Thought Police at University of Illinois – Urbana: Free Speech Dead…Man Bites Dog
Posted by Jim Hoft on Saturday, July 10, 2010, 11:49 PM
Posted by Guest Blogger John Burns–
The University of Illinois has finally come out of the closet, formally and openly declaring war on the Freedom of Speech on their campus. Exposing this bare policy to the world, apparently no one is safe – not even professors.
Ken Howell, a professor of Catholicism and Modern Catholic Thought was explaining the positions of the Catholic Church regarding homosexuality. In an email to students meant to assist them with their exam preparations for the course, Howell reiterated the Church’s stance on homosexuality. Howell then, as he has on numerous occasions, explained that his personal moral views are aligned with the Catholic Church.
In an episode reminiscent of Stalinistic purges or Mao’s Cultural Revolution, Students complained to the administration, citing “hate speech.” The admins defended their assault on speech: “The e-mails sent by Dr. Howell violate university standards of inclusivity, which would then entitle us to have him discontinue his teaching arrangement with us.” So, the university politburo rewards the “political commissars” of the classroom, and persecutes our modern day Thomas More.
Welcome to 1984.
Of course, the irony here is the constantly disingenuous, pathetic overtures socialist progressives make to free speech and rigorous debate. One cannot escape college without hearing about the Catholic Church’s assault on Copernicus’ and Galileo’s notion of a heliocentric universe. “This,” as they love to pontificate, “is the perfect example of how religion kills the free association of ideas, roots out free thinking, and persecutes unfavored points of view. With religion, dogmatism and sacred cows stampede rationality.”
Well, the anti-religion crowd has nonetheless cultivated dogmatism and sacred cows of their own. Socialist pundits will dismiss this, arguing that anti-Tyranny students often try to get their profs fired.
The difference, of course, is that in this instance the professor was not making assimilation of his ideas a prerequisite for passing the course. Offering up your ideas, and forcing students to internalize them are two different things…Socialist professors being guilty of the latter, and with high frequency.
The list of cases where anti-Tyranny students have been punished and persecuted by socialist professors and administrators is endless. There is no such thing as free speech on college campuses for those who disagree with the socialist progressive agenda. I know a large number of former and current students who have been persecuted – in some instances even to the point of being expelled or beaten by shock troops pet university security personnel. See here for an overview of how US Colleges are bastions of socialism and persecution for anyone who disagrees. See here for a typical example of professors actually indoctrinating US college students through intimidation and force.
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Published May 24, 2012 at 8:46 pm - 89 Comments
C-Christian Soldier commented:
this has been going-covertly -for many years-I’m glad it is out in the open-
I am surprised that so many are surprised!
C-CS
BruceC commented:
Someone needs to introduce Professor Howell to F.I.R.E.
http://www.thefire.org/
american patriot commented:
When their new Islamic masters take over and they show that there is only the House of Islam and the House of War and no happy co-existence between the two, colleges are going to do just fine.
sliderblaze commented:
wait, isnt or didnt william ayers teach there?
Obamanation @ Notre Dame commented:
Don’t expect Notre Dame to hire him – http://www.FreeTheND88.org
sliderblaze commented:
“Ayers is currently a professor at the University of Illinois” wikipedia
yup, so i guess its ok if you blow stuff up and kill people and advocate killing 25 mil innocent people because they dont think like you.
MANHATTAN DECLARATION commented:
That’s just how they roll at http://www.Indoctrinate-U.com
american patriot commented:
Interesting reading for GP’ers on the Mosque as an Outpost. This will have a direct impact on colleges and academic freedom,
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/07/vijay-kumar-the-muslim-mosque-a-state-within-a-state.html
Sanmon commented:
Teaching Religion based on the Bible is just not American anymore. Get with it people! You need to get transformed. The line starts at the Barack Obama statute at your local city hall. Just drink what’s in the cup and shut up!
jonyjoe101 commented:
The old soviet union started this back in the 1950′s. They infiltrated the colleges to spread liberal/socialism it took several generations but there plan was a success.
Senator McCarthy from the 50′s was right about the communist threat but no one took him seriously. They thought he was was paranoid but he was proven correct.
But in the end the professors will recieve there just rewards when there masters (the communists) take over. They always line up the intelligentsia sector up against the wall first.
AuntieMadder commented:
…anti-Tyranny students often try to get their profs fired.
