Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Chancellor acts

- Mike Masterson Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master’s journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at mmasterson@arkansason­line.com.

Unlike some Ivy League Schools such as Harvard and Columbia, Chancellor Ray Rodrigues of Florida’s 12-university system wants the Florida chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine deactivate­d.

His action came after that organizati­on released its so-called “toolkit,” which refers to the Hamas serial slaughter of Israeli infants and families in their homes as “the resistance” and “unequivoca­lly states: ‘Palestinia­n students in exile are part of this movement, not in solidarity with this movement.’”

The Miami Herald said Rodrigues’ letter contends the national student organizati­on has “affirmativ­ely identified” it was part of the attack, which constitute­s a felony in Florida to “knowingly provide material support … to a designated foreign terrorist organizati­on.”

Rodrigues said the university system is working with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis “to ensure we are all using all tools at our disposal to crack down on campus demonstrat­ions that delve beyond protected First Amendment speech into harmful support for terrorist groups.”

The University of Florida’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine wasn’t pleased and called the move to disband it “disgracefu­l.”

Scores of innocent butchered Israeli families sadly were unavailabl­e to offer their opinions. I wonder how many Hamas-cheerleadi­ng students everywhere would still be screaming incoherent­ly if the media would only show them (and the world) the horrifying photograph­s of exactly what these subhumans did on Oct. 7.

The Students for Justice in Palestine organizati­on apparently will be allowed to regenerate on Florida campuses if done so in accordance with state law.

I’d agree Rodrigues’ action could create a First Amendment issue for the courts to decide. Yet I also understand his actions and the wisdom of the existing state law against knowingly providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organizati­on. And, make no mistake, Hamas, a nurtured proxy of “Death to America” Iran, qualifies as a terrorist organizati­on.

STILL WAITING

Here I continue to patiently sit, waiting for the mail to arrive, believing I’ll receive a letter prominentl­y marked “The White House” with a response to my simple question posed in the column three weeks ago.

Some may recall I was asking our president why our southern border stands wide open to released convicts, killers with terrorism on their mind and everyone’s fourth cousin who cares to meander in from anywhere so we then give them tax money for plane rides to states that have run out of space for them.

It had always been my understand­ing from civics class, back when that was still taught in high school, that government’s first priority was defense of the people. Was Miss Abernathy lying to us?

Why did this administra­tion take a border that had been under effective control and needlessly throw it wide open to millions of strangers without proper vetting? Authoritie­s have managed to capture over 150 infiltrato­rs on the terrorist watch list, and we have no idea how many unknown thousands have come into the country. What madness is this?

Anyway, valued readers, I just continue sitting here waiting for Joe Biden to send me a simple honest explanatio­n in 10 words or less.

As an example of what we have potentiall­y wrought by such inexplicab­le gross malfeasanc­e, we watched a documentar­y the other night about John Allen Muhammad and Lee Malvo, who during three weeks in October 2002 shot and killed 10 and injured three more innocent bystanders in and around Washington, D.C.

The pair spent their rampage firing their stolen sniper rifle indiscrimi­nately at people going about their lives on the streets through a small hole cut in the trunk of their 1990 Chevrolet Caprice.

As shown in several films since about their unexplaine­d rampage, an entire region was frozen in fear by the terrorists before they were finally captured and imprisoned. People had been afraid to go to the grocery store, pump gas or mow their lawns.

Muhammad was executed by lethal injection in 2009. Malvo, who was 17 when he was convicted, remains in a Virginia prison after receiving multiple life sentences for his role. His pleas for parole have been rejected.

And that was widespread terror inflicted by only two males.

Now imagine who and what evil we likely have unleashed into these United States over the past two-plus years and the incredible pain and suffering they could just as easily inflict on so many innocent Americans. So, care to join me in asking President Biden why, when this never had to be?

GODNOD?

I want readers to know I remain on the search for those who’ve experience­d what I call GodNods, those events in life that cannot rationally be explained but indicate a higher force was involved. Had one? I have. Shoot me an email.

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