Friday, February 13, 2015

Is UMass Profiling?

UMass Amherst:  What dangers lurk in that library?

Baby boomers who lived through the frustration and humiliation of the student initiated Iranian Hostage Crisis, which helped bring down President Carter but also brought us Nightline, probably would not feel a whole lot of sympathy over Iranian students being denied access to certain curriculum at our flagship educational institute, UMass/Amherst.

Especially if you fear that particular enlightenment could lead to a mushroom cloud over one of our unsuspecting cities one beautiful Tuesday morning.

But I also wonder if UMass/Amherst is really offering classes in how to build the bomb.  Isn't that why we have the Internet?



The National Iranian American Council issued a press release yesterday decrying the alleged recent regulatory actions of UMass.   I suppose any international student could worry about the slippery slope:

First they came for the Iranian students and I didn't speak out because I was not Iranian; then they came for the Chinese students and I didn't care because I'm not Chinese; and by the time they came for the middle-aged white Republicans ...


30 comments:

  1. Ayatollah this would happen.

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  2. Heard Lawrence O'Brien ain't running for SC. True?

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    1. Funniest joke using 'ayatollah' so far.

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  3. I was watching the news the other day about the Iran elections, they had a statement from the "supreme leader".

    Diana Ross looked like shit, she's really let herself go.

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    1. Even funnier than the Ayatollah joke. Some of us CANs are pretty good. In an anonymous nitwittish way, that is.

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  4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  5. The Globe picked up the story about an hour ago, so I can imagine UMass bureaucrats are now hiding under their desks.

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  6. Dammmed if you do,dammed if you don't.

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  7. Well they seem to be the only ones doing it at the moment.

    Although, the notice on their webpage has been taken down ...

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  8. They're not coming for the Iranian students. They're not coming for anybody. They are complying with Federal law that is designed to protect national security in cases dealing with embargoed countries. The same goes for North Korea and other embargoed countries.

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  9. Will Vira speak up for this group of people being discriminated against?

    Nope, didn't think so.

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  10. Anon 3:39 -- The Gazette has reported that Larry has withdrawn, to spend more time with his family. (I know that's sometimes a euphemism but his statement said that there is a medical condition in his family demanding more of his time.)

    That leaves Vera D. and Phoebe Hazzard unopposed for the two seats, unless someone organizes a write-in campaign which would be difficult.

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    1. What's that got to do with Iranian students?

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  11. No one wants the abuse that comes with elected office in Amherst.

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  12. At UMass it started with ACT and now the hysteria has led to racial groups. I honestly am not surprised -- I'm not...

    At UMass, anyone who is different is defined as inherently dangerous -- they are that paranoid and that fascist...

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    1. Anon 5:30, could you please specify the law you're talking about. If it's true there is such a law, I find it fascinating.

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  13. There are a number of faculty who are Iranian in these programs at UMass. Will they be restricted as well?

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  14. Or will UMass turn over records showing Iranians who recently graduated in these fields so they can be rounded up?

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  15. Let's not get all hyperventilated. Iranian Nationals are not US citizens. They are visitors from a country currently under US embargo. Restrictions related to that status are logical. Laws by their nature have to cover a broad range of contingencies, some of which in their application may not seem fair to a given individual.

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  16. Remember too that professors can only "recommend" that UMass admit certain persons as graduate students - it is the Graduate Dean and the Graduate School who actually admits them. Or doesn't.

    Just because it is pro forma doesn't mean that it is a mandate -- professors do NOT have the authority to admit graduate students!

    Oh, and Larry, who said "round them up"? Wt's wrong it merely "watching" them? That's Enku's defense of the lynch mob known as ACT..

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  17. History is bound to repeat itself because we are not more enlightened than the last cycle.

    Some of them looked pretty white, perhaps armbands or marks outside their doors would help make sure that we fairly enforce unequal justice.

    There's my comment, but the post seems to be lacking some information or links to stuff that has the information about what this post is about. I am also not sure if Larry agrees or is making fun of UMASS.

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  18. http://coreyrobin.com/2015/02/14/state-department-expresses-surprise-over-umass-policy/

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  19. I am so happy I voted for Obama we need his leadership right now.

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    1. Is that a joke about Obama's leadership? That's the funniest post yet. We need the agzact opposite of his leadership. O! You were Serious??

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  20. First they came for the Iranian students and I didn't speak out because I was not Iranian; then they came for the Chinese students and I didn't care because I'm not Chinese; and by the time they came for the middle-aged white Republicans ..

    Who's the "they" in question?

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  21. I say again -- what's the big deal?

    As Enku Geylae says, if there is even a remote possibility that one student might do something, we must violate the rights of all of them for the public good.

    She actually once said that in defense of ACT. Discretion being the better part of valor, I neglected to remind her that she was born in Somalia.....

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  22. Baktiar still in power? Or is it Bani-sadr? I forget. I do remember this chant out of Tehran: Death to Carter. Death to Shah! Death to Carter. Death to Shah!

    Nice place to visit. Not.

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  23. This is not targeting Muslim students. This is not targeting Iranian-American students. This is strictly about Iranian Nationals. And if someone had stopped Saudi Nationals from attending US flight schools we might not have had 9/11. Hindsight may be 20/20 but that's only if you look back.

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