To the Editor:

Re: “Wikipedia and Obstruction of the Facts,” Opinion, Feb. 23

This week’s column “Wikipedia and Obstruction of the Facts” mischaracterizes the Cornell Democrats. While we represent the national Democratic party, we also have our own views and ideals independent of the national Democratic party as a result of our status as young Democrats from diverse backgrounds. It is not correct to presume as the author does that our mission is to parrot the views of the national Democratic party.

The Cornell Democrats has no official stance on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, nor has it had one in recent history. Our group has diverse opinions about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The president of United for Peace and Justice in Palestine is currently a member of our group and the president of CIPAC once sat on our executive board.

Any forays we have made, including the cosponsoring of the “Gaza in Crisis: Discussion Panel,” into the discourse on campus on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict has been in hopes of assisting in the fostering of a constructive discourse on campus. If that did not happen in the “Gaza in Crisis: Discussion Panel” then we are as disappointed as anyone else. The Cornell Democrats executive board only provided a named cosponsorship after learning of preliminary details about the panel discussion and did not take part in organizing it or participating in it.

Michael Mouton ’09

President, Cornell Democrats