The Battle for Free Speech On Campus

It's no secret that a disproportionate number college and university administrators and professors lean to the left politically. That would not be a problem if not for the fact that all too often they try to squash the free speech of many of the students they are supposed to serve. This goes on constantly, across that nation. Let's look at two current examples of the ongoing battle for free speech and liberty on America's campuses. One involves the University of California - San Diego. The other concerns the University of Illinois - Champaign. One of the best free speech watchdog groups out there is the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). Their mission "is to defend and sustain individual rights at America's colleges and universities. These rights include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience — the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity. FIRE's core mission is to protect the unprotected and to educate the public and communities of concerned Americans about the threats to these rights on our campuses and about the means to preserve them." FIRE has defended liberal students when their free speech was threatened, too, but the vast majority of cases involve suppression of free speech and other civil rights of conservative students (and sometimes faculty) by liberal educators. It should also be pointed out that student governments, often controlled by leftists, are as guilty of civil rights violations as are administrators and educators. SAN DIEGO DICTATORSHIP: One of FIRE's current battles involves "a blow-by-blow account of the First Amendment meltdown taking place at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD)." Frim a current FIRE report (emphasis added): "The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and its student government have violated the First Amendment by freezing funds for 33 student media organizations, dissolving the student-run television station, and threatening to punish students involved in a controversy over a party invitation for an event called the 'Compton Cookout.' Student government president Utsav Gupta has explained that his repressive actions were due to "fracturing of the student body on an issue" and 'hateful speech.' Further, under pressure from state legislators who seek to punish protected speech, UCSD has launched "aggressive investigations" into the party invitation. After many students came to FIRE for help, FIRE has written two letters to UCSD defending the First Amendment both on and off campus." Continue reading "University of California at San Diego: First Amendment Violations at UCSD" and also see their "brief rundown" of the UCSD events... FIRE maintains a list of their top current cases, which is well worth looking at. THE "ILL" IN UNIV. OF ILLINOIS: An interesting press release from a student group calling itself "Illinois Deserves Better" describes both the civil rights offenses being committed by the University of Illinois and the group's efforts to fight back. The Illinois Deserves Better press release (dated Feb. 24, 2010; emphasis added by me): Students Launch "Illinois Deserves Better" Organization to Combat Partisan Administrators Champaign, IL Students at the University of Illinois are announcing the official formation of a Registered Student Organization, the aim of which is to fumigate the Urbana campus of partisan and corrupt administrators. In reaction to a scandal wrought at the hands of Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Renee Romano and her staff in the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations (OIIR), ‘I Deserve Better’ is striving for a refreshed administration of integrity and mutual respect so that the campus may finally move beyond an era of clout. The group will advocate for the replacement of Vice Chancellor Renee Romano and Associate Vice Chancellor Anna Gonzalez and will call for a full review of their offices and financial endeavors. Those at ‘I Deserve Better’ believe that in a time of extreme economic hardship, when students and their families are asked to give more and faculty and staff are asked to work for less, that runaway administrative costs and malfeasance are exceptionally intolerable. While students had hoped to work with University of Illinois Administrators, actions by Vice Chancellor Renee Romano and her offices have lead to an institutional impasse that can only be bridged by the immediate replacement of those administrators in question. The offensive actions of those in question include Vice Chancellor Romano's refusal to acknowledge inherent student rights to free speech, partisan viewpoint discrimination against students who do not share administration views, and a refusal to answer the questions of students who want a logical, truthful explanation or admission of wrongdoing regarding the Students for Chief Illiniwek FOIA scandal. Similarly, the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations acted dishonorably by sending student interns to a meeting where student government members were drafting a resolution to admonish the actions of that student's employers. A Washington Lobbyist has contacted the organization and is eager to contribute his time in Springfield to help obtain legislative remedies to the situation. In addition to this, the Illinois Student Senate will be voting on a resolution tonight [Feb. 23, 2010] that admonishes the administration and calls for more accountable leadership in the Pine Lounge at the Illini Union at 7 P.M. Vice Chancellor Renee Romano and Associate Vice Chancellor Anna Gonzalez have further tarnished the University of Illinois' reputation with their behavior and Illinois Deserves Better looks forward to working with Interim President Stanley O. Ikenberry and Interim Chancellor Robert Easter to restore integrity to the great institution that is the state's flagship school. Contact INFO: Illinois Deserves Better President: Jerry Vachaparambil, 630-632-0808, jerrygvk@vachas.com VP of Membership: Daniel Gilpin, 309-825-0227, dgilpin08@gmail.com Marketing Director: Gabe Hartwig, 217-898-9041, ghartwi2@illinois.edu Communications Director Bobby McNeily, 630-885-0174, bobbymcn RELATED: ‘U.S. News’ Readers: FIRE's Red Alert List Exposes the Worst Violators of Campus Rights Who's Undermining Freedom of Speech on Campus Now Free Speech On Campus The New Republic Protecting free speech on campus - Washington Times firstamendmentcenter.org: Free speech on public college campuses ... University Of Illinois Political Ban May Extend To Students FOIA Request Reveals That University of Illinois Administrators ... FIRE on YouTube Leave a Comment * Conservative T-Shirts * Follow CNB on Twitter * RSS Feed

