Co-authored by John Amidon

Over 1,300 people from across the planet gathered in Cairo, Egypt on Christmas Day to try and break the siege of the Gaza Strip. It is a grim situation for the 1.5 million people interred there, even in the best of times, and the treatment of the people in Gaza by the Israeli government counts as soft genocide.

Last January, Israel launched a 22-day assault that killed 1,400-plus people (a disturbingly large percentage were children and other innocent civilians) and caused $2 billion in damage to their infrastructure. This damage has in turn caused secondary deaths from the lack of clean water and sanitation facilities.

Now, one of the people responsible for this reign of death and destruction, Ehud Olmert, will be speaking at Union College this Thursday. Ehud Olmert is former prime minister of Israel and is addressing the campus community at the Union College Memorial Chapel at 7 p.m. The public is not invited except by special invitation, or if you know a student who will take you along. To view the invitation, click HERE.

Mr. Olmert has been indicted for corruption in Israel and complaints have been filed in the UK and Norway for war crimes under universal jurisdiction laws. Nice role model for our young people.

It's like having Osama Bin Laden come and speak. Same church, different pew.

The original invitation was withdrawn and then reinstated after alumni pressured Union's administration and threatened to withhold donations and funds from the college.

Mr. Olmert will be paid in excess of $25,000 in addition to tens of thousands of dollars for his security, with the FBI assisting in assuring Olmert's safety (you and I are most likely paying for that – not Union College).

Concerned students and faculty are planning teach-ins and a protest the evening of the talk is being planned. Rumor has it that there is a “Free Speech Zone” being set up for the folks who like to point out Mr. Olmert's various and sundry human rights faux pas. Like killing people indiscriminately.

I like John Amidon's idea of going to the Albany International Airport and alerting the security personnel to the fact the a mass murderer may be coming through. I'll bet they don't so much as check Olmert's pants, let alone his shoes. (John has traveled to various places in the Middle East a number of times on peace missions.)

Below is a statement from members of the Union College Community:

A Position Statement from Members of the Union College Community:

Whereas, Union’s Strategic Plan calls for graduating students who are “engaged, innovative, and ethical contributors to an increasingly diverse, global, and technologically complex society;”
and;
Whereas, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been indicted on serious corruption charges in his own country, has been officially implicated by the United Nations in war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, and has also been implicated in the suppression of dissent:
We, the undersigned, hold that the administration's decision to allow the Speaker’s Forum to
invite Mr. Olmert was mistaken and contradicts the values and ethics of Union College. We reject the argument that Mr. Olmert’s visit is simply that of a “controversial” individual. We reject the logic that validates such a position, and hold it to be irrational and inconsistent with the intellectual climate we hope to create. Mr. Olmert's appearance at Union does not contribute to the free exchange of ideas. On the contrary, closed to the general public, under the pall of heavy security, and with questions vetted by moderators, this event seems to limit and stifle opposing viewpoint ­a set of conditions inconsistent with our tradition of academic freedom.

Furthermore, we deplore the significant negative impact this event will have on Union’s academic reputation on the local, national, and international levels. We go on record strongly against this decision to invite Mr. Olmert to speak at Union College, and urge that the event be canceled.

Anyone wishing to sign this statement is invited to contact any of us listed below to be added to the list of supporters. We are compelled by our consciences to circulate this position statement within the Union College community and beyond.

David Ogawa
Eshi Motahar
Tom Lobe
Mazin Tadros
Andy Feffer
Michelle Chilcoat
Valerie Barr