Still MORE leftist attacks on free speech?

Michael Pugliese debsian at pacbell.net
Thu Mar 8 15:38:17 PST 2001


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/12/12 /ED28649.DTL

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/search/srch-list.cgi?p=chron&y=2000&fm=01&fd=0 1&tm=12&td=31&cs=ED&es=&h=&b=&q=Netanyahu&t=sorted_search.tmpl&a=search&d=th edate&wdb=%2Fweb%2Fwais-indexes%2F

Letter from FSM veterans, about the cancelled Netanyahu appearence in Berkeley, last fall. Two notes about the authors, actually three. Bettina Aptheker, is a great teacher at UCSC, her Intro to Feminism class is always packed, at least in my yrs. there. Somewhere I read her relationship with her Dad has always been dificult given his dogmatism, though you've got to give him credit for his speech to CofC, now CCDS, in '91.Mario Savio, R.I.P. was blacklisted for yrs, finally got gainful employment as a high school teacher i the yrs. before he died. David Goines, has a long book on the FSM, worth a look see. Kate Coleman, in New West, had a pioneering piece, on the BPP, that in contrast to Horowitz and Collier's work, was judicious. As, is a Eve Pell piece, also in New West, in the late 70's on the radical prison movement in Ca. in the 60's & 70's. Don't have precise cite but, check the book, "The Rise and Fall of California's Radical Prison Movement, " by Eric Cummins. Maurice Isserman gave it a positive review in RHR.

Michael Pugliese

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Tuesday, December 12, 2000

Free Speech Includes the Unpopular

Editor -- As former members and supporters of the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, all active in efforts to preserve the movement's legacy, we affirm that the right of free speech exists even when -- perhaps especially when -- the speaker and/or the content of his or her speech is unpopular or offensive, as the views and actions of Benjamin Netanyahu are to many of us.

While peaceful and even vigorous protests are more than warranted, we are very disturbed by attempts of participants and apologists for the Nov. 28 incident at the Berkeley Community Theatre to justify preventing the former Israeli prime minister from addressing his audience by associating this position with the Free Speech Movement. We are equally offended by those who imply such a connection.

The Free Speech Movement, which began as an attempt to protect the free- speech rights of students engaged in the civil rights movement, never limited its defense of free speech to those with whom we agree or to advocates of causes we like. Free speech, as Mario Savio said, is not just "a tactic for political ends." It is a good in and of itself, a touchstone of humanity.

We consider any infringements of the free speech of controversial speakers, and the rights of their would-be listeners, to be a serious violation of the principles for which thousands of students struggled in 1964. Berkeley is, should be and will remain a bastion of free speech and free assembly.

REGINALD ZELNIK

LYNNE HOLLANDER SAVIO

BETTINA APTHEKER

MAL BURNSTEIN

KATE COLEMAN

TOM SAVIO

LEE FELSENSTEIN

DAVID L. GOINES Berkeley



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list