Swooping Down on Obama's Annenberg Documents

Sleuths and spies, oh the intrigue! The Barack Obama-William Ayers-Annenberg Challenge documents were finally made available for public scrutiny yesterday at University of Illinois - Chicago. The Annenberg Challenge was a "an education reform program in which Obama and 1960s radical William Ayers played key roles." Ayers was a terrorist bomber in the radical Weather Underground in the 1960's. Like vultures swooping in for... no scratch that metaphor. Like hawks swooping in for a kill, mysterious visitors swarmed into the University of Illinois at Chicago library today. The Swamp reports this evening: As reporters continued to dig through Barack Obama-related documents at the University of Illinois at Chicago library today, they were joined by four young men who wanted to remain incognito. Men in black? Not exactly, says The Swamp, they were dressed "in jeans and shorts and appearing to be in their early 20s." methodically sifted through boxes of documents. A successful spy never looks like a spy. MORE MYSTERY at The Swamp... (Thanks George!)

Obama's Secret Documents

WHY won't the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) release stacks of Barack Obama's files? UIC says it wants to, but UIC "said the donor of the records that document the work of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge has not yet turned over ownership rights to the material," according to Pete Yost, Associated Press Writer, on August 19. Yost's article is a good summary of a situation that every American should be distressed about: Documents that have heavy reference to a current presidential candidate (Obama) are being withheld from public scrutiny by, among others, one of Obama's longtime pals, terrorist and convicted felon William Ayers. Ayers formed the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, "which was awarded nearly $50 million by a foundation to help reform Chicago schools," according to Yates, who also noted that Barack Obama was the first chairman of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge. There are other missing records, too, such as Obama's files from his brief time in the Illinois State Senate, as noted by friend Anne at Backyard Conservative. Another friend, John at Marathon Pundit, is on this story like liberals on government cheese. John's post today, "Release the Chicago Annenberg Challenge Files Now!' is a good one, and John does not intend to let this story die easily. John maintains on ongoing file of stories about William Ayers and his violent Weather Underground terrorist days, too. This, by the way, highlights one of Obama's many lies. He has claimed repeatedly that he and William Ayers were merely acquaintances, but there it is well known that Obama and Ayers are close friends. As the first chairman of Ayer's organization, it seems a stretch to say that they were merely "acquaintances." Larry Johnson wrote the following post in February about the Obama-Ayers relationship (emphasis added): Obama tries to dismiss the tie to Ayers by claiming he was only eight years old when Ayers was planting bombs in the United States. That is true. But when Barack subsequently met Ayers he knew about Ayers’ past and Ayers’ belief he had nothing to apologize for. So here we have a guy who dreams of running for president and he does not understand the implications of letting an unrepentant terrorist raise money for him? What is it about terrorism that a brilliant constitutional law professor does not understand? FULL ARTICLE at NoQuarter... According to the Yost article, UIC says that "the donor of the records that document the work of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge has not yet turned over ownership rights to the material." This begs questions: Why is "the donor" holding back? What is in the records? While the records are still in the shadows, how might "the donor" - or anybody else with access to the documents - be editing crucial information? RELATED: Marathon Pundit: Obama's Bill Ayers problem American Thinker Blog: Obama-Ayers records blocked at U of I Chicago Obama Tries to Hide Ayers Tie : NO QUARTER Ayers And Obama: What Is Their Relationship? Huffington Post Barack Obama pal is an enemy, too - NY Daily News ‘Terrorist’ link puts Barack Obama under fire - Times Online American Thinker: Obama and the Woods Fund of Chicago

