Please see the follwing item from Janet Lehr at IsraelLives:

Pro-Israel Activists Protest Palestinian Conference at San Francisco School San Francisco Board of Education president Dan Kelly was hit with a ton of e-mails objecting to the conference, but he fell back on the ''we have to treat everyone equally'' cop-out.  When one correspondent asked sarcastically if that would extend to hosting a Klu Klux Klan meeting in the future, Kelly agreed! 

The ACLU and our courts have helped perpetuate the situation of intellectual intimidation.  When, or shall I say ‘if’, the pendulum will swing to the right ‘freedom of speech’ will again have the meaning Oliver Wendell Holmes set when he that no one has a constitutional right to shout “Fire!” in a crowded theater when no fire is present, for such action would pose a “clear and present danger” to public safety.  http://www.bartleby.com/59/14/clearandpres.html  The trend since Holmes's time has been to restrict the clear and present danger exception to apply to speech which is completely apolitical in content. 

Professor Lee Bollinger, Columbia University President states, ‘The free speech principle is left with the concern of nothing less than helping to shape "the intellectual character of the society."  This claim is to say that tolerance is a desirable, if not essential, value, and that protecting unpopular speech is itself an act of tolerance. Such tolerance serves as a model that encourages more tolerance throughout society.’ Critics argue that society need not be tolerant of the intolerance of others, such as those who advocate great harm, even genocide. Preventing such harms is claimed to be much more important than being tolerant of those who argue for them.  SO, IS PRESIDENT OF THE SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF EDUCATION ON THE RIGHT TRACK – SHOULD GENOCIDAL SPEECH BE TOLERATED.

The upcoming anti-Israel/anti-American conference scheduled for Duke University October 15, 2004 is being defended by Duke’s President Richard H. Brodhead following the Bollinger-Kelly line of reasoning.  ‘Open’ registration to attend the conference has been shut down.  Follow IsraelLives and www.dukeconservativeunion.org.for updates on this conference.  IsraelLives had written that there are two ways every IsraelLives reader can ‘voice’ his or her disapproval of this conference is by 1. signing the petition http://www.petitiononline.com/DukePSM/petition.html which now has 65,000 signatures AND to 2. registering to attend [whether or not you can or wish to] the conference, thereby throwing off security figures, forcing the University to prepare more intense security than already planned] On-line registration is at www.palestineconvention.com  Several attempts to register showed that registration has been terminated. 

Here are a list of talk show hosts – bombard them.  Let them know that GENODICAL SPEECH MUST NOT BE TOLERATED – Site the conference just past in San Francisco and the upcoming conference at Duke University.  Refer these talk show hosts to me at IsraelLives janetlehr@mindspring.com we am able to provide speakers for their shows.

wolf@cnn.com; ombud@globe.com; suggestions@lauraingraham.com; atc@npr.org; jdvorkin@npr.org; countdown@msnbc.com; opinion@msnbc.com; beltway@foxnews.com; foxreport@foxnews.com; oreilly@foxnews.com; lateedition@cnn.com; cjr@columbia.edu; onthemedia@wnyc.org; newswatch@foxnews.com ; Reliable@CNN.com; kurtzh@washpost.com; wolf@cnn.com; comments@foxnews.com; hannity@foxnews.com ; special@foxnews.com; hardball@msnbc.com; joe@msnbc.com; letter@globe.com; Nightline@abcnews.com; Al-alwada-news@yahoogroups.com; Jsmith@globe.com; Letter@globe.com; Kwadington@suntimes.com; Alipinski@tribune.com; Cmcmahon@tribune.com; Dclifton@plaind.com; Cnn@cnn.com; Wolf@cnn.com; Cjr@columbia.edu; Editorial@jewishledger.com; Mconnolly@newstimes.com; Rush@eibnet.com; Letters@star-telegram.com; Beltway@foxnews.com; Comments@foxnews.com; Hannity@foxnews.com; Special@foxnews.com; bret@jpost.com; caroline@jpost.com; Letters@courant.com; Cbglick@zahav.net.il; John.carroll@latimes.com; Marjorie.miller@latimes.com; Suggestions@lauraingraham.com; worldnews@herald.com; Mefnews@meforum.org; Cday@middletownpress.com; Joe@msnbc.com; hardball@msnbc.com; Editor@newbritainherald.com; Letters@nhregister.com; Editor@theday.com; Editors@newsweek.com; Atc@npr.org; Bdrake@npr.org; Newsdesk@nysun.com; Editor@nysun.com; Foreign@nytimes.com; Public@nytimes.com; editor@orlandosentinel.com; editor@phillynews.com; Foreign@phillynews.com; Nragen@netmedia.net.il; Msill@newsobserver.com; Oquarles@newsobserver.com; Letters@sun-sentinel.com; David.smith@uniontrib.com; readerrep@sfchronicle.com; Eletters@starledger.com; Editor@think-israel.org; James_kelly@timemagazine.com; Etinsley@usatoday.com; Letters@usnews.com; Foreign@washpost.com; Westhartfordnews@ctcentral.com; Onthemedia@wnyc.org; alankeyes@RENEWAMERICA.US, alison.sharman@bbc.co.uk; vaadharabbonim@yahoo.com; AmericanRedCross@ProcessRequest.com; amnestyis@amnesty.org; ai-news@amnesty.org; admin-us@aiusa.org; info@prescon.org; andrew.steele@bbc.co.uk; barry.langridge@bbc.co.uk; cjr@columbia.edu; abramsreport@msnbc.com; public.info@consilium.eu.int; christopher.patten@cec.eu.int; info@cre.gov.uk; sg-plaintes@cec.eu.int;

