Defund the professors. Every last one
York University law professor who says Yahya Sinwar may have been ‘murdered’ is just the latest example of progressive bias
It is offensive that public money — any amount — goes to universities to fund the self-actualization of professional activists masquerading as academics, but that is what is being supported. Too many professors twist and abuse their status to push whatever progressive cause they care about at the moment. It is an unforgivable use of tax dollars.
No one has destroyed the reputation of experts more than the so-called experts themselves, who expect their opinions to be given greater weight because of their credentials, even when they are spouting obvious gibberish.
Academic reaction to Israel’s war against Hamas has made it plain just how unsalvageable universities, as publicly-funded institutions, have become. Professors just can’t help themselves from making arguments that seem to sympathize with those responsible for the October 7 massacre of 1,200 people — mostly civilians, mostly Israelis.
A year later, their defence of Hamas has grown bolder, but hardly more sophisticated.
After Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who ordered and planned the October 7 attack, was killed by the Israel Defence Forces last week, York University law professor Heidi Matthews lamented how he was killed.
“There is good reason to believe that Sinwar was, in fact, murdered by the IDF,” she posted on X on Friday. “Canada should be demanding that Israel comply with an independent investigation into the circumstances of Sinwar’s death.”
It’s possible for an expert in the laws of war to conclude that Sinwar was in fact, as Matthews put it, “hors de combat,” or “no longer in the fight,” and that, therefore, his killing was “illegal.”
I say it is possible, but making that case requires engaging in some seriously flawed reasoning, even by the standards of law professors on social media. Even one of the sources (the Guardian) that Matthews quotes approvingly to arrive at her conclusion contradicts her arguments.
Absolutely agree. No Russian military alliance was tolerated (bases/troops/munitions/missiles) with Cuba, 90 miles from Florida. But a similar NATO military alliance literally across the street from Russia should be acceptable to Putin? Zelenskyy’s wish list just got one item shorter. That’s a positive not a negative.
Germany and the United States are not alone in blocking Ukraine’s potential invitation to join NATO, according to an October 23 report from Politico.
Several other countries, including Hungary, Slovakia, Belgium, Slovenia, and Spain, are also resisting the move.
While Zelenskyy has acknowledged that full NATO membership can only be achieved once the war with Russia ends, he maintains that receiving an invitation during the conflict is “fundamental.”