Tuesday 3 March 2009

Science Museum


One reason I don't post often about Israel because I don't think there is anything new to say. But every so often a brief venture into the mire is worth while. Here The Independent (trust the Independent) is trying to fan the flames of a debate about whether the Science Museum should go ahead with an exhibition of Israel's contribution to science.

The article leads:

The Science Museum, one of Britain's most prestigious public institutions, was embroiled in a row last night after being accused of promoting Israeli universities whose research was used in the country's military campaign in Gaza.

So the accusation is at the top. And the row is because:

More than 400 academics, a Nobel laureate and the former chair of the Science Select Committee called on the museum to cancel workshops due to be held this week that promote Israeli scientific achievements to schoolchildren.

The Science Museum says.

that the event had been planned for nearly a year and "has no political theme". A statement added: "Scientists speaking at the event include a marine biologist, a physicist who works on experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at Cern [Switzerland], a nanotechnology expert, a water scientist and a geneticist ... Having considered the issue very carefully, and while fully respecting the right for everyone to express their views, [we] believe that not to proceed with the event would mean taking a political stand, which would be wholly inappropriate."

Professor Rosenhead, who is heading the protest, said:

that a host of evidence suggested a sinister link between Israel's scientists and defence policies. The most recent annual review of Tel Aviv University (TAU), he said, stated that "the Israeli Ministry of Defence is currently funding 55 projects at TAU", which "is playing a major role in enhancing Israel's security capabilities and military edge". The head of TAU's strategic studies, he added, is a serving major-general. The connections between these universities and defence was "very acute" he added.

I think most universities are developing science programmes including defence projects. Most of them are not referred to as 'sinister' but, this being Israel, everything is sinister. And then comes the clincher that some of these projects are "playing a major role in enhancing Israel's security capabilities and military edge".

So that's the Gaza link. That is what it amounts to. The country has a defence system. And it wants to enhance it.

That is genocide, straight off. I mean it is when the Jewish state does it. Because they just want to kill everyone. When other people develop military projects it means something different.

This exhibition is nothing to do with military projects, of course, but it's the same country, the same people, and some of them might be working in universities where some defence projects are being studied, and some of these defence projects might be used to massacre more Palestinians some time, because that is what Israel does. Israel can contribute nothing to science. Or at least it can not be seen to have contributed anything except massacres, genocides, and murders of little children.

My local idiot MP Ian Gibson, who is among the signatories, turned up at a rally in Norwich last year to save the Puppet Theatre and some other theatre companies and told us it was all the fault of the Iraq War. If it hadn't been for Iraq we would still have had a puppet theatre. QED.

Same logic. Same man.



7 comments:

The Plump said...

The University of Hull once trained members of Indonesian special forces. See here.

I suppose I should boycott myself.

Will these SWP obsessives never see sense or even just get tired?

George S said...

Perhaps we could boycott each other? Save other people the trouble?

The Plump said...

That sounds a bit too homoerotic. I think we should just boycott ourselves, quietly, in a corner.

Will said...

For fuck's sake George -- wot is it with you and Indy lnks?

Here is the fucking Indy link to wot you is on aboot

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/science-museum-accused-over-links-to-israel-1635887.html

I am going to boycott stupid fucking cunts whose mouthful of diarrhoea spluttered in an incoherent manner consists of 'boycott this or that shit'.

The Chinese and the Yank's states are both military industrial complexes. I haven't heard or seen anyone call for the dismantling of either state. Pakistan is a shithole country as well mind -- we shouldn't go down that route tho -- you will be accused of islamaphobia.

Anonymous said...

George, the workings of the human mind never fail to fascinate me. How can anyone, like professor Professor Rosenhead, be so blind to logic? I think...how did he get to be a professor if he's so stupid? There's still hope for me yet. I shall retire to my place under the elderberry tree to think this one out :)

George S said...

A professorship awaits you, Billy. Bring the elderberry.

SnoopyTheGoon said...

What I am really is fascinated by is the myriad of names for berries in English, all ending with "-berry". I can barely identify two or three of them.

Then, come to think of it, I can barely identify two or three of them in the other two languages. I think a professorship for me is coming soon then.