The Spanish Inquisition Rises Up to Kill Israeli Students' Chances in Solar Technology Competition

By Marc J. Rauch
Exec. Vice President/Co-Publisher

Spain is a beautiful country; in fact it may be the biggest surprise of Western Europe. It’s exciting; it’s serene; it’s majestic; it’s low key; it’s old-time quaint; it’s super modern.

In Don Quixote land (La Mancha). Debbie is in lower right side of photo.

But perhaps Monty Python explained Spain best in comedic terms when they stated over and over again, “Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition.”

Monty Python's Spanish Iquisition sketch

Five hundred plus years after the Inquisition first began, and about 125 years after its official termination, Spain has decided to officially resurrect its preposterous hatred/fear of the Jewish people. Sure, there have been several minor anti-Semitic eruptions over the past century, but this time it has gone beyond being a local incident, because this time it has the stamp of government approval.

The issue surrounds the Solar Decathlon, an international student competition founded by the U.S. Department of Energy and sponsored by the DOE and U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Normally, the Solar Decathlon takes place in Washington, DC every two years. The most recent was held this past October. However, the U.S. agencies have agreed to allow Spain to host a special European version of the event in June 2010, and it is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Following the normal rules of the competition, twenty universities (from ten different countries) were selected as finalists to compete. Among the twenty was Israel’s Ariel University Center. Other schools include Virginia PolyTech, University of Florida, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki University of Technology and Tianjin University.

Suddenly, Spain expelled Israel’s sole entrant, the AUC team, even though it had been chosen as one of 20 finalists in a stiff competition, and had already received some of the money granted to competitors. Spain claims the expulsion is due to European Union policy on its relations with Israeli communities in the so-called disputed territory of the West Bank of Israel. However, as it turns out, there are no such EU rules; therefore, the excuse is just a sham to hide Spain’s centuries old prejudice. It’s sort of like excusing the Inquisition’s murder and torture of Jews based upon the old false blood libel accusations.

Ironically, the Israeli university team includes Arab and Israeli students (but then, muslims were also victims of the Inquisition’s horrendous atrocities, so perhaps this new Spanish pogrom is not intended to hurt just Jews).

The world needs technological innovations to help solve its economic and environmental problems. Solutions should be welcome from all serious quarters. And when you consider that Israel has been responsible for more medical and technological breakthroughs than any other country (on a per capita basis), it’s like saying "Let’s play the World Series but without the teams’ regular starting pitchers." If Tianjin University from China can be permitted…you know China, as in the country with the worst record of human rights violations in the history of the planet…then even Somali pirates should be welcome if they have any ideas that could help the rest of mankind.

The world's most delicious paella, made right here in the good 'ol USA

I would have liked to visit Spain again in 2010, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen. Who knows what kind of reception I would receive from the new Spanish Inquisition. Anyway, I make much better paella.

If you agree with this position you can sign a petition over at CHANGE.ORG.

If you don't understand the Monty Python reference click the PLAY button below. Of course, the real Spanish Inquisition was a bit more nasty.