‘Virtually Zero’

A recent New York Sun editorial “Virtually Zero” [March 1, 2005] quarrels with a New York Times columnist over how much success to accord the city in its efforts to reduce the number of outstanding traffic and parking summonses issued to foreign diplomats and to collect on those that are issued. Here are the facts, and readers may draw their own conclusions: For many years, summonses issued to diplomats went unpaid, vexing mayors and frustrating taxpayers. In 2002, the city reached a historic agreement with the United Nations’ Consular Corps that that has resulted in an 86% reduction in parking violations, and a dramatic increase in the payment rate. It used to be that diplomats paid 1 of every 10 tickets; now, they pay 2 of 3.

Under this new Diplomatic Parking Program, diplomats with three outstanding summonses may have their license plates suspended, and the city may reduce or eliminate the parking spaces assigned to their consulate or mission. In addition, the program has reduced the number of vehicles authorized to park in diplomatic spaces from 2,600 to 530. Most nations now rent parking spaces or have made other off-street agreements for their vehicles.

The Diplomatic Parking Program has benefited all New Yorkers, freeing up parking spaces for their cars and increasing the public coffers. In addition, we are confident that, with the help of our federal representatives, we will be able to collect $20 million in fines from tickets issued prior to the 2002 agreement.

MARJORIE TIVEN
Commissioner
New York City Commission for U.N., Consular Corps and Protocol
Manhattan

Israel at Columbia

I am a graduate of Columbia College and a more recent graduate of the Law School where then-professor, now-Dean David Schizer was my appointed faculty adviser. Though we never sought each other out, in my time at Columbia Law, I held Dean Schizer in high esteem as a professor revered by his students and an accomplished scholar in his field. For that reason alone, reading his column in the March 3 edition of The New York Sun was deeply disheartening [“Hamilton and Israel at Columbia,” Opinion]. Well camouflaged by a finely crafted tone of neutral concern, Dean Schizer’s article was no more than a partisan position piece.

In writing this reply, I do not mean to take issue solely with Dean Schizer’s characterization of Israel as “one of few shining achievements of an otherwise bleak 20th century.” The destruction of Palestinian society is to Israel what the attempted eradication of the American Indian and slavery are to America. To wax eloquent about such “shining achievements” in state-building without mentioning their attendant original sins is to write the downtrodden out of history altogether and is, to put it bluntly, obscene and unbecoming of an individual of Dean Schizer’s intellect and knowledge. Of course, as surprising as such a statement is when it emanates from someone who stresses that “we have to be honest about facts,” it becomes downright troubling when one realizes that the source is the head of an institution which daily professes its dedication to truth and justice and counts amongst its students, faculty, and alumni scores of individuals who find such historical blindness deeply offensive.

My main point of contention, however, is that the overblown controversy surrounding Columbia’s faculty is ripe for an injection of a much-needed dose of critical thinking. By virtue of his abilities and his position, Dean Schizer was uniquely situated to be that voice. Instead, he chose to perpetuate the tiresome and predictable media pattern of parroting the accusers.

RAMZI KASSEM
Manhattan

Professor Schizer writes: “Should great universities hire people who criticize the Israeli government and Israeli policies? I say, ‘of course.’ ” However, what about the following question: “Should great universities hire people who call for the destruction of the state of Israel?”

FREDERICK REIN
Manhattan

Dean David Schizer is right: academic freedom is precious and absolutely essential to promote real scholarship. Students as well as faculty must be able to function in a manner that promotes scholarship and discourages propaganda. Words like “racism,” “fascism,” “communism,” and “anti-Semitism” are often bandied about as stereotyped slogans or labels that do not address specific conduct and do not generate solutions to very real and specific problems that often need to be addressed. Let’s protect academic freedom for students and faculty, promote scholarship and discourage, but not forbid, sloganeering. Let’s provide an effective mechanism for students and faculty to address unwarranted discrimination that breaches academic freedom and discourages scholarship.

DOUGLAS A. KELLNER
Kellner Chehebar & Deveney
Manhattan

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