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Hamas' Barbarity Heightens the Crisis in Higher Education
(Wall Street Journal) Michael R. Bloomberg - The barbaric attack by Hamas against Israel - the intentional slaughter of defenseless civilians, including children and babies, and the taking of hostages - should have been a unifying moment for America. Shamefully, it has become a wake-up call about a crisis in higher education. It has been painful to watch students at elite colleges implicitly or explicitly endorse Hamas' attack. It's clear they never learned the lesson of 9/11: Intentionally targeting civilians for slaughter is inexcusable no matter the political circumstances. One can support the Palestinian people and still denounce the intentional slaughter of civilians. For years, college presidents have allowed their campuses to become bastions of intolerance, by permitting students to shout down the voices of others. They have condoned "trigger warnings" that shield students from difficult ideas. And they have created "safe spaces" that discourage or exclude opposing views. College presidents have also allowed campuses to become institutions of conformity. It is no surprise that support for terrorism, dressed in the language of social justice, has emerged from this environment. No student should ever feel physically intimidated or unsafe going to or speaking in class, as many Jewish students have lately. Students can chant slogans, exposing their inability to communicate in ways that college students should be capable of, but they can't issue violent threats or disrupt others' studies. Any student who runs afoul of those basic principles should be thrown out of school. The writer, founder of Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies, served as mayor of New York City (2002-13).