U of ILLINOIS SCANDAL UPDATE

Many thanks to Marathon Pundit for his diligence in reporting on this important case. The scandal revolved around Robert van der Hooning, the former University of Illinois Assistant Dean who, as Marathon Pundit writes, "spearheaded the recruitment of War on Terror veterans into the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Executive MBA program in Chicago." They say no good deed goes unpunished, and a bunch of ne'er do wells decided that van der Hooning's good deeds were evil. What a sick bunch. In his exclusive report, John Ruberry fills us in at his Marathon Pundit web site: Van der Hooning was forced out his job at the university for standing up and saying "No" as the school went back on its word to award 110 full-ride scholarships to War on Terror veterans for the 2006-07 academic year. He objected to the University changing admissions procedures for veterans and using his signature on a letter he did not write. (I've seen the letter.) University spokespersons later explained, not convincingly in my opinion, that the scholarships were meant to be distributed over a three year period. These same spokespersons were recently exposed through their own e-mails and internal documents as not telling the truth and the scholarship program was dropped. Even Lt. Governor Patrick Quinn sent the U of I Board of Trustees a sternly-worded reprimand letter a couple months ago... MUCH MORE AT MARATHON PUNDIT...

Chief Illiniwek, Swedish Flags and Spanish Street Names

Univ. of IL mascot Chief Illiniwek

The recent firing of University of Illinois mascot Chief Illiniwek has me upset. Although many Native Americans had no problem with the dancing Chief, white administrators did.

They would rather just pretend that Native Americans do not exist. The whole glorious tradition, which paid a beautiful and respectful homage to a people who suffered so much, has been crushed.

So what's next? In the interest of fairness, I make the following proposal and encourage all fair minded people to join me in it: 


BAN SPANISH NAMES OF STREETS AND CITIES in the United States. It is, by Liberal Logic, cruelly insensitive. After all, haven't Spanish speakers suffered enough since Chris Colombus paid a visit?

Swedish flag has a cross!

Greece

Spanish names for U.S. cities and streets only mocks and disrespects Latinos and Hispanics. Ditto with German names. Hasn't the world suffered enough under the German boot heel, and do we need to be constantly reminded of it?

BAN SWEDISH FLAGS? Yes, and any other flag that has a cross, or other religious symbol in its design. This would include the Spanish flag, which has a teeny little cross in its design.

Israel

Turkey

After all, isn't the cross really a symbol of Crusader oppression? For that matter, ban the display of any flag that has any religious symbol in it, such as Israel's flag with its Star of David. Do we want symbols of Zionist oppression flying over our streets?

BAN RELIGIOUS NAMES SUCH AS "CHRIS," "CHRISTIAN," "DAVID," "JESUS," or "MOHAMMED." After all, millions of people have died in religious wars. Naming your child after a religious figure only perpertuates this madness. People who already have such names will have to change them or pay a heavy fine. Perhaps any houses of worship that look like houses of worship will be deemed offensive, too.

ARREST GOV. ROD BLAGOJEVICH and any other politician who invokes God or other religious symbols or mythology into his/her/its public speeches. Remember, the Constitution calls for "separation of church and state governors." The Constitution also calls for the "separation of wheat and chaff" and "separation of egg whites and yolk." Not many people know this. 

DISPLAY MORE SENSITIVITY TO PEOPLE OF OTHER CULTURES. Therefore, people who come to this country from elsewhere should be judged only by the standards of their places of origin. For example, folks from Saudi Arabia would have Saudi law applied to them if they are caught, say, stealing. Or being homosexual. Or sex out of wedlock. You get the idea.

People from Mexico, for example, would have the laws of Mexico applied to them, which would mean they could not own property or work for the government in many cases. It would also mean that they could be deported without due process. And of course, bloggers who moved to the U.S. from France would be imprisoned if they write about violence. Many foreigners would be punished for even the slightest criticism of the local and/or federal government.

I could go on but I think the point is made. We have the PC crowd (politically crazed) to thank for heightening our awareness. It's now up to us to take action.