The letter to the editor in the June 1 issue by Dr. Michael Cleary, titled"
Politics Detract From Position Statements," criticizes an
Assembly action (subsequently approved by the Board of Trustees and announced
in a statement issued in a press release by APA's Office of Communications and
Public Affairs). Dr. Cleary complains about recent Assembly actions,
commenting that the Assembly's "condemnation of the action of a group of
British teachers [calling for a boycott of persons and organizations that do
not disassociate themselves from Israel's Palestinian policies] is the most
troubling..... [I]t would seem that the Assembly reacted in a knee-jerk
fashion to criticism of Israel. The teachers' action was eventually withdrawn,
but the Assembly went ahead with its condemnation." He goes on to urge
the Assembly and APA to "steer clear of pronouncements on foreign
conflicts.... and to avoid the perception that APA favors one side or the
other."
We call Dr. Cleary's attention to the actual language of the action item
and the press release and also call his attention to the following facts: