Subject: BHA: Fw: Eminent physicist refuses to review American colleagues' papers
Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2003 15:28:11 -0400


> Subject: [geactivists] Eminent physicist refuses to review American
> colleagues' papers
> 
> forwarded from Viviane Lerner's listserver:
> 
> 
> http://www.onlinejournal.com/Commentary/042503Amit/042503amit.html
> The building world boycott of the US
> Eminent physicist refuses to review American colleagues' papers
> 
> Reprinted April 25, 2003
> 
> Dr. Daniel Amit: "What we are watching today, I believe, is a 
> culmination of 10-15 years of mounting barbarism of the American culture
> the world over, crowned by the achievements of science and technology as
> a major weapon of mass destruction."
> 
> Sent: Friday, March 21, 2003 6:11 AM
> Subject: Review_request AMIT EA8932
> 
> Dr. Daniel Amit
> Univ. di Roma
> La Sapienza
> Ple Aldo Moro 2
> 00185 Roma, ITALY
> Electronic URL-Download Referral from Physical Review E
> Code: EA8932
> 
> Title: Transitions in oscillatory dynamics of two connected neurons with
> excitatory synapses
> Received 08 January 2003
> 
> Dear Dr. Amit:
> 
> We would appreciate your review of this manuscript, which has been 
> Submitted to Physical Review E. This message is the COMPLETE REFERRAL.
> No hardcopy will be sent unless requested.
> ------------------------------
> From: "Daniel Amit" <daniel.amit-AT-roma1.infn.it>
> To: "Physical Review E" <pre-AT-ridge.aps.org>
> Sent: Friday, March 21, 2003 6:11 PM
> Subject: Re: Review_request AMIT EA8932 Roudi
> 
> I will not at this point correspond with any american institution.
> 
> Some of us have lived through 1939.
> ------------------------------
> From: "martin blume" <blume-AT-aps.org>
> To: <daniel.amit-AT-roma1.infn.it>;
> <damita-AT-green.fiz.huji.ac.il>
> Subject: your email to the American Physical Society
> Date: Tuesday, April 08, 2003 10:31 PM
> 
> Dear Dr. Amit,
> We have received your email with your decision not to review a paper 
> for us in light of American actions in the middle east. We recognize
> that 
> reviewing manuscripts is a voluntary activity, one that you perform as a
> service to the physics community, and we thank you for your efforts.
> 
> Given the voluntary nature of your participation we of course respect 
> your decision to cease, and have made an indication in our database so
> that 
> no further papers will be sent to you for review until you inform us 
> otherwise.
> 
> We ask, however, that you consider the following in hopes that in the 
> not too distant future you will decide to review for us again. We regard
> 
> science as an international enterprise and we do our best to put aside
> political disagreements in the interest of furthering the pursuit of
> scientific matters.
> 
> We have never used other than scientific criteria in judging the
> acceptability of a paper for publication, without regard to the country 
> of origin of the author. We have done this even in cases where some of
> us 
> have disagreed strongly with the policies of that country, and we will 
> continue this practice. We believe it is essential that all parties
> involved make every effort to separate social and political differences
> from their
> participation in scientific research and publication. The pursuit of
> scientific knowledge needs to transcend such issues.
> 
> Sincerely,
> Martin Blume
> Editor-in-Chief
> ------------------------------
> Dear Dr Blume, Editor in Chief
> American Physical Society
> 09.04.2003
> 
> Thank you for you letter of April 8. I would have liked to be able to 
> Share the honorable sentiments you express in your letter as well as
> your 
> Optimism in the future role of science and the scientific community. To
> be 
> frank, and with much sadness and pain, after 40 years of activity and 
> collaboration, I find very little reason for such optimism. What we are
> watching today, I believe, is a culmination of 10-15 years of mounting
> barbarism of the American culture the world over, crowned by the
> achievements of science and technology as a major weapon of mass
> destruction.
> 
> We are witnessing man hunt and wanton killing of the type and scale not 
> seen since the raids on American Indian populations, by a superior 
> technological power of inferior culture and values. We see no corrective
> force to restore the insanity, the self-righteousness and the lack of
> respect for human life (civilian and military) of another race.
> 
> Science cannot stay neutral, especially after it has been so cynically 
> used in the hands of the inspectors to disarm a country and prepare it
> for
> decimation by laser guided cluster bombs. No, science of the American
> variety has no recourse. I, personally, cannot see myself anymore 
> sharing a common human community with American science. Unfortunately, I
> also belong to a culture of a similar spiritual deviation (Israel), and
> which seems  to be equally incorrigible.
> 
> In desperation I cannot but turn my attention to other tragic periods in
> which major societies, some with claims to fundamental contributions to
> culture and science, have deviated so far as to be relegated to 
> ostracism and quarantine. At this point I think American society should
> be 
> considered in this category. I have no illusions of power, as to the
> scope and prospect of my attitude. But, the minor role of my act and
> statement is a simple way of affirming that in the face of a growing
> enormity which I consider intolerable, I will exercise my own tiny act
> of disobedience to be able to look straight into the eyes of my
> grandchildren and my students and say that I did know.
> 
> With regard
> Daniel Amit
> 
> PS I intend to distribute our exchange as much as possible. I authorize 
> And pray that you do the same.
> 
> **************************************************
> forwarded by:
> The Edmonds Institute
> 20319-92nd Avenue West
> Edmonds, Washington 98020 USA
> telephone: 1-425-775-5383
> email: beb-AT-igc.org
> website: <http://www.edmonds-institute.org>
> 
> **************************************************
> 
> 
> 




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