Scientist's correspondence against US institutions

Wednesday April 23, 2003 15:45

by AL

This was forwarded to me by email and and I have subsequently found it posted on a number of websites. I mailed the author to verify that he wrote this correspondance, which he did. He is Professor of Physics in both the Racah Institute of Physics, Hebrew University, Jerusalem and Instituto di Fisica, University di Roma, Roma.

He also activly promotes scientific responsibility, calls for an end to the colonial occupation of Palestine and the brutal treatment of the Palestinian people, and is against the US-UK-Spain-Italy etc war against Iraq.

And he still has a job in a country in which most would believe he would have been booted long ago. He is not alone.

A good anecdotal tale if anything.

Sent: Friday, March 21, 2003 6:11 AM

Subject: Review_request AMIT EA8932
Dr. Daniel Amit

Univ. di Roma

La Sapienza

Ple Aldo Moro 2

00185 Roma, ITALY

Electronic URL-Download Referral from Physical Review E

Code: EA8932

Title: Transitions in oscillatory dynamics of two connected neurons
with excitatory synapses

Received 08 January 2003

Dear Dr. Amit:

We would appreciate your review of this manuscript, which has been
submitted to Physical Review E. This message is the COMPLETE
REFERRAL. No hardcopy will be sent unless requested.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Daniel Amit"

To: "Physical Review E"

Sent: Friday, March 21, 2003 6:11 PM

Subject: Re: Review_request AMIT EA8932 Roudi

I will not at this point correspond with any american institution. Some
of us have lived through 1939.

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From: "martin blume"
To: "daniel amit"
Subject: your email to the American Physical Society

Date: Tuesday, April 08, 2003 10:31 PM

Dear Dr. Amit,

We have received your email with your decision not to review a paper
for us in light of American actions in the middle east. We recognize that
reviewing manuscripts is a voluntary activity, one that you perform as
a service to the physics community, and we thank you for your efforts.

Given the voluntary nature of your participation we of course respect
your decision to cease, and have made an indication in our database so
that no further papers will be sent to you for review until you inform us
otherwise.

We ask, however, that you consider the following in hopes that in the
not too distant future you will decide to review for us again. We regard
science as an international enterprise and we do our best to put aside
political disagreements in the interest of furthering the pursuit of
scientific matters. We have never used other than scientific criteria in
judging the acceptability of a paper for publication, without regard to
the country of origin of the author. We have done this even in cases
where some of us have disagreed strongly with the policies of that
country, and we will continue this practice.

We believe it is essential that all parties involved make every effort to
separate social and political differences from their participation in
scientific research and publication. The pursuit of scientific knowledge
needs to transcend such issues.

Sincerely,

Martin Blume

Editor-in-Chief

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Dear Dr Blume, Editor in Chief

American Physical Society

09.04.2003

Thank you for you letter of April 8. I would have liked to be able to
share the honorable sentiments you express in your letter as well as
your optimism in the future role of science and the scientific
community. To be frank, and with much sadness and pain, after 40
years of activity and collaboration, I find very little reason for such
optimism.

What we are watching today, I believe, is a culmination of 10-15
years of mounting barbarism of the American culture the world over,
crowned by the achievements of science and technology as a major
weapon of mass destruction. We are witnessing man hunt and wanton
killing of the type and scale not seen since the raids on American
Indian populations, by a superior technological power of inferior
culture and values. We see no corrective force to restore the
insanity, the self-righteousness and the lack of respect for human life
(civilian and military) of another race.

Science cannot stay neutral, especially after it has been so cynically
used in the hands of the inspectors to disarm a country and prepare it
for decimation by laser guided cluster bombs. No, science of the
American variety has no recourse. I, personally, cannot see myself
anymore sharing a common human community with American
science. Unfortunately, I also belong to a culture of a similar spiritual
deviation (Israel), and which seems to be equally incorrigible.

In desperation I cannot but turn my attention to other tragic periods
in which major societies, some with claims to fundamental
contributions to culture and science, have deviated so far as to be
relegated to ostracism and quarantine. At this point I think American
society should be considered in this category. I have no illusions of
power, as to the scope and prospect of my attitude. But, the minor
role of my act and statement is a simple way of affirming that in the
face of a growing enormity which I consider intolerable, I will
exercise my own tiny act of disobedience to be able to look straight
into the eyes of my grandchildren and my students and say that I did
know.

With regards

Daniel Amit

PS I intend to distribute our exchange as much as possible. I
authorize and pray that you do the same.