Posted on 12/19/2014 12:13:45 PM PST by Kaslin
Honestly, sometimes leftist thought police surprise even me, not so much with their unreasonableness, extremism and tyrannical tactics but with their brazenness in openly showing who they are. Each new day's headlines trump yesterday's.
A few weeks ago, Fox News' Todd Starnes reported on a Marquette University student's encounter with his ethics instructor. The professor, Cheryl Abbate, was leading her "Theory of Ethics" class in a discussion about the application of philosophical theories to controversial political issues.
Among the issues listed on the blackboard were gay rights, gun rights and the death penalty. Professor Abbate removed gay rights from the list before the discussion began, with the summary explanation, "We all agree on this."
This puzzled the student, as he certainly did not agree with his instructor's view on the issue and believed it should have been open for discussion along with the other issues. He approached Abbate after class and expressed his opinion that the class should have been allowed to discuss gay rights.
The student recorded his conversation with Abbate without her permission or knowledge. Questions concerning the impropriety of that secret recording aside, the substance of the recorded exchange is illuminating.
The student asked, "Are you saying if I don't agree with gays not being allowed to get married that I'm homophobic?"
The teacher said, "I'm saying it would come off as a homophobic comment in this class."
After further discussion, Abbate said, "You don't have a right in this class (an ethics class) especially to make homophobic comments."
When the student persisted that he is not homophobic and that the professor was restricting his rights and individual liberties, Abbate shot back: "You can have whatever opinions you want, but I will tell you right now, in this class homophobic comments, racist comments, sexist comments will not be tolerated. If you don't like it, you are more than free to drop this class."
The student took her up on the offer and dropped the class. His complaint with university officials went nowhere.
As totalitarian and censorial as Abbate's behavior was, what followed was arguably worse.
Marquette professor John McAdams learned about the incident and expressed his strong disapproval on his blog, Marquette Warrior. McAdams wrote: "Like the rest of academia, Marquette is less and less a real university. And when gay marriage cannot be discussed, certainly not a Catholic university."
Boy, did McAdams step in it. It's not just university students whose speech is suppressed there. On Dec. 16, McAdams received a letter from the dean relieving him of his teaching duties, saying he was under investigation and banned from campus.
To get a flavor of the terse three-paragraph letter, take a look at the first sentence of the final paragraph from Dean Richard C. Holz: "You are to remain off campus during this time, and should you need to come to campus, you are to contact me in writing beforehand to explain the purpose of your visit, to obtain my consent and to make appropriate arrangements for that visit."
In its letter to McAdams, the university did not specify the charges against him, but President Michael R. Lovell wrote a letter to the campus community and said: "This is a matter of official policy, but it's also a matter of our values. Respect is at the heart of our commitment to the Jesuit tradition and Catholic social teaching. ... The university will not tolerate personal attacks or harassment of or by students, faculty and staff. ... We deplore hatred and abuse directed at a member of our community in any format."
There you have it. We have a professor at a university (a Catholic one, no less) -- an institution ostensibly dedicated to intellectual and academic inquiry and the free flow of ideas and expression -- prohibiting certain relevant views from even being discussed in the classroom, encouraging a dissenting student to drop the class if he doesn't approve of the Stalinist tactics, and casting opposing views as "hatred."
Then we have another professor who expresses his strong dissent of such Stalinist practices and is consequently subjected to worse Stalinist practices in the form of being summarily suspended from his duties and banned from the campus as if he were a serial felon or known terrorist.
Do leftists even pretend to be intellectually open and behaviorally tolerant anymore? If they do, will anyone take them seriously?
Defenders of these abominably indefensible actions will tell you, indignantly, that they give no quarter to those who are intolerant. But what they mean is that they are militantly intolerant of people who express views different from their own, even if the people expressing those views are highly respectful of everyone concerned.
What scares me more than the left's deliberate muzzling of people's expression is that it's doing so with an air of moral superiority, coupled with a perfect blindness to the perniciousness of its actions, its overt hypocrisy and its moral bankruptcy.
The enemies of liberty and tolerance continue their scorched-earth oppression of their political opponents under the fraudulent banners of tolerance and liberty -- and it is truly sickening and highly disturbing.
leftists never believed in free speech
They believe in free speech if it’s for them
Tolerance,as long as you believe what THEY believe.
The devil has sure done a good job hasn’t he? Fooling so many people into thinking that approving aberrant behavior is the nice thing to do.
Sorry, I am still a man and will speak the Truth in love whenever, and wherever I please. This world holds nothing over me.
It is well known that several generations ago, the Communists suppressed religion, and also embarked on an international campaign to corrupt traditional sexual and family values. They were successful beyond their wildest dreams, for here we have a demonstration of how quasi-religious institutions (Marquette is a Catholic college) have adopted homosexuality. It’s a twofer... religious institutions perverted with respect to their long-held beliefs.
“...they give no quarter to those who are intolerant.”
Self-condemnation if there ever was such a thing. They’re ONLY tolerant of depravity. They’re utterly intolerant of decency.
The gay agenda has become an agenda of retribution. Heck, that’s pretty much what all lib agendas are today.
Dean Holtz needs a good kick in the a$$ and I would love do to it.
Tolerance is the virtue of believing in nothing.
The North Koreans learned from us.
The Scriptures I believe in are very clear on what all this is and where and how it will end. I was talking with someone last week who is doing an intense study of Genesis and has come to believe that we actually have among us people who have no souls and therefore, have no concept of truth or morality. I do not believe that. I just think evil has triumphed over good for a time..However, it will not prevail.
When a professor acts that way, I fully support the student’s recording the class without his or her knowledge. It’s simply an act of self-defense.
I recommend that parents tell all their kids to record teacher/prof. I do know that it has changed leftist behavior in the classroom for they do not know whether they are recorded or not these days.
Good article from D. Limbaugh!
You find some of the best articles, Kaslin. Thanks for the post.
Can anyone point to a ‘progressive’/’liberal’ who is NOT a lying totalitarian? Sheesh!
Of course they don't! One thing they believe in, to the highest degree, is slavery. It's interesting the Jesuits have joined the pro slavery legions.
My son graduated from Marquette about a decade ago. They had a priest on the faculty who was a member of the National Rifle Association. I just looked him up, and he's still there. He must have a low profile these days.
Either that, or he has taken the approach of a philosophy and theology teacher of my school days. He was a bit of a conservative in those ancient times. He told his superiors, who I'm sure believed in thought control even then, "I have tenure here." (As as priest, that is).
William Buckley had close, personal friends that were Jesuits. Just curious...are Jesuits still Catholic?
Marquette University stifles free speech both for the students and for faculty.
FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.
Thanks for the ping.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.