Rally for Israel
I was reading one of my computer magazines the other day when I saw an ad for Accenture. I still think that's one of the goofiest company names around. Of course, I'm sure they're glad they're not called Anderson Consulting any more.
Usually I go to lunch at Hillel rather late because I don't realize that it's lunch time until I get hungry and by then I'm one of the last people down there. Today I made an effort to get to lunch early, just after noon, so I could eat and participate in a rally for Israel.
It was a half-hour rally on the steps of East Hall, and I got there just after it started. There were several speakers in the front who took turns with a megaphone, and students who I knew from Hillel holding flags. In the crowd there were people with picket signs, but they weren't anyone I knew.
There isn't much you can do at a rally. Either you come to cheer and applaud the speaker, or you come to protest bearing signs or handing out leaflets. I didn't have any flags but I applauded whenever I could make out what the speaker said that I agreed with.
There were things said that I didn't agree with. One speaker was explaining how we believed in civil rights and thus we needed to give the Palestinians their own state, a position that is no historical validity to back it up. The other thing that I had a problem with was the slogan, "Compromise, not terrorize," which the students were chanting. How you can compromise with people who've shown nothing but contempt for you, your country, and your religion is beyond me.
But overall, it turned out well. It's good that the voice of the Jewish community was heard. I'm just worried about how the Michigan Daily is going to twist it in their news coverage tomorrow.