Lousy Academic: Chomsky Barred From Occupied West Bank

Noam Chomsky might have a point on some counts, but his convoluted theory that news media is actually overwhelmingly run by conservatives, and the messages are only seeming liberal, is plain nutso. Maybe some time ago it had relevance, but it does not now. That is the chief reason I cannot stand this man.

The other reason I cannot appreciate him is that Chomsky seems to make about as much sense, and is about as easy to listen to, and stay awake for, as a monotone  Triginometry substitute instructor in a room with no air conditioning in South Florida.

Linguist Noam Chomsky Barred From Occupied West Bank

By David Gura

One of the world's leading intellectuals -- linguist, philosopher and political activist Noam Chomsky -- has been barred from entering the Occupied West Bank by Israel's immigration authorities, NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports from Jerusalem.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor was scheduled to give a speech at Birzeit University in the Occupied West Bank today, but he was denied entry at the border. According to Israeli authorities, Chomsky never tendered a request. His version of what happened is different, however.

According to Garcia-Navarro, Chomsky says he was told at the border by Israeli immigration authorities that they didn't like his viewpoint on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In an appearance on Israeli television, he said "no government in the world likes the things I say."

The incident has caused outrage in some circles in Israel. Boaz Okon, writing in Yedioth Ahronoth, said "it would not be an exaggeration to say that the decision to shut up Prof. Chomsky is an attempt to put an end to freedom in the State of Israel."

He lost me at "leading intellectuals". Leading academic, maybe. Big difference.