In his article on social media crackdown which appeared in the Los Angeles Times (August 17), reporter James Rainey quoted Professor Lowry of Oklahoma Christian University: "Nations such as Libya, Israel, Iran and China are known to limit or ban social media during times of crisis." That such a patently groundless statement was left unchallenged by the reporter is simply astounding. In the last month, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Israel to have their grievances heard. There was not one incident of limitation on the demonstrators' freedom of expression, not one incident of tampering with social media and zero violence. But why bother with the facts when the intention is to bash democratic Israel by comparing it to dictatorships. I hope Prof. Lowry learns some facts before entering the schoolroom. Israel is a beacon of free speech, not only in the Middle East, but stands shoulder to shoulder with the leading democracies of the world. 

Gil Artzyeli, Israel Deputy Consul General in Los Angeles