As Treasurer of the State of Ohio, I was proud to read about the Treasurer of Ohio University's Student Senate, Carter Phillips, who recently resigned in articulate fashion and with incredible strength.
As Treasurer of the State of Ohio, I was proud to read about the Treasurer of Ohio University's Student Senate, Carter Phillips, who recently resigned in articulate fashion and with incredible strength.
As Phillips stated in his resignation speech in response to the anti-Israel and anti-student “circus” created by the student senate leadership, “it breaks my heart to see an organization that has the ability to help every student on this campus destroy itself.”
Mr. Phillips was referring to the September 10th meeting in which the student senate leaders restricted the free speech of their constituents and did so in violation of their own senate rules.
As a Marine Corps veteran who raised his right hand to defend that beloved freedom of speech, I write today to publicly stand with Carter and applaud him for having the guts, backbone and understanding of what it truly means to represent a constituency. I also write today to publicly stand with every student on campus who recognizes the importance of the US-Israel relationship.
And to the small group of students and faculty at OU who are so out of touch with most Americans that they actually side with radical Islamic groups like Hamas over democratic allies like Israel, my message is clear:
Not only do I reject your call for divestment from Israel, but to the contrary, I proudly stand by the millions of dollars that Democratic and Republican Ohio Treasurers have invested in Israel Bonds over the past decade — including the $105 million in the current Ohio Treasury portfolio.
Israel Bonds have not only been a strong investment for Ohio taxpayers, but these investments also send the message that as American policy leaders, we recognize Israel as our friend, ally and beacon of American values in the Middle East.
For instance, in many locations in the Middle East, equal rights and democracy are not the standard. However, in Israel, women are treated equal to men, democracy is embraced and celebrated like in America, and the justice system operates with the same independence and rule-of-law that we cherish here in the United States.
In Israel, Arab citizens are protected, do not have to fear for human rights aggressions, and can live in a society that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender and beliefs. Moreover, Arab families in Israel have one of the highest standards of living in the entire Middle East.
Israel is also proud to claim amongst its citizenry over 160,000 Christians. In Israel, these Christians live in safety and peace among their Jewish and Muslim neighbors, just as one would observe on the streets of Avon Lake, Bay Village or Columbus.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East that values the same level of freedom of speech and freedom of religion that we hold dear in America. As Dwight Eisenhower said in 1952 and still holds true today, “Israel is democracy’s outpost in the Middle East.”
As a proud American and a father, I want my daughter to grow up in a country that continues to cherish our First Amendment rights and that inspires the next generation to stand up for those rights when they are being trampled. Last week in Athens, Ohio, Carter Phillips did just that.
