"I want to shoot Robert Fisk"

-- John Malkovich, in May, 2002, telling the Cambridge Union that the reporter for the London Independent, as an "anti-semite," doesn't deserve to live. (1)

To question or not to question, is that, unquestionably, the question, or what?

A federal tribunal to investigate and monitor criticism on American college campuses of...Israel? A bill was passed by the House in support of creating such a tribunal?  On September 17, 2003 the House Subcommittee on Select Education approved H.R. 3077 unanimously?  Slightly over a month later, the International Studies in Higher Education Act was passed by the full House of Representatives? How did your representative vote?  You don't know?

No grassroots organizations are supporting this call for a federal tribunal? None?  The ADL (Anti-Defamation League), B'naiB'rith, the American Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Committee, pro-Israel publicist William Kristol's neo-conservative front Empower America, Rupert Murdoch's Weekly Standard, and the U.S.-India Political Action Committee are pushing for passage?

A seven-member advisory board would have the power to recommend cutting federal funding for institutions of higher education which are deemed to be harboring academic critics of Israel?  Two would come from the Senate?  Two from the House which has zero credibility since passing the abomination?  Three from the back pockets of the Secretary of Education?  You don't know who that is?  Two of the Secretary of Education's candidates would have to be from U.S. federal security agencies?  Does anyone remember that "blue ribbon" panel provided by the Warren Commission?  How about the one put together to put the Fat Mouth on Oliver North?  Did I draw faulty analogies here?  What former panels does this proposed Son of Patriot Act remind you of?  Is the present 9-11 abortion-of-a-panel a better one to cite?

Do the primary individuals promoting this insult to our intelligence have political axes to grind?  Might Martin Kramer of The Moshe Dayan Center be such a one?  How about National Review Online's Stanley Kurtz?  Does pro-Israel Middle East Forum founder Daniel Pipes fit the bill?

Do you have a clue as to why it's difficult to find out how your representative voted when the bill came before the full House?  Does that have anything to do with Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich) asking for a suspension of the House rules, making it possible for this controversial "Title 6" to be passed with a so-called "voice vote," eliminating any official public trace of voting and non-voting representatives' positions?

Do you think it might be a good idea for you to contact one of your senators to let them know your opposition to the measure, prior to it coming up for a vote in the Senate?  Do you think you can make time to undermine this slated infringement upon the First Amendment, this disgusting danger to academic inquiry, integrity and security?

What about reviewing  

http://www.aaup.org/govrel/hea/2003/9-23alert.htm (AAUP Legislative Alert on HR 3077)
 
http://hnn.us/articles/1218.html (article by Juan Cole)
 
http://internationalstudies.uchicago.edu/titleVI.shtml (contains history, background, links) 

before contacting the Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) Committee?  And, if you decide to contact the elected officials such as

Committee Chairman: Judd Gregg (R-NH) -- (202) 224-3324 or (603) 225-7115

Democrat Members:
 
Senator Edward Kennedy (MA) -- (202) 224-4543 or (617) 565-3170
Senator Christopher Dodd (CT) -- (202) 224-2823 or (860) 258-6940
Senator Tom Harkin (IA) -- (202) 224-3254 or (515) 284-4574
Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD) -- (202) 224-4654 or (410) 962-4510
Senator James Jeffords (I) (VT) -- (202) 224-5141 or (802) 223-5273
Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM) -- (202) 224-5521 or (505) 988-6647
Senator Patty Murray (WA) -- (202) 224-2621 or (206) 553-5545
Senator Jack Reed (RI) -- (202) 224-4642 or (401) 943-3100
Senator John Edwards (NC) -- (202) 224-3154 or (919) 856-4245
Senator Hillary Clinton (NY) -- (202) 224-4451 or (212) 688-6262
 
Republican Members:
 
Senator Bill Frist (TN) -- (202) 224-3344 or (615) 352-9411
Senator Mike Enzi (WY) -- (202) 224-3424 or (307) 682-6268
Senator Mike DeWine (OH) -- (202) 224-2315 or (614) 469-5186
Senator Christopher Bond (MO) -- (202) 224-5721 or (573) 634-2488
Senator Lamar Alexander (TN) -- (202) 224-4944 or (615) 736-5129
Senator John Ensign (NV) -- (202) 224-6244 or (702) 388-6605
Senator Jeff Sessions (AL) -- (202) 224-4124 or (334) 244-7017
Senator Pat Roberts (KS) -- (202) 224-4774 or (913) 451-9343
Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) -- (202) 224-5972 or (864) 250-1417
Senator John Warner (VA) -- (202) 224-2023 or (804) 771-2579

Do you think it would be wise to keep your comments down to simply saying you want the abominable legislation stopped in its tracks, instead of lecturing them on the evils of the Israeli lobbyists?

Do you believe I'd turn you on to The Task Force on Middle East Anthropology (MEAnthro@yahoo.com) for additional information/advice, if it wouldn't do any good?

And one final question, may I?  What makes you think that I wouldn't do everything in my power to help you put an end to the overwhelming influence of these "Sons of Malkoviches" if you contacted me directly at mail@onedancesummit.org?

(1)  Robert Fisk, "Why Does John Malkovich Want to Kill Me?" in The Politics of Anti-Semitism, ed. by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair (Oakland: AK Press, 2003), pp. 59-62.  As a little side note (drawn from Fisk's piece), "Malkovich was not questioned by the police."

Richard (The Ox) Oxman, a nice Jewish guy who doesn't mind the Jewish people having one country (but not two!)*, and can enjoy a film like Spike Jonze's "Being John Malkovich" without thinking about JM's reactionary politics/violent threats. He can be reached at mail@onedancesummit.org. The Ox is the founder of the Rachel Corrie Contingent.

*Alexander Cockburn's and Edward Said's objections to this should, however, be addressed.