The Land of the not so Free

Henry Porter has an exceptionally well written piece in the Guardian Unlimited, regarding the degradation of free speech in the United States. His article can be summarized by the following quote of John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt:

There is a strong moral case for supporting Israel's existence, but that is not in jeopardy. Viewed objectively, its past and present conduct offers no moral basis for privileging it over the Palestinians.

American foreign policy, especially as it pertains to Israel, is apparently not open for public debate. Debate is being closed at the very places where open dialogue should be champion: colleges and universities. Institutions of higher learning are slowly adopting a more conservative policy as pro-Israel, right-wing nut-jobs, silence debate as they accuse free thought as being un-American. Since when, in the land of the free, is it un-American to question and hold opinions?