So basically Moore won't come unless he gets $40K-- MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE EARN IN A YEAR (liberal hyperbole)!?!?!?Why, this might make me think Michael Moore is just a big lying liberal hypocrite!
That, and the sun coming up in the morning...
Posted on 09/23/2004 6:49:44 AM PDT by hier
CSU San Marcos president says Michael Moore visit would be illegal
By Lisa Petrillo UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER September 22, 2004
SAN MARCOS – CSU San Marcos President Karen Haynes said yesterday that it would be illegal to have Oscar-winning filmmaker Michael Moore on campus before the presidential election.
"As a public university, we are prohibited from spending state funds on partisan political activity or direct political advocacy," Haynes wrote in a statement posted on the campus Web site and released to local newspapers' opinion pages.
She argued that Moore has campaigned for Democratic candidates and publicly declared his desire to oust Bush, but she said the university would welcome him as a speaker after the election.
Civil liberties lawyers disagreed, however, saying partisan figures have for years have spoken at universities, and that sitting presidents including George Bush often speak at college commencements, with funding by public universities during an election year.
Nancy Sasaki of the American Civil Liberties Union San Diego chapter concurred with Haynes that the university itself cannot endorse Bush or challenger John Kerry or other political views, and it cannot donate public money to them.
But she said the law does not limit the free speech on a university campus or prevent colleges from having speakers with political views, even if universities pay their honorariums.
"It's ludicrous to say you can't invite any speaker with a political viewpoint," said Sasaki.
Last week, Haynes banned Moore from speaking, although just two days before that the university had asked its student government to help subsidize the $37,000 appearance. The move drew objections from the campus and the community, contending that academic freedom was under attack.
Tomorrow, students plan a protest of the president's action, and this week 78 faculty members signed a letter of protest to Haynes.
Moore said he has spoken on scores of campuses and that Cal State San Marcos is the only university in the nation to withdraw an invitation.
He told The San Diego Union-Tribune last week that he plans to force Cal State to honor its contract with him. University officials have maintained there is no contract.
Meanwhile, student leaders have raised more than $40,000 from the community to bring Moore, and they are seeking a larger venue than the 1,500-seat California Center for the Arts, Escondido.
One donor who gave $15,000 is locally based Herring Broadcasting, which runs the "WealthTV" network. Said programming director Chris Moore, "It didn't matter whether it was for (conservative) Bill O'Reilly or Michael Moore, we wanted to help the students bring someone who provokes and promotes political debate."
Moore is a best-selling author and creator of the anti-Bush documentary film "Fahrenheit 9/11." His appearance in the Cal State San Marcos Arts and Lecture series was tentatively slated for last Oct. 13. He has said the visit would be part of a national tour of campuses to talk about film and artistic issues, and to encourage more students to vote.
Although some campuses that invited him have faced controversy, including Utah Valley State College and the University of Nevada, his speeches there have not been canceled.
Some universities have sought to offer a conservative viewpoint in response to criticism of the outspokenly liberal Moore. Moore told The Union-Tribune that when he learned Cal State administrators were concerned about balance, he offered to find them a conservative speaker.
"Some schools want that, and we've done that in the past. We even got Ann Coulter for one place, we held our nose, but we did it," Moore joked. Coulter is an outspoken conservative television commentator and best-selling author.
Haw-Haw!
[/NELSON]
People may wonder why so many of America's colleges and universities are facing financial difficulty and having to lay off maintenance and support staff.
So basically Moore won't come unless he gets $40K-- MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE EARN IN A YEAR (liberal hyperbole)!?!?!?Why, this might make me think Michael Moore is just a big lying liberal hypocrite!
That, and the sun coming up in the morning...
WHAT??!!??
A Socialist bastion getting 'nads???
Don't you love the even-handedness of the media?
The issue is not whether or not the university is allowed to hire Moore. The issue is whether the university is allowed to pay exorbitant fees to shallow comedians. Moore has nothing to contribute to education. He is simply a B-list entertainer on the same level as a Bob Saget or Dr. Phil. Why a university feels they have the right to pawn moore off on students as educational is beyond me.
They were going to bring him in because he is controversial, not because he is educational. :)
Then how does this involve Mickey Moore?
All he has ever promoted has been himself, and ad-hominem attacks on decent people.
The remarkable thing is that it is one of the least likely venues.
Too bad; Mickey Moore. Maybe no one wants to hear your lies and manipulations.
Yeah, he's planning to sue. So money, which could be going to educating students, will need to be expended on defending this lawsuit. But Michael Moore's all about the common man, isn't he?
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