I'm not sure what offended me more, Herschel Hartz's racist propaganda piece(February 8) or the impotent response from the campus Democrats. When I read Hartz's Op-ed piece about the massive "success" we've had in Iraq and his condemnation of liberals for not praising our president's victory, I was so overwhelmed that I could not think where to begin a letter in response. Should I start with Hartz's proofless claim that elections in Iraq were fair and free(note: FOX News reports before votes were even counted do not count as proof)? Should I start with his claim that liberals had no response to the elections other than to grumble and change the issue? Or should I start with his horrendously racist claim that the "Arab world" was "quietly cheering on the terrorists?"
When I saw in the February 15th issue that the Brandeis Democrats had responded to Hartz's piece I felt some measure of relief. His argument was full of holes, and here were the people to point them out and tear down his argument. Except that instead of attacking Hartz, they agreed with him! Instead of pointing out the ballot box stuffing and voter intimidation in many areas of Iraq, they claimed that they had never attacked the legitimacy of the Iraqi elections. Instead of supporting the few liberals who did speak out, they excommunicated them from the Democratic party. Also, nowhere in their response did they mention Hartz's mind-blowing racism.
I am disgusted with Hartz for condemning all Arabs, I am disgusted with the Democrats for agreeing with him, and I am disgusted with the Brandeis community for not exploding with rage when Arabs are libeled.