I am finding these election emails increasingly disturbing. Not because of the volume of emails, because I get a lot of emails, like I’m sure all of you do. Nor because a lot of students are getting involved, which is great. And not because of the general tenor, because a lot of them seem quite progressive and socially concerned. And not least, because the Democrats and Conservatives enter into an unholy alliance at precisely the time the *Left* should be uniting; the Democrats reveal themselves by uniting with the Right! (See below.)
In student politics, all establishment parties should usually be regarded as the far right; Stanford is an exception, because Stanford is establishment, but this time maybe less so. But here is my problem. Nobody, absolutely nobody, I have seen so far, has been willing to make any stand with respect to war criminals on campus. At least last year there was one such candidate. I wonder if there is anything we can do about this.
All this self-advertising, earnest students advertising commitment to activism and human rights — are they willing to take a stand with respect to quite possibly the most immediate and important human rights issue on campus: the presence of faculty against which there is a strong prima facie case of crimes against humanity. Faculty commit massive war crimes and lead the supreme crime against international war, and nobody makes a peep.
The silence is deafening, and the hypocrisy is reaching a crescendo. Or so it seems from my point of view.
———- Forwarded message ———-
Dear Stanford Community,
There’s been a lot of talk in this ASSU election campaign about
politics—who’s liberal, who’s conservative, and what this means for
the Stanford population. We believe politics are important. It’s what
we spend most of our time doing.
But this election transcends traditional political divisions. We need
leadership that unites us and does not attempt to use our political
differences to divide us. Both of us have worked closely with [names deleted], and we know them to be the kind of guys who bring people together. And that’s exactly what Stanford needs right now.
Budget cuts are affecting all aspects of academics and student life –
every community will be affected. We need leadership who will unite
the entire student body and represent the interests of students, just
as we are united in this letter today. Please learn more about them
at [link deleted].
Sincerely,
[name deleted]
President, Stanford Democrats
[name deleted]
President, Stanford Conservative Society