Extremist left-wing professors are attacking UCLA chancellor Julio Frenk for the thoughtcrime of opposing antisemitism and terrorism, in the name of the university, in a recent statement.
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professors → attack → statement
In response, Frenk wrote the professors a very polite letter.
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Frenk → write → letter
He should have told them to go to hell instead.
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He → tell → hell
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Sign → sign → California
UCLA’s law school held a symposium on September 11 that criticized America’s response to the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
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that → hold → September
One of the panelists had represented Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, or KSM, the alleged mastermind of the attack.
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One → represent → attack
KSM also allegedly confessed to decapitating Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, partly because Pearl was Jewish.
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Pearl → confess → Pearl
He didn’t try to stop the event, but spoke critically of it.
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He → try → it
When the story of the symposium emerged, there was public outrage.
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story → emerge → symposium
This is a university that claims it has learned the lessons of 2024, when it allowed radicals to occupy the center of campus for a week in an “encampment” that excluded journalists and blocked Jewish students from walking to their dorms or classes unless they denounced Israel.
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they → claim → Israel
Frenk reacted to the 9/11 event the way any normal human being would — at least, one not brainwashed by radicals.
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being → react → radicals
He opposed it.
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He → oppose → it
A little late, perhaps, but he did the right thing.
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he → do → thing
Note what he did not do.
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he → note → what
He did not try to stop the event.
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He → try → event
He did not kick it off campus.
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He → kick → campus
He did not send the organizers to sensitivity training, which UCLA might have done if professors had brought a lawyer for the KKK to lecture on the anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery march.
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professors → send → march
Frenk stated, simply: “UCLA’s values are clear.
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values → state → ?
We reject antisemitism and terrorism in all their forms.
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We → reject → forms
…Academic freedom does not require us to be neutral about antisemitism or terrorism.”
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freedom → require → antisemitism
That’s what triggered the faculty, whose senate wrote to Frenk that it had “concerns and reservations” because his statement was “interpreted as criticizing the law school event.”
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statement → ’ → event
Evidently academic freedom means defending a terrorist, but not criticizing someone who defends a terrorist.
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who → mean → terrorist
(The distinguished professors can’t even obey their own lofty principles.)
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professors → obey → principles
Frenk wrote back, thanking the senate for its “thoughtful” (really, brainless) letter.
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Frenk → write → letter
He almost backed down.
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He → back → ?
He framed his opposition to terrorism and antisemitism as a way to support Judea Pearl “and others in our community who carry their own lived experiences of September 11 and its aftermath,” as if being outraged by terrorism was just a personal perspective.
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who → frame → terrorism
“[W]e can uphold academic freedom while also expressing support for members of our community who are hurting,” he said.
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he → uphold → community
It’s about taking the side of civilization versus barbarism.
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It → ’ → barbarism
People who are upset about 9/11
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who → upset → 9/11
We’re asking first for physical security, and then for basic moral decency.
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We → ask → decency
We have also decided that what makes us a great civilization is that we are prepared to allow total freedom to those who would preach barbarism.
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who → decide → barbarism
So let the professors rant.
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professors → let → ?
We get it.
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We → get → it
They hate the society that subsidizes them, that gives them tenure and summers off and campus parking.
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that → hate → tenure
But the rest of us are allowed to have an opinion about it — and not just as private individuals.
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rest → allow → individuals
He should have told them that while professors are free to say what they want, and that even al-Qaeda terrorists deserve lawyers, if they have a problem with UCLA taking a stance against antisemitism and terrorism, they are also free to leave.
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they → tell → antisemitism
The Aporia
