Politics at Swarthmore?

dramatica
Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:13:40 +0000

Interestedperson

My D attends Swarthmore. We are Jewish. Monday night she called and we spoke about the “checkpoint,” among other things. She expressed no fear and saw the “checkpoint” as an opportunity for dialogue. She was more disturbed with some of the anonymous comments allegedly coming from outside the community because some were offensive and not conducive to an exchange of opinions. It is my understanding that if someone did not want to go through the checkpoint, there were alternatives, thus invasion of privacy would not seem to be the issue.

If you are truly an interested person trying to help a young adult make an educated decision about where to attend, you may wish to point her to the Daily Gazette. There she can read for herself about the reaction of the students in the comments and opinion letters. She can then make a well informed decision as to the climate at the school and whether she would feel comfortable, or not, at a school where students are free to explore many issues, even controversial ones.

I am a firm believer in Israel’s right to protect its very own existence and its people, for I fear that it could otherwise be annihilated in an increasingly hostile world. However, I am also a firm believer in our right to exercise our guaranteed freedom to express ourselves freely in this great country of ours, regardless of the subject matter.

My parents fled my country of birth so that I would not have to grow up under a totalitarian regime and could live without fear of repression and free to express myself. The KKK terrifies me, but I respect the ACLU for coming to its defense and fighting in court for its right to peacefully demonstrate. For it is this inalienable right that keeps us secure and makes this country great.

The timing of the checkpoint may have been insensitive, perhaps even deliberate, but I applaud the school administrators for showing restraint and “allowing” the students to go ahead with their “demonstration” What better place than a liberal arts college campus for students to explore the depth and breadth of issues that are important to them, our country, the world, regardless of content or orientation?