Indy Digest: May 2, 2024
On April 22, I wrote in this space about the pro-Palestinian student protests—and a couple of readers, including a dear friend and Independent contributor, found what I wrote to be hurtful and offensive.
At the heart of their objections was my assertion that “with perhaps a few small exceptions, these protests have not been antisemitic”—and the fact that I was being flippant by making a joke about President Biden’s recent remarks.
To these readers and others who were offended: I am sorry. The last thing I want to do here is hurt people. In the days since, I’ve done a lot of reading, research and thinking—and as a result, I’ve learned a few things.
Both of the readers cited the protesters’ use of the phrase “from the river to the sea” as evidence that these protests have elements of antisemitism. In that April 22 Digest, I quoted foreign policy expert (and, in his words, “a Jew-loving Jew”) David Rothkopf’s explanation on how he did not find the phrase, in the context of these peaceful protests, to be antisemitic. These readers, to put it mildly, disagree with Rothkopf.
This disagreement over this phrase is explained rather well in a piece by The Washington Post, published initially last November and updated/republished today, headlined “How a Palestinian slogan has ignited debate on college campuses and beyond.” The matter, like so, so many matters involving Israel and Gaza, is complicated; I’ll leave it to you to make your own decisions about the phrase.
Since I wrote that Indy Digest 10 days ago, the protests—and the fervent disagreements regarding them—have only intensified. Down Interstate 10 at UCLA, things have gotten especially nasty, with numerous arrests and an attack on a group of protesters by a group of counter-protesters. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block called the events “a dark chapter in our campus’ history.”
Jaweed Kaleem, an education reporter for the Los Angeles Times, wrote in the newspaper’s Essential California newsletter about how he spent yesterday answering questions from reporters from around the world about what happened at UCLA. He said: “It’s hard to explain a complex protest movement and the reactions to it in a soundbite. I told foreign news outlets that student protesters across the board are asking for divestment from Israel—something many universities have resisted—and that typically pro-free speech colleges are struggling with the biggest wave of campus demonstrations since the 1960s civil rights movement. It’s become further complicated because pro-Palestinian chants and phrases are deemed antisemitic and ‘genocidal’ by pro-Israel groups. Complaints of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hatred have grown too. Many students are frightened.”
I’ll return to the primary point I was trying to make on April 22. I wrote: “College students should be allowed to peacefully protest—and university administrators who decided to crack down on these peaceful protests should be ashamed of themselves, as they’ve made matters much, much worse.” I still feel the same—and I feel quite strongly. It doesn’t matter whether I agree with a group of protesters or not—if they’re being peaceful, and they’re not damaging things, they should not be arrested. It’s about the First Amendment.
If you disagree with me on this point, that’s fine. However, I really, really hope we can all agree on these two points:
If we can’t agree on these points, we have a problem.
—Jimmy Boegle
From the Independent
Time to Rebuild: The Owners of Papa Dan’s, D’Coffee Bouteaque Make Plans for the Future After a Devastating Fire
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In the days since four Palm Desert businesses were destroyed by a fire, the owners of Papa Dan’s and D’Coffee Bouteaque have been making plans to rebuild.
Dark Storytelling: The Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival Celebrates 25 Years of Movie Magic in Palm Springs
By Matt King
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Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year is the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival, happening at the Palm Springs Cultural Center with 12 films from Thursday, May 9, through Sunday, May 12.
The Weekly Independent Comics Page for May 2, 2024!
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Topics addressed this week include taxidermy. Bud Light, famine, George Soros—and more!
The Venue Report, May 2024: Bianca Del Rio, Blues Traveler, Spooky Mansion—and More!
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A preview of May 2024’s entertainment offerings around the desert.
May Astronomy: A String of First-Magnitude Planets Dominates Mornings; Sirius Is the Star of the Stars in the Evening
By Robert Victor
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If you like bright stars, you’ll want to set your alarm early in the morning in May.
