Silencing Speech

To the Editors of the Crimson:

Although I was saddened to read last Friday's article about the Israeli Independence Day balloons that were popped, I was also quite amazed at the hypocrisy of some of the people quoted.

There was the comment by Daniel Libenson '92, chair of Hillel's Coordinating Council, calling the action "a violation of free speech." there was also the threat of disciplinary action from Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III, a representative of the same University that earlier this semester claimed to have no desire whatsoever to limit the free speech of its students. Are Libenson and Epps trying to say that the student involved was not lawfully expressing his opinion by popping the balloons? Interestingly enough, not a word was said when a different opinion was expressed earlier this year when Palestinian posters were ripped down just minutes after they were postered at the Cultural Rhythms Festival.

This episode merely demonstrates how closely Harvard parallels the United States in general, where laws are erected to silence the H. Rap Browns of the world and the Fred Hamptons are shot in their sleep by agents of our government when their speech becomes a little too "free." For at Harvard, too, free speech is a selectively given right, available without the threat of disciplinary action only to the mainstream majority, sizeable and "acceptable" minority groups and white supremacists. Jacinda T. Townsend '92