BuzzMachine

While I hope Zeyad is able to come and study at CUNY, I find it odd that the department would create a scholarship fund for a particular prospective student. What about other foreigners who cannot afford to take classes? Might there be another foreign blogger who has better admissions qualifications? Or in more need? Out of fairness for all applicants to the program, perhaps you should be collecting funds outside the institutional framework of the department itself. Or, if the department wants to help people in Zeyad’s situation, don’t make a scholarship just for him, but rather create a scholarship for “foreign bloggers,” and then allow open applications to all of those in need.

Just shut up and donate.

I’ll donate, but isn’t this a bit perverse? What makes Zeyad so good a journalist is that he has not attended a professional school of jouralism.

A bit like sending Gandhi to West Point, or Johnny Cash to Julliard…

I’m with John. I might start a fund to pay Zeyad to stay OUT of J-school.

Sure Zeyad is a person. He’s a person who voted against the Iraqi constitution as the Wahhabists asked him to do.

You know who else WERE people, professor? These guys who gave their lives so that Zeyad could live in a constitutional Democracy. Yet Zeyad “voted against”.

You single out this Iraqi for your accolades and financial benefit. Yet there are hundreds of American children who no longer have a father or mother because of the Iraqis who “voted against”. They couldn’t use a scholarship to even a local community college?

What about all the legless and disabled American soldiers who are going to need a helping hand through life now?

It’s priorities, Mr. Jarvis.

Americans have a finite number of giving dollars. I’ll be damned if I’ll be stupid enough to do something like hit an Iraqi tip jar or donate for Iraqi schools ever again.

Iraqis have drained enough from American and Americans. The sooner we let them all rot the better off we’ll be.

UPDATE: I suggested to the Atlanta Press Club, my homies here in the ATL, that they consider ponying-up some scholarship cash to the Zeyad fund. No luck. Got back this reponse:

“Good thinking, but doesn’t fit our criteria – also much too late for this year’s award… Thanks for thinking of us though!”

Cute, huh? Least they didn’t put a smiley face on the reply.

Jeez. Sorry. And I’ve given up talk radio for Lent.

All we need is airfare to Mexico City. Then he can come in when he wants.

Good explanation, Jeff. I’m in.

BTW I can’t figure out to track back to this post….

Sean,

As someone who fought in Iraq. You do not speak for me. And I doubt that you speak for other soldiers. American soldiers do not enlist and went to Iraq for financial gain. There was a greater purpose for us being there. We are there to make the world a better place – at our own expense I may add.

A young PFC may make very little money going to Iraq and take enormous personal risk. But he will go home to a prosperous American with great future economic prospect. Personally, as a reservist, I made far less in Iraq than I would made in my civilian job. It was a financial loss, but an incredible gain in personal fullfillment. Those days were the proudest days of my life.

Your comment is a personal insult to me. You turn our noble purpose into something petty. I want Iraq and Iraqis to succeed, as a nation and as a people. I have friends who have died and wounded in Iraq. If Iraq fail, their sacrifice would be in vain.

So if helping Zeyad going to America make Iraq a better place, I am all for it.

As far as I can see Zeyad was a soldier in the war against Saddam’s fascist regime. He and other Iraqi bloggers risked their lives merely speaking out against the Baathists and other terrorists. The war theater was and is their home.

If helping Zeyad get a bigger slice of the media pie means he can bring a bit of perspective to pro-democratic Iraqis as they take over this struggle, for which so many people have put their lives on the line, then that’s part of the war effort.

We all want the ideals our soldiers fought and died for to take root — it’s extremely important to the world’s future that this happen. Responsible Iraqi voters, politicians, and journalists will have to play a role in nurturing this opportunity that the war has created.

Jeff is asking people who already believe in the contribution Zeyad has made to kick in some help. You (and I’m referring to a couple of the commenters above) may hate fascist-minded Iraqis who are trying to tear apart what Americans have died trying to construct in Iraq, but Zeyad and his family have to live with fascists in their neighborhoods. I want Zeyad and people like him to be able to shout louder than their fascist and theocratic neighbors. So as soon as my bank account rises above a negative balance, I’m going to kick in a pint-sized contribution.

Thanks Jeff, for bringing this opportunity to our attention. One thing I learned from my late father-in-law is that there’s almost nothing as much fun as giving money away. Whether it’s five dollars or a million doesn’t matter on that score in the least. The American tradition of doing so privately, at every level, is almost unique in the world.

As someone who has seen a lot of fundraising, I can only offer this small bit of advice to sean, above, When you blast folks for making contributions elsewhere because you believe your cause is worthier, you might as well just stay home and shoot yourself in the foot, because you will not be helping the very cause you care about. You may not like it, but I’m afraid that’s just how it works. If you really want to make a difference, you’re going to have to decide whether you’d rather alienate or solicit potential donors.

Thank you for the information Eric.
I know Zeyad is against the war, and I know Hoder is a lying regime sympathizer.
So, I don’t think I’ll be recommending anyone send money.
There are too many other worthy and needy people who can and should be helped.
Jeff, if these are the people you choose to help, you need to choose wiser.

At the risk of being flippant, if Zeyad doesn’t get enough money to go to the US to study journalism, he could make a fortune here in the UK by resurrecting his dentistry career!!!!!! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4889226.stm

What was his GRE score?

sounds good. I’ll bet some of my money he never goes back there.

This is the first I have heard of Zeyad, but from Jeff’s post I applaud him for his efforts to help him.

Alex