More News
• The state attorney general has made it clear: A law taking effect on July 1 indeed bans restaurant surcharges. KTLA reports: “Starting July 1, under SB478, California restaurants will no longer be able to charge service fees and must instead fold them into menu prices. ‘SB 478 applies to restaurants, just like it applies to businesses across California,’ a Department of Justice spokesperson told the San Francisco Chronicle. ‘The law is about making sure consumers know what they are going to pay and requires that the posted price include the full amount that a consumer must pay for that good or service.’ … The new law, authored by Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, and Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, prohibits businesses from charging ‘junk fees’ or burying added costs to artificially lower prices, a practice commonly seen across various industries.” As you may expect, the California Restaurant Association is displeased.
• Because of an increase in threats, lawmakers have re-introduced a bill that would allow elected officials and candidates to use campaign funds to pay for security. Our partners at Calmatters report: “Last spring, Assemblymember Isaac Bryan received a letter calling for him to be lynched because of a bill he introduced to change how ballot measures are presented to California voters. It’s not the only time he’s been subjected to threats or harassment. Bryan said he and fellow Assemblymember Mia Bonta received hundreds of threats when they didn’t vote in a committee on a bill increasing penalties for child trafficking, until it added language that he said would protect victims. … That’s why the Culver City Democrat supported a bill last year by Bonta that would have made it easier for local and state candidates and elected officials to use campaign funds for security. The Legislature passed the bill, but Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed it, saying it lacked clear definitions of security expenses. … But for Bonta, the issue remains worth addressing. She revised and reintroduced the bill, which passed the Assembly on a 72-0 vote last week and is before the Senate.”
• The federal government is, finally, reclassifying marijuana. The Associated Press says: “The proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use. The agency’s move, confirmed to the AP on Tuesday by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive regulatory review, clears the last significant regulatory hurdle before the agency’s biggest policy change in more than 50 years can take effect. Once OMB signs off, the DEA will take public comment on the plan to move marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. It moves pot to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids, following a recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department.”
• Can metformin be used to battle SARS-CoV-2? A new study indicates that it can. The Star Tribune (Minneapolis) reports: “Patients with COVID-19 had lower viral loads if treated with metformin, according to new University of Minnesota research that argues for broader use of the cheap anti-diabetes drug and against the controversial use of ivermectin. Thursday’s published findings helped connect the dots and explain why metformin in a U-led clinical trial reduced the likelihood of COVID-related hospitalizations or the development of long COVID illness. The amount of virus in patients is often associated with the severity of illnesses and complications, and it was found to be almost fourfold lower in patients in the trial who took metformin vs. non-medicating placebo pills.”
• Today’s recall news involves … walnuts! The New York Times says: “A California company is recalling organic walnuts that were sold at natural food stores and coop retailers in 19 states because of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 12 people and hospitalized seven, federal officials said. Gibson Farms, the company based in Hollister, Calif., is voluntarily recalling its shelled walnuts branded as Organic Light Halves and Pieces after discovering that the nuts could carry the E. coli strain O157: H7 that ‘causes a diarrheal illness often with bloody stools,’ the Food and Drug Administration said in a notice on Tuesday. The recall came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified the company of 12 recorded illnesses that were linked to the walnuts. They were distributed at more than 300 food retailers, including Whole Foods Market, New Seasons Market and Rosauers Supermarkets, the FDA said.”
• And finally … Boris Johnson, when he was the prime minister of the United Kingdom, pushed for a rule to require that voters show ID at the polls. And … well, you can probably guess what just happened. The BBC reports: “Former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson was turned away from his local polling station after forgetting to bring acceptable photo ID. As first reported by Sky News, he returned later with the necessary ID and was able to vote. He cast his ballot in South Oxfordshire, where voters are choosing a police and crime commissioner. New rules requiring photo ID to vote were introduced by Mr. Johnson’s government in the Elections Act 2022. The change was rolled out last year, with local elections in May 2023 the first time voters needed to show ID. According to the Electoral Commission, about 14,000 people were unable to vote in last year’s local elections in England as a result of the new rules.”
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