I heartily congratulate Women’s March Los Angeles (WMLA) co-founders Emiliana Guereca and Deena Katz for successfully challenging the Israel-bashing, anti-Semitism and Louis Farrakhan-idolatry of Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory, leaders of the D.C.-based Women’s March, Inc. Students for Justice in Palestine and similar groups, directed by the radical Muslim Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), have fomented contempt for Jews and Christians for more than a decade, poisoning the minds of a whole generation against Israel. To my knowledge, Guereca and Katz are the first liberals to say, “Enough!” to this abusive “progressive” extremism, and they won, destroying Sarsour and Mallory’s legitimacy.
WMLA’s success has positioned them to go much further; they can now challenge the corruption and forced “intersectionalism” that has poisoned the progressive movement, and help fix our broken political system. Far-leftists have destroyed free speech at many universities, shouting down pro-Israel and other conservative advocates. They’ve demonized white people and men, and regardless of how one feels about Brett Kavanaugh, they used his confirmation to threaten the bedrock of American justice, “innocent until proven guilty.” WMLA can now begin to correct these destructive attitudes.
WMLA might immediately sponsor a formal debate, perhaps at UCLA, between Israeli and Palestinian supporters, that begins with handshakes, and demands audience respect for both sides. It would attract advocates like Alan Dershowitz and Ms. Sarsour herself, and so be covered by the national media. Students and others would learn that Palestinians were offered and rejected a state numerous times, and that their current Gaza border “demonstrations” are actually lethal assaults. And regardless of who wins, student s would finally learn that it, like most issues, is complex, without angels or demons or either side. Women’s March LA could follow it up with debates about abortion rights and immigration policy, leading the way for both sides to really start communicating, fostering mutual respect and beginning to right our damaged ship of state. And we can all be proud to see women lead the way, and know that it started right here in LA.
Rueben Gordon