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World in peril, Chomsky tells overflow crowd
By Brian Liberatore
Press & Sun-Bulletin
03/05/06 "Press
& Sun-Bulletin " -- --There are dire consequences to
the current direction of the U.S. foreign policy, said
Noam Chomsky
in a speech Saturday at Binghamton University. Among those
consequences, he said, is a nuclear Armageddon.
"Under the current U.S. policies, a nuclear exchange is inevitable,"
the 77-year-old MIT professor said in his presentation, "Imminent
Crises: Paths Toward Solutions." He spoke to an over-capacity crowd
in BU's Osterhout Concert Theater.
Chomsky cited nuclear proliferation and environmental collapse as
the two greatest crises that "literally threaten survival."
Since the 1960s Chomsky, a widely acclaimed professor of
linguistics, has crusaded against political contradiction, nuclear
proliferation and Israel's treatment of Palestinians. Regarded by
many as the greatest intellectual alive today and dismissed by
others as a radical, Chomsky has voiced harsh criticism against the
foreign policy of the United States since World War II.
About 1,500 people crammed into the main theater, while a television
broadcast the speech to a room of about 500 next door. Ushers were
forced to turn hundreds of people away as the building filled beyond
its capacity.
Asked whether he had anticipated the number of people, the
building's operations director, Darryl Wood, responded, "Not this
many, no."
Inside the theater, Chomsky delivered an account of the world's
ills. He addressed the history of the Iraq conflict, the unrest it
has fostered, and Iran's intentions for nuclear armament - a path,
he said, that is directly tied to U.S. aggression in the Middle
East. Chomsky outlined a course of action. "All of this is under our
control if we're not willing to observe passively and obediently,"
he said. "Take democracy seriously."
Peter Klotz drove two hours from Siena College in Loudonville to see
the professor. "He knows what he's talking about," Klotz said. "His
ideas are certainly not new, but he presents things in a very
concise manner."
John Hamilton, who drove from Ithaca to see Chomsky, stood up to ask
a question during the question-and-answer period following Chomsky's
speech. "My question is, what do you find hopeful?" Hamilton said.
"I think one should be very optimistic for the reasons I just
mentioned," Chomsky said. "The large majority of the population
already agrees with the things activists are committed to. All we
have to do is organize people who are convinced."
© 2006 Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
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