Boycott Watch
                 
Friday, February 22, 2008
 
CH-UH Library Present a Film about Middle East Peace by an Arafat Terrorism Apologist, facilitated by CAIR.
 
Editorial by Fred Taub,
President, Boycott Watch

Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 7PM the Cleveland Heights -University Heights (OH) Public Library will show a film called "Peace in the Middle East" by Landrum Bolling, an Arafat apologist who claims "Israel was established by an international Zionist conspiracy" and called Arafat's terrorist image "nonsense."

   The event is being presented by Cleveland Peace Action and will be co-facilitated by Julia Sheerson of CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Saudi funded group with ties to Hamas. When I spoke to David Baronson of Cleveland Peace Action, the event promoter, he made it abundantly clear that he had no intention of having any balance in the panel despite the claim in the library bulletin which states "diverse representation of the relevant Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Arabic communities." These events have been deliberately falsely advertised.

    The video in question starts off by drawing a moral equivalence between Palestinian terrorism, including suicide bombings, to Israel's response to terrorism. The rest of the video is a blatant attack on Israel, with a few scattered pro-Israel comments which are strategically placed to frame the Bolling's anti-Israel / anti-Semitic stance. This video has no balance, yet it poorly attempts to masks itself as such. You can see it and judge for yourself here.

    There are two other related events by the same "peace" group scheduled at the library and advertised in the library newsletter with no events presenting the other side of the issue. While I have no objection to various groups using the library for their events, I must object to the fact that the library is using taxpayer dollars to advertise, thus promote these anti-Israel / anti-Semitic events. It also shows that the library staff either did not do their due diligence looking this event or allowed it to be posted to promote a political agenda. There is no third possibility - either someone at the library is incompetent or anti-Semitic.

    The Library Director, Mr. Stephen Wood, stated that he had no problems with such events as long as there is balance, of which there clearly can be none with this film, not to mention the guest speakers, or lack thereof. Another problem is that the library used taxpayer dollars to advertise, and I stress advertise, this political agenda event which very well may constitute misuse of public funds.

    After informing Mr. Wood that a CAIR representative was the event co-facilitator and that CAIR has a documented direct connection to the Hamas terrorist organization, a demand was made to Mr. Wood to cancel all of the events by that organization at the library. Mr. Wood has declined to cancel or retract the event or its advertising. In fact, Mr. Wood stated he wanted to present all viewpoints, and that apparently includes the viewpoints of CAIR and its Hamas friends. You may contact Mr. Wood at 216-932-3600 x 240 to express your concerns.

    The library used taxpayer dollars to promote events with presenters associated with terrorist organizations, which is clearly not in the best interests of our community. It is therefore imperative that we send a message to the library and vote no on the library tax levy in response.

   
 
 
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