That's Benno Schmidt, center, above. Schmidt used to be president of Yale and has more recently descended to the 'umble post of chairman of the Board of Trustees of the City University of New York (CUNY) -- the body which recently allowed itself to be stampeded by ultra-Zionist fanatic trustee Jeffrey Wiesenfeld into denying middlebrow playwright Tony Kushner an honorary degree, apparently because Kushner is something less than a full-blown blood-to-the-elbows Likudnik.
Now it seems the institution is sophisticated enough to have figured out that this particular witch-hunt turned up somebody embarrassingly un-witchlike -- to wit, a mere liberal-schmiberal hand-wringer who "firmly supports Israel's right to exist" but wishes Israel would exist in a nicer way. So a backpedal is in progress. CUNY will sheepishly give the honorary sheepskin -- or goatskin, as the case may be -- and a mollified Kushner will graciously accept it, after much indignant Oscar Jaffe huffle-puffle about how badly he has been treated. I close the iron door! -- Okay, okay, I open the iron door. Just a crack. Fold that sheepskin and slip it in. Now go away, and you're lucky I don't criticize you more severely.
So far, so predictable. But here's the funny part. Thus Benno:
If it were appropriate for us to take politics into account in deciding whether to approve an honorary degree, I might agree with Trustee Wiesenfeld, whose political views on the matters in controversy are not far distant from my own.Now if words mean anything, we can only conclude from this that Schmidt, too, finds Kushner's political views -- such as they are -- to be beyond the pale, you should pardon the expression. But it's a question of due process and perhaps of meritocracy, you see, so we're not supposed to take Kushner's unspeakably vile political views into account.
Here's a sample of Wiesenfeld's own political views, "not far distant" from Schmidt's, sicut ipse dixit:
[The reporter] tried to ask a question about... which side was more callous toward human life, and who was most protective of it.Unlike the Israelis, who have developed a culture for which there is, alas, ample precedent.But Mr. Wiesenfeld interrupted and said the question was offensive because “the comparison sets up a moral equivalence.”
Equivalence between what and what? “Between the Palestinians and Israelis,” he said. “People who worship death for their children are not human.”
Did he mean the Palestinians were not human? “They have developed a culture which is unprecedented in human history,” he said.
Comments (11)
Footnote: Benno Schmidt is an interesting guy in many ways. A Valuable Prize goes to whoever identifies the people in the picture with him. The backstory is quite wonderful, and reinforces one's sense that there really are only a few dozen first-class pests in the world, who all know each other and attend each others' parties and fund each others' cockamamie schemes.
Posted by MJS | May 6, 2011 8:58 PM
Posted on May 6, 2011 20:58
I know those guys. They gave those speeches at that excellent World School luncheon 3 months ago. Great salads. I look forward to receiving my very own "luxury prestige high-quality premium select gourmet combination key ring, magnifying glass, and garden hose, in a genuine imitation leather-style carrying case with authentic vinyl trim."
Posted by sk | May 6, 2011 9:42 PM
Posted on May 6, 2011 21:42
This hullaballoo (sorry, Digby) reminds me of my time in Gnu Yawk Shitty and especially among the uppers like my old GF Miss Fish. Those patriarchal uppers like to call NYU "Enn Why Joo" with full and bitter disdain. Not being a native I thought it mere bigotry... apparently I didn't suss the whole Zionist taint of The Greatest City On Earth's Own University.
Makes me think NYC is angling to become the East's version of Las Vegas... if it hasn't already become that. And to anyone who thinks LV is nothing but gambling made legal... I'd say, investigate the governmental workings of LV and the state of NV.
As Americans grow more frightened, some of them turn to The Fierce Israeli Warrior as image of strength and fortitude... presumably, what will "rescue the economy" or somesuchlike.
Posted by Karl | May 7, 2011 10:38 AM
Posted on May 7, 2011 10:38
all out of one tiny clown car
in middle of the big apple center ring
Chris Whittle,
Nancy Schulman,
Tyler Tingley,
Tom Bonnell,
Gardner Dunnan,
Benno Schmidt,
Sarah Bayne,
Alan Greenberg,
Robert "Skip" Mattoon,
Libby Hixson
Posted by Anonymous | May 7, 2011 1:55 PM
Posted on May 7, 2011 13:55
"The Fierce Israeli Warrior "
http://guywebster.com/images/photographs/alan_dershowitz_1.jpg?1300849090
head of secret post zionic organization
jews for gwot
motto
lets up the ante
Posted by Anonymous | May 7, 2011 2:00 PM
Posted on May 7, 2011 14:00
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Whittle
bow tie guy whittle
nice nice story
other could be alan greenberg the lesser
Posted by Anonymous | May 7, 2011 2:04 PM
Posted on May 7, 2011 14:04
bingo
http://www.avenues.org/school-president-alan-greenberg
seems poor benno has brackets here
deep into the Ed-biz rackets
Posted by Anonymous | May 7, 2011 2:15 PM
Posted on May 7, 2011 14:15
btw the none such hizzseff
expansive golem like mr jeff W on left here
http://www.15minutesmagazine.com/images/cover_story/cov_1102-08.jpg
a face that looks like its caught
a few goy hockey pucks over the years
as self appointed madhattan
goalie for a greater zionia
Posted by Anonymous | May 7, 2011 2:25 PM
Posted on May 7, 2011 14:25
Rumblings of an "education bubble" being the next "stimulus" are further suggested by Benno's move.
Posted by Karl | May 7, 2011 4:17 PM
Posted on May 7, 2011 16:17
There's an echo of Atlas Shrugged(*) in the photo, isn't there? Which of the other two is going to fling Benno down on the tracks and fuck him?
---------
(*)Had a girlfriend years ago who was a Rand fan. We managed the deed of darkness in a couple of unlikely places, but never on a railroad track. Now, I wish we had.
Posted by MJS | May 7, 2011 5:52 PM
Posted on May 7, 2011 17:52
Karl: Rumblings of an "education bubble" being the next "stimulus..."
anyway, by later 1960s some few were thinking in terms of a 'social industrial complex' which would help offset reduction/ending of viet nam war spending -- Nixon held a large conference [something like 'the industrial world ahead...' in, i think, '71]
ah but then came evident crisis and shifting to the financial.
Posted by juan | May 9, 2011 6:43 PM
Posted on May 9, 2011 18:43