OPINION
THE MESA TRIBUNE | JANUARY 16, 2022
19
Share Your Thoughts:
Send your letters on local issues to: pmaryniak@timespublications.com TheMesaTribune.com
|
@EVTNow
/EVTNow
ASU kerfuffle escalates into foolishness, unreality BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist
N
ot quite 60 years ago, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered the greatest speech in America’s history. This was 1963, a summer of hideous segregation and police brutality. A quarter million people marched for freedom that day in Washington and King lifted them to the heavens. He spoke of the Emancipation Proclamation, “narrow jail cells” and “great trials and tribulations.” Towards the end, King – whose birthday was Jan. 15th and whose federal holiday is tomorrow – spoke of dreams. “I have a dream,” said King, “that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold
these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’” The Reverend next touched on the deep South, the sweltering hatred of Mississippi and Alabama – bigoted places King dreamed would one day become lands of equality. “I have a dream,” he said, “that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Which brings us to Arizona State University and the fight over its Multicultural Center. It’s a fitting subject to discuss again, given the nearly 10 minute video released last week by the two students at the conflict’s center, Sarra Tekola and Mastaani Qureshi, leaders of ASU’s Multicultural Solidarity Coalition. Their latest video represents Qureshi and Tekola’s response to ASU, which in November found the two women had
violated the school’s code of conduct by “interfering with University activities” – by verbally attacking two white male students who were studying in the Multicultural Center. The consequence? A warning and a requirement that Qureshi and Tekola “prepare a reflection commenting on how (they) might approach such a situation in the future to facilitate a civil dialogue.” If video of the Sept. 23rd altercation was by turns uncomfortable and outrageous, and viral enough to attract millions of Twitter views, Qureshi and Tekola’s latest video “reflection” is high comedy. “On Sept. 23rd, hateful and racist symbology invaded our Multicultural Center on ASU’s Tempe campus and (made) the center unsafe for BIPOC students who were trying to study,” Quereshi details. “The two white men, both students, displayed a Police Lives Matter sticker, a
Brass (sic) Pro hat, a Chick-fil-A cup and an anti-Biden t-shirt.” Then it’s Tekola’s turn. “The boys made the space uncomfortable with their nonverbal aggressive gestures toward the Black women. The students called for help from ASU but no one came for more than 30 minutes. So we were forced to confront these men by ourselves.” And now? “Dear White People, aka ASU. You openly discriminated against us on Nov. 16th when you handed down your decision from your racially biased investigation. We’re being persecuted for defending our Multicultural Center from racism and sexism. “ There’s more, of course, more blather, more buzzwords, more allegations of persecution and violence. It took MLK 15 minutes to decimate 200 years of slavery
And, for the better part of a year, the buzz around Washington has concerned defense giant Lockheed Martin’s planned acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne in a $4.5 billion merger. This isn’t your typical big business power play because it concerns the defense sector, the consequences of this proposed deal, with its higher costs and diminished innovation, will impact our national security. And because it is happening in Washington, the battle for hearts, minds, and federal dollars has taken on features of a political campaign. The strategy of the pro-merger faction? Simple. Emphasize the “Lock” in Lockheed Martin, and imply the inevitability of the outcome. In December, with Christmas fast approaching, one financial website became a “Not-So-Secret-Santa” for the pro-merger forces. A Dec. 16 article was remarkable for its
simplistic attribution. Rather than utilizing the term “unnamed sources,” the website settled on a simple “someone.” This “someone” who reportedly opposed the merger had apparently shared the belief that it would not be blocked by antitrust regulators. The result? A rise of almost 5% in the value of Aerojet Rocketdyne stock. Yes, Virginia…and K Street…and Wall Street, there is a Santa Claus! He conveniently arrived a couple of weeks early in December of 2021, and instead of answering to the name “St. Nick,” he reportedly preferred the generic “someone.” None of this has occurred in a vacuum. Despite press accounts predicting that the merger will come to pass, significant objections and procedural hurdles remain. And now in the New Year, some of the speculation spurred by the intoxication and illusion of inevitability has given way to an early 2022 hangover for pro-merger advocates.
The emerging hesitancy was foreshadowed in the “Dog Days” of last August, without the anonymity of “someone,” and anti-merger forces have given it prominent mention. Correspondence between Sen. Elizabeth Warren and FTC Chief Lina Khan provided the rationale. In her letter, Sen. Warren suggested heightened scrutiny of the proposed merger; Khan responded that antitrust enforcers should take action to block such deals. If Lockheed Martin were to acquire Aerojet Rocketdyne, it would create a duopoly in the missile defense business— Lockheed Martin and Northrup Grumman would own America’s only manufacturers of solid rocket motors. Taxpayers must already pay for $770 billion in defense spending; they cannot dole out more dollars for the rising costs this merger would
see LEIBOWITZ page 20
Something’s rotten in D.C. with Lockheed plan
BY JD HAYWORTH Tribune Columnist
F
ormer Rep. Jennifer Dunn (R-Washington) passed away almost 15 years ago, yet the wisdom of one of her witticisms endures. When she would greet constituents from Washington’s 8th District who made the trip to the “other Washington,” she would invariably say, “Welcome to the District of Columbia…the nation’s only ‘Workfree Drug Zone!’” It isn’t that denizens of the Federal Capital District are lazy, it’s just that so many of them are hooked on a self-generated substance that gives them a false sense of authority. Long distance runners get a high from endorphins; lobbyists, commentators, and journalists get a similar rush from “informed speculation.” No wonder the chatter in that echo chamber is referred to as “Buzz.”
see HAYWORTH page 20
