Championing Chomsky for the Sydney Peace Prize
ROBERT MAGID
AS my Mac awoke from its slumber this morning, a new email dropped into the inbox. It read:
Dear Bob
Among today’s downloads at our head office, we received a PDF of a scanned copy of the minutes of the Selection Committee of the Sydney Peace Award, attached hereto. To avoid defaming individuals we have provided aliases to the participants. Feel free to publish it in The AJN.
Best regards
Jewlian Assange
I am happy to share the contents of the attachments with you all.
Sydney Peace Award – Minutes of the selection committee, March 21, 2011
Professor White summarised the successful choice of previous recipients:
l Mary Robinson, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, received the award in 2002 after orchestrating the Durban Conference against Racism in 2001, at which delegates focused their wrath at Jews who perversely tried to defend the Jewish state.
• Desmond Tutu, who regularly depicts Israel as an apartheid regime, was selected in 1999.
• Hanan Ashwari received the award in 2003 shortly after thousands died in the second intifada, courageously justifying the Palestinian Authority’s encouragement of youth to become shahids.
• Hans Blix, who insisted there is no evidence that Iran is intent on producing nuclear weapons, received it in 2007.
• John Pilger, renowned for his lifelong vilification of Israel, was the 2009 recipient.
• Professor White concluded with the remark: “I have no doubt that councillors of the City of Sydney are delighted that their money is well spent and the University of Sydney satisfied that it’s reputation is enhanced.”
Dr Green thanked Professor White for his excellent summary of past awards and recounted the steps taken in the selection of this year’s candidate. The most suitable candidates for the peace prize are, unfortunately, also the busiest so it is difficult for them to take the time out of receive the award.
Ms Brown had proposed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and while initially he showed interest, he was unfortunately detained by problems resulting from the Stuxnet virus.
Alternatively she suggested Hassan Nasrallah but, poor dear, he is holed up in Beirut and cannot leave his bunker for obvious reasons.
Mr Grey proposed his good friend George Galloway who seemed an excellent choice but he declined having already received the Saddam Hussein Peace Prize.
Ken Livingstone, another excellent choice, received the Muammar Gaddafi Peace and Friendship Fellowship and declined for the same reason.
Professor Red surprised all members of the committee by noting that Israel bashers seemed to have featured prominently in the list of previous winners. Dr Green insisted this was certainly not their policy, before gazing suspiciously at the fruit platter in the centre of the boardroom table, and demanding to know where the oranges came from. Once it was established that they were Spanish and had been personally picked by the Mayor of Marrickville, Professor Red returned to his point.
Given that vilification of the Jewish State had been a common credential for a number of previous winners, he felt that might be a basis on which to select this year’s winner. Keen not to unduly offend “the all-powerful Jewish lobby”, Professor Red suggested honouring an Israel vilifier from among their own ranks. Three worthy candidates were put forward, Avi Shlaim, Ilan Pappe and Norman Finkelstein.
However, several participants felt that none of these had the international reputation that warranted the prize. It was Dr Black who proposed Noam Chomsky to a roar of approval.
Dr Black pointed out Professor Chomsky amazing record of achievement: courageously standing up for the Cambodian patriot, Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge regime, vilified for murdering two million of their compatriots; Chomsky’s brave condemnation of the murder of Osama bin Laden pointing out that the terror chief may not actually have been behind 9/11, despite his confession. Chomsky is, of course, right, added Dr Black. It is common knowledge that Mossad was behind the attack on the World Trade Centre.
Mr Green concurred that Chomsky’s boundless courage is worthy of praise. How many Jews expend so much energy defending the rights of a Holocaust denier? That really takes spunk, he noted.
Ms Pink added: “And who else has so consistently blamed Israel and America for so many recent crimes against humanity?”
A vote was called for and Noam Chomsky was approved unanimously to be the current recipient of the Sydney peace award.
The only outstanding order of business being the date on which the announcement was to be made, the chairman called the meeting to a close.
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