From the right: Columbia’s Devotion to DEI
“Columbia is using an ‘evaluation tool’ . . . that mandates hiring committees assign more weight to DEI than teaching, and to give DEI equal weight to research,” fumes John Sailer at The Free Press. The tool “tells faculty to give each candidate up to 50 points, with DEI comprising 15 of those points — the same amount as their research”; candidates score points when they “declare that DEI is a ‘core value that every faculty and staff member should actively contribute to advancing.’ ” Thus, the tool “would rank an average researcher with strong DEI credentials more highly than an outstanding researcher who expresses skepticism about, say, segregated graduations.” “The worst thing any scholar or scientist could do for their job prospects is to focus on diversity of thought in their mandatory DEI statement.”
Conservative: Gaza Pier Doomed From Start
President Biden’s Gaza Pier “will be out of operation for at least a week,” marvels National Review’s Jim Geraghty. It’s broken because “the pier system was not intended to be used in waters with waves higher than three feet,” yet “three-foot waves occur in that part of the Mediterranean Sea frequently.” Assuming “Pentagon officials can read a weather and surf report,” we’re left wondering: “Did someone in the administration tell them to go ahead with the operation, knowing the risks?” In short, “if the Gaza pier proposal appears half-baked, hastily assembled, and more driven by political fears than a clear-eyed assessment of the situation on the ground . . . it’s probably because that’s exactly what it is.”
Mideast watch: EU Stooges Choose Death
In recognizing a Palestinian state, argues Richard Porter at RealClearPolitics, “Ireland, Spain, and Norway chose fantasy over hard realities.” But we should “be clear-eyed and consider both sides of this story.” Hamas “seeks to kill Jews, especially those who do not leave Israel or submit to Islam” while Israel seeks to live “in peace, pursuing prosperity.” Plus: “Arabs have been attacking their Jewish neighbors since the 1948 war from which the state of Israel emerged.” “The situation does not call for complex moral analysis. If the so-called Palestinians lay down their arms, they would live in peace and prosperity forever.” Sure looks like “death is an opportunity and a triumph for some and a tragedy to be overcome for the others.”
Foreign desk: Biden’s Foolish Protection of Iran
By refusing to censure Iran over its fast-advancing nuclear-weapons program and pressing Britain and France not to object, notes Commentary’s Seth Mandel, President Biden is “letting Iran hold American policy hostage.” If the idea is to protect Iran from consequences, then “there is no diplomatic process” anymore, even if “the administration claims it seeks a ‘diplomatic solution’ to the Iranian nuclear crisis.” Nor is this a one-off: Biden also “told Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries” to avoid spiking oil prices before the election. “Biden must remember”that there are “worse things to fear than losing an election.”
Education beat: Look Who Suffers Without G&T
“Why do so many other states offer robust programs for gifted children, while Massachusetts has next to nothing?” asks Kara Miller at The Boston Globe. In fact, most of the once-common programs “withered away” in the early 1990s. Some educators believe “if they don’t offer gifted education, it’s actually more equitable,” while critics argue “Northeastern states, in particular, worry that having these sorts of programs would be elitist.” Yet for a child “without resources, being gifted can prove challenging,” leaving talented kids to grow bored and frustrated. One study found that “fewer than a quarter of high-scoring Black and Hispanic third-graders were still high-scorers three years later” vs. half or more whites and Asians. Indeed: “if a child is a year or two behind in math, their school is obligated to help them. But if they’re a year or two ahead in math, they’re entitled to nothing. Which is often — at least in Massachusetts — what they get.”
— Compiled by The Post Editorial Board