How the Chairperson of the Womens and Gender Studies feels about my free speech!!!!!

-----Original Message----- From: Charles Hall [ mailto:pitbull@accesstoledo.com ] Sent: Tuesday, October 30, 2001 7:13 PM To: dsharp@utnet.utoledo.edu Subject: Teach In The answer is simple: Your either with US or or With the Terrorists !!!! DON'T E-MAIL YOUR TERRORIST LOVING CRAP TO ME AGAIN. Charles Hall JBarlow@UTNet.UToledo.Edu wrote: Mr. Hall, I am responding to your email (below) to Diana Sharp, who is secretary of the Department of Women's and Gender Studies at the University of Toledo, as well as a UT student. As chair of the department and a university professor, I want to point out to you that your response is inappropriate and harassing. It is your right as a citizen of this country to hold whatever beliefs you want; however, it is not your right to impose those beliefs on anyone else. It is the right of every citizen in a country based on free-speech to articulate their beliefs, and, therefore, the right of every member of the UT community to examine and discuss not only the events of September 11, but also the events leading to that horrible day, as well as the subsequent responses of the United States. Our teach-in is primarily informational; it is an attempt to provide a forum for students in particular, but also for staff and faculty, to learn more about U.S. and global histories and cultures, to discuss their concerns, and to ask questions. Many people in the UT and Toledo communities are experts in these areas, and we have invited some of them to speak and address the concerns and questions. It is not necessary for me to respond to your rude and harassing email, but I have chosen to do so in the hope that you can learn that hate-speech is never appropriate and that there are policies and procedures in place at UT, which you have violated. I assume that you will respect both my effort to respond to you and the fact that it would be a very bad idea for you to email me in return or ever again email anyone in this department. You can be assured that your email will be addressed according to those policies and procedures, which, by the way, follow federal guidelines. I have copied my email to Ms. Sharp, to the asscociate dean of the Humanities, the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and to the President of the University of Toledo. Dr. Jamie Barlowe Chair, Dept. of Women's and Gender Studies University of Toledo Toledo, OH 43606 (419) 530-2233; FAX (419) 530-4411 jbarlow@utnet.utoledo.edu

PS: I can't get anyone to tell me if I am under investigation or not!!!!!

Hell with rolling over, this is an excellent time for you to be aggressive about this.

You should file a formal complaint with the College of Arts and Sciences on the grounds that you have been threatened by a University official with regard to discpline on speech "regulations". Demand either an apology for the thinly veiled threats, or a specific notification that a case has been submitted for investigation or action against you. In the later event demand a full and explicit delineation of your due process rights with regard to this case.

If you are going to play their game, though, you can't pussyfoot around. You gotta take it straight to the hoop.

This was my reply when I did not get a response form the vice-provost. Dear Vice- Provost Bischoff: I have not heard from you about my "Hate speech" to Chairperson Jamie Barlowe. I have talked to my Dean at the Law School. He stated that if action was to be taken against me, then I would receive notice. I have received no follow up information about protecting my freedom of speech. I would hope that opposing a left-leaning , terrorist-supporting, and First Amendment opposing agenda would not have me kick out of school. I have showed to the e-mail to a number of my associates and all have stated that the Chairperson of Womens' and Gender's Studies and University Professor at a minimum overreacted. The teach-in is scheduled for Monday, November 5. The comments and threats from a university member has denied me my right to free speech. Chairperson Barlowe has represented that she is speaking for the university. I have been denied rights to speak out on Monday. Chairperson Barlowe has used her OFFICIAL TITLE AND UNDER THE COLOR OF HER OFFICE TO VIOLATE MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. CHAIRPERSON BARLOWE MISUSED HER AUTHORITY TO SILENCE MY SPEECH. I MADE NO THREATS, BUT THE CHAIRPERSON HAS THREATEN ME FOR EXERCISING MY RIGHTS. CHAIRPERSON BARLOWE HAS DONE WHAT SHE ACCUSED ME OF DOING. I WOULD RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT THE UNIVERSITY NOTIFY ME OF THE STATUS OF THE INVESTIGATION AGAINST ME SO THAT I MAY TAKE ALL THE APPROPRIATE STEPS TO PREPARE MY DEFENSE. I would also in the light of having to necessarily defend my status as a University of Toledo Student would request that under the Ohio Public Records law have all records, e-mails, memos, and any and all material related to this matter made available to me. I understand that the costs of copying such material is my responsibility. I will pay all reasonable costs related to this request.

To Charles Hall,
Thanls for posting this up, with an e-mail address included. Just sent the following e-mail to the Professor in charge of this program:
Dear Dr. Barlow,
I have just read on the Internet your letter to Charles Hall of the University of Toledo.
Some comments are in order. I am a veteran of more than a few "teach-ins" going back to the Vietnam War. By an large, they tend to be self-indulgent propaganda for an anti-government viewpoint, usually (but not always) unjustified on the facts.
I am assuming, based on such events elsewhere in the country, that your teach=in has the themes that "the US brought this on itself by its policies," and "the sensibilities of Islamic believers should not be harmed by such tactics as bombing on Ramadan." Both point are, of course, historical nonsense.
The first argument could have been made about the attack on Pearl Harbor, caused by American opposition to Japanese hemogeny on the Pacific Rim. The latter argument is destroyed by the fact that Arab and Islamic countries launched the 1967 Yom Kippur War during Ramadan that year, (In the East it is even called "The Ramadan War.")
Those who disagree, especially on the facts, with the pioused pronouncement of tenured professors who ignore history, will, I trust, be unwelcome at your teach-in.
If I am wrong about your politics, I am sure you will correct me. But if I am right, it is you and your colleagues, not Mr. Hall, who demean your institution by talking of history with a base of gross ignorance in that area.
Do not classify my letter as "hate speech," for I do not hate you and your kind. I pity you, for abandoning the discipline of factual academic inquiry. And I pity your students, who come to college seeking education in both facts and the methods of inquiry, but apparently receive propaganda instead, which is neither.
My comments have nothing to do with your gender. My late son's name was also Jamie, so I only assume that you are more likely to be female than male. But that is not relevant to my comments.
As a former Professor myself, who never sought and never would have accepted tenure, I condemn those who accept tenure as an excuse to cease both inquiry and learning.
Your teach-in would be far more valuable if it contained opposing viewpoints. But it won't, will it? That would undercut the whole point, wouldn't it?
You ought to be ashamed of yourself as a Professor. But you're not, are you? >p>Very Truly Yours,

John Armor, Esq.
(Congressman Billybob on the Net)

You did nothing wrong and I admire your email to them.

I would suggest no action on your part, except perhaps a cover letter mailed to the president of the university enclosing the emails. The letter should read something like this:

"Dear President of the University: Enclosed are a series of emails from the _____ department of your university.

Please ask the ____ department to cease and desist spamming and threatening students through email.

Sincerely,

Enclose the emails and you're done.

By sending this correspondence to the president of the university, you have covered your arse, and have made a record.

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