There are several requests in the comments for me to cite the source of the speaker at the UVM protest encampment. I responded to those comments (in the comment section), but someone mentioned I should put it here as a diary update. Here is what I wrote down below, with one further additional clarification:
“The comment came to me by way of one of my close friends (also Jewish) who works for the State Department, which is monitoring all of this.
I believe her as I’ve known her for 35 years and have never had reason to doubt anything she claimed as true.”
The further comment is that I have indeed known her for 35 years and she has worked for the State Department for about 30 of them. I just texted her for any source material/link that she was using to make that assertion, but as I am in Europe at the moment and she is asleep, it may be a few hours before she replies. Naturally, when she does, I will add a second update. Sorry for any confusion.
The University of Vemont's administration caved to protestors and rescinded the invitation for commencement speaker Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. (Happy 100th Foreign Service Day.) I am upset.
This won’t stop the demonstrations. Today a speaker at the encampment said Hitler was right to kill Jews because they were Zionist.
If you don’t think there is a (foreign) nefarious effort to take advantage of the crisis and our existing political divisions in our election year, and co-opt young minds — consider it naive.
“I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending….”
I beg you, people who think Israel is more wrong than Hamas...what should I be thinking about all of this? Tell me, if you were a Jewish American, how would you feel? How would you advise me?
Your Jewish friends continue to not be alright.