FIGHTING FOR ISRAEL ON CAMPUS.....

By Cinnamon Stillwell
FrontPageMagazine.com | October 7, 2004

After making a splash in the pro-Palestinian stronghold of Berkeley the weekend before, members of San Francisco Voice for Israel (SFV4I) and ProtestWarrior.com returned to their usual San Francisco stomping grounds for the latest round of pro-Israel activism.  On Saturday, October 2, around 40 of them gathered across the street from the Horace Mann Middle School in the Mission District to protest a conference being held on the premises.

Hosted by the Justice in Palestine Coalition, the conference was titled, ''The Struggle for Palestine: 4th Anniversary of the Intifada.''  Sponsors included International A.N.S.W.E.R., the ADC (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee), the ISM (International Solidarity Movement), Al-Awda, SUSTAIN (Stop U.S. Taxpayer Support Against Israel Now), Jews for a Free Palestine, and QUIT (Queers Undermining the Occupation).  Along with commemorating the death and destruction that has resulted from the Palestinian Intifada, organizers expressed an interest in making ''links with others who are fighting against the U.S. occupation of Iraq.''  Apparently, killing U.S. and Iraqi soldiers, beheading civilians, and blowing up women and children in suicide bombings are par for the course for these people.  After all, they support such activities when perpetuated by Palestinians against Israelis.

No doubt expecting opposition, organizers had arranged for their own demonstration on the sidewalk in front of the school.  Around 50 of them faced off the pro-Israel counter-protesters with an ocean of Palestinian flags and the ever-present A.N.S.W.E.R. banner, complete with socialist slogans.  At the end of the block each group held a corner, holding signs towards the street for optimal viewing and waving flags.

With an information table, Israeli and American flags by the dozen, and tons of professional-looking signs, the pro-Israel forces were well prepared.  Local news reporters conducted interviews, including one with writer and activist Lee Kaplan, whose detailed article on the conference came out the day before at FrontPageMag.com.  He and several others tried to get into the conference, citing legal precedent, but to no avail.  Despite the fact that it was billed as a ''public forum,'' the goons at the entrance managed to justify keeping ''outsiders'' outside.  One has to wonder what exactly they were trying to hide by restricting access?  Eventually the SFPD was called in, but they sided with the conference organizers, telling the others to move off the sidewalk in front of the building.  Look for the same people the police protected to allege ''police brutality'' on their websites before the week is out.

Of all the debates and discussions that went on throughout the morning, one of the most interesting was an exchange between two liberal Jewish women (members of Tikkun) and a young Palestinian man and member of the right-leaning ProtestWarrior.com.  Seeing Jews attempt to argue the pro-Palestinian position with a Palestinian effectively arguing the pro-Israel position, was a surreal sight indeed.

At the same time, there was a fair amount of support from neighborhood residents and passersby.  Two Hispanic women with bibles in hand stopped to express their support for Israel, saying ''God bless you,'' and as always, pro-Israel folks got lots of honks and thumbs-up from people driving by.  One man yelled out his car window, ''Long live Israel!''

Despite the successful protest, many in the community are still outraged at the use of taxpayer-funded public school grounds for a political event of this nature.  Conference organizers did mislead the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) by describing the event simply as an ''Educational Forum on the Middle East'' on the application form.  But considering all the information available on the extremist groups involved in the conference, this is hardly a valid excuse.  San Francisco Board of Education president Dan Kelly was hit with a ton of e-mails objecting to the conference, but he fell back on the ''we have to treat everyone equally'' cop-out.  When one correspondent asked sarcastically if that would extend to hosting a Klu Klux Klan meeting in the future, Kelly agreed!

But after the outcry over this event and the attendant bad publicity, perhaps the SFUSD will think twice next time about hosting a conference of terrorist sympathizers.  And if not, pro-Israel and pro-American protesters will be there to remind them.

Cinnamon Stillwell is contributing editor to ChronWatch and lives in San Francisco. Cinnamon receives e-mail at cstillwell@chronwatch.com.