Posted on 05/19/2017 7:08:01 AM PDT by Chengdu54
I'm a professor who often posts here and on FB. Two university officials are coming to my office today to speak with me about my posts. I told them this is a free speech issue. Feeling like I need legal advice. This is a public university.
Advice? Moral support?
See Post #7
Get a lawyer FIRST
Your employer does NOT have your best interest in mind.
At the very least, I would have any conversation taped (and make them aware they are being taped). Myself, I wouldn’t talk with them about activities that have nothing to do with the school unless I had a lawyer present.
What sort of comments?
Were they made on company time?
If the comments were something that can be construed as illegal (such as things that can be interpreted as threatening), or were made on company time, I’d back off on this fight.
If they were just political opinions and made on your own time, you have every right to have made them.
If you’re not doing it on their time or on their equipment, and there’s nothing in your employment contract they can hang their hats on, not sure what they can do other than try to scare you.
I will give you some advice: Drop Facebook. You are Zuckerman’s enemy. Do not allow the enemy to use the money he makes off you to use it to kill you with. And, yes, if we were still under the Constitution, it would be a free speech issue. But, as of now , the Left, except when it suits their purposes, regard the Constitution as merely a piece of paper. And I do offer you moral support as you battle the forces of evil.
Since you’re a newbie and I just checked your posts, maybe they’re annoyed you’re spending time talking about Dr. Who casting problems? Just askin’.
“”assuming your posts contain no derogatory statements about ethnic groups you should go exactly where you are already focused - your free speech rights””
Knowing how these progressive pukes work, guilt by association would be enough if they found something posted by someone else and it OFFENDED them.. Heavens to Betsy!!
Say absolutely as little as possible — they will be looking for any remark or word they can use to hang you.
You should view this purely as an information-gathering exercise for YOU. Don’t give them any more info than you judge absolutely necessary. Let them do the talking and you can try to find out what they are up to.
Don’t rely upon any reassurances from them — they can smile to your face and then stab you in the back later. Recognize that they are the enemy and that they would not be making this visit at all if they were not interested in silencing you, one way or another.
I believe the term in vogue at the moment is “opposition research”.
As for your question, I would avoid answering ANY of their questions or saying ANYTHING about your posts on FB or FR to these bozos UNTIL you have talked to an attorney and unless you have an attorney present with you. Because this is a matter of FREE SPEECH and YOUR RIGHTS AS A P R I V A T E CITIZEN, LIVING IN A FREE COUNTRY.
Before you do or say ANYTHING to them, watch the following video and apply the principles outlined there to your situation because they are very comparable. Here is the video link:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE
My suggestions:
1) Stall for time. Meet but decline to respond/reply to any and ALL questions until you’ve had an opportunity to consult with your legal representative.
2) Have a recording device available at all times. When they come to your office, greet, have them sit down then announce you will be recording the meeting for your records.
3) DO NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
4) DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ANY OF THEIR INFORMATION or QUESTIONS AS BEING ACCURATE or VALID.
5) SEE ITEM #3.
6) DO NOT AGREE TO ANYTHING.
7) DO NOT CONSENT TO GIVE THEM A COPY OF THE TAPE.
8) DO NOT CONSENT TO BE RECORDED BY THEM. REFUSE TO GO ANY FURTHER WITH THE MEETING>
9) Be prepared to find a local resource for legal representation.
Do a google search on all your colleagues by name and email address for postings they have made in Liberal forums...
Obfuscate and put them on the defensive immediately. They will come in as friendly and casual. You have to let them know you have a lawyer looking for blood, and it is not going to be yours.
->Ask if they are recording the meeting? (doubtful).
->Ask if they mind if you record the meeting. (Present them with a waiver.)
->Have them sign a non-disclosure agreement (templates on internet) ie. no info from this meeting will be publicly disseminated and no info from this meeting will go beyond those in attendance.
->FYI if you give them an NDA to sign the meeting will be over right then and there.
->In general, come out swinging.
Plus, they have time to spy on you? Just sayin.
Don’t you get it? They are ganging up on you by sending two administrators to talk to and intimidate little ol’ you. This is two against one. They are tag teaming you.
You need your own gang of two. Get your lawyer to this meeting. I have learned through life that they don’t respect you until you have a lawyer. You are a naked effin pipsqueak nobody until you have a lawyer.
If they are still coming on hot and heavy after engaging with your lawyer then offer to delete your Facebook account. They should never have known about your FR account and maybe they don’t and are bluffing.
Have you not read about all the police that have been fired due to strutting their tuff stuff on twitter and so called private Facebook accounts? Many others too besides police.
If you are asking whether you need legal advice......Then I am sure you do.
Sometimes a simple and tough letter from a lawyer is enough to get them to back off. This is notice that you have retained counsel and is less expensive than bringing your lawyer to this meeting. This letter can tell the Administration to contact your lawyer and speak to him over the phone. Another way to do this for less money paid out by you.
So the bare minimum and least expensive route is to have a smart and respected lawyer send the Administration a firm letter. Their lawyer can talk to yours on the phone and these days they sometimes engage via email. This happened recently with me and my legal problem. Then your lawyer keeps you abreast by sending you copies of the emails between the lawyers.
Advice: Hire a lawyer
Moral Support: Never, never, never, never, never give up!
“...bless your heart” is a good finish.
Randomly select any professor in America from an public university, and look up their FB/Twitter. In my experience, a majority are posting liberal political opinions and fully acknowledging that they are employees of public universities. I would assume that if you’re willing to scrap and tell them off, that they can’t do jack-shizzle to you, provided you’ve never said anything illegal.
bookmark
“Applies critical thinking to undermine mushy socialist mentality of students.”
Change your homepage on FreeRepublic
Don’t sign anything you are asked to without having it reviewed by counsel
Request copies of EVERYTHING in your personnel file (including a signed statement as to the completeness of information your are provided)
Limit your Facebook posts to things like the weather (better still post nothing at all)
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