THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 15, 1995 TAG: 9505120004
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
I read in amazement Roberta Baker's ``Why some might think Pat's an anti-Semite'' (Another View, May 3).
The evidence presented condemning Mr. Robertson is largely contained in an editorial published in a university newspaper, written by someone other than Pat Robertson. It appears to be Ms. Baker's opinion that a university president should be held responsible for the editorial opinion of a student or that the student's opinion is necessarily that of the president, or that in case of disagreement the president's opinion takes precedent over the free-speech rights of the student. If this point of view is valid, then every person who was a president during the 1960s should be held responsible for the protests which took place on the pages of university newspapers and for the physical violence on the grounds of nearly every campus across the country.
Ms. Baker condemns the presence of the Journal for Historic Review in a university library, apparently due to its content of Holocaust revisionism. I, too, am appalled by its content and have had the misfortune of confronting several of its adherents a number of years ago. Perhaps this publication should be restricted to an area of the library dedicated to special studies.
However, it should not be destroyed, banned from the shelves, swept under the rug or, most important, not ignored. Its existence should be recognized; it should be studied and exposed for the sick philosophy that it represents.
In 1939 a similar mind-set swept Germany. Proper scrutiny and exposure at that time may have prevented the horrible suffering of millions of Jews and non-Jews alike.Illumination is one of the purposes of our nation's universities, is it not?
Ms. Baker attributes to Mr. Robertson many statements and actions made in support of Israel and the Jewish people. She also concedes that Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein wrote ``praising (Mr. Robertson's) support for Israel.'' Ms. Baker uses convoluted logic and no direct evidence to support her accusation. In fact, she presents a far better case for acquitting Mr. Robertson of the charge of being an anti-Semite.
GEORGE VOTAVA
Suffolk, May 3, 1995
geovot(AT)aol.com by CNB