COMPOSE MESSAGE
Message Recipients:
Your U.S. House Representative
Delivery Method:
Email
Printed Letter
Subject:

Required text:
(this text will appear at the beginning of your message)
As your constituent, I stand with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in calling on you to reject the misleadingly-titled Protect Academic Freedom Act (H.R. 4009).
Editable text:
(edit or add your own text - 8669 characters left)

Tip: Cutting-and-pasting? Save as plain text first.
Required text:
(this text will appear at the end of your message)
Congress should to reject H.R. 4009 and support the academic freedom and free speech rights of American universities and student groups that engage in political boycotts of any kind.

Again, I urge you to reject the misleadingly-titled Protect Academic Freedom Act, H.R. 4009, and ask your colleagues in the House to do the same.
Your Closing:
   Your Name:

2   SENDER INFORMATION
This system requires that you provide your name and contact information. This information will not be used for any purpose other than to identify you to the recipient.
Your Contact Information:
Prefix (required by some officials)

First *
       Last *

Email *

Address *

City *

State *
       ZIP *
       ZIP + 4

Phone (required by some officials)

   Remember Me! (what's this?)
   Sign me up for the Action E-List.
A copy of your message will be sent to the e-mail address entered above.

(Please click only once.)