A bunch of little tyrants, they are!
Opus #6 commented:
Too bad this prof didn’t have tenure.
archer52 commented:
If they were in a closed loop society, separate from us, I would love nothing more than to allow the socialist/communist believers play out their theories of society. Right up until the last one eats the other guy for survival.
But we allow them open access to far too much of our nation. The days of “aw schucks, there goes those crazy liberals again” are over.
ProLifer commented:
The Catholic professor is a hero — a light in the darkness. I hope there are more like him out there.
Andrew commented:
Perhaps Catholic Alumni of University of Illinois will respond by refusing to donate money to the school…..
John Hetman commented:
The is a sickening situation representative, as you so well point out, of the rotting state of higher education in 2010 America. There is a Stalinist tone to much that happens in our educational system when in comes to the sacred cows of Leftism that is so ubiquitous whether in public or private institutions.
Toaster802 commented:
Everyone knows the education system from k to doctor is a socialist snake pit, and unions and tenure are used to protect the snakes. There is a house cleaning coming, and schools from top to bottom need to be the place to start rooting out the infection of our country.
MNM commented:
Verbal assaults by instructors, on “violence provoking” Limbaugh and Hannity were the order of the day. My daughter proudly wore her “Rush the Vote” t-shirt and did not hide her views, but was discriminated against by fellow students and instructors regularly. She will attend Rice University in houston this fall, thank goodness, but was forced to listen to anti-Texas diatribes after wearing a T-shirt reflecting a positive view of Texas to classes.
The campus had a visiting dignitary stay in the dorms with the kids for a week….it was Bill Ayers from the Chicago U of I campus.
It is no surprise that they fearlessly and openly fired someone for teaching what they were hired to teach. They live in a bubble and don’t give a rat’s behind what any of the “lesser ignorant people” think.
Last thought, this school for gifted taught the kids that ambition was selfish. Smart move, teach the best and the brightest not to be ambitious. In fact my daughter was a Nat’l Merit Scholarship winner and they refused to announce this fact but at an award ceremony they did give an award for such categories as
“best stage hand”.
MNM commented:
U of I in Urbana has a long history of this sort. The entire town, built around agriculture and the university is of this ilk. A republican in this territory is openly berated and verbally assaulted.
My daughter attended the U of I High School in Urbana, for gifted students, and it was a full bore indoctrination schedule. Anti Bush, using bumper sticker lies instead of facts, and pro-socialist BS.
Timscott commented:
How can the university claim neutrality when they practice intolerance to be tolerant? What sophomoric attitudes. I think the professor has strong reasons to hold on his position. Make the university prove their neutrality. Why is their inclusiveness – exclusive of some?
Subadar Lal Kukhri commented:
Do any Americans live in Illinois?
UI is a state school? CAll and write letters to your state reps. If you have to: Emigrate to America.
This vicious tactic is SOP for filthy tyrants to keep their slaves enslaved.
So-called academics and the obamaessiah are subverting the “public square”, ie, publlic discourse.
If you disagree with their $cumb@g fictionalizations, socialist nightmares, and class hatred you must be destroyed.
STFU.
They are taking away your Constitutional rights. Here is the denial of the right of “free expression” of your religious beliefs. It formerly was in the First Amendment.
One more commie SCOTUS appointment and with Kagan and Sotomayor they will cancel the Bill of Rights.
Mike commented:
I can just see the University of Illinois administration gathered together in the bath house, rubbing their hands together and saying; well, we got rid of the Catholics, the f*# Joooooooo’s are next!
JPL17 commented:
“The e-mails sent by Dr. Howell violate university standards of inclusivity, which would then entitle us to have him discontinue his teaching arrangement with us.”
It seems the university adminstrators got it exactly backwards. If the e-mails sent by Dr. Howell violate the university’s standards of inclusivity, then they should discontinue the university’s standards of inclusivity, not Dr. Howell’s teaching engagement.
gail commented:
“Ayers is currently a professor at the University of Illinois”
He’s in Chicago. This refers to the flagship institution in Urbana-Champaign.
Sickofobama commented:
Any wise parent of a student attending that Gulag should withdraw them now.
Obama hasn’t made it mandatory yet that students MUST ATTEND A COMMIE UNIVERSITY OF HIS CHOOSING.
Send your kids to a private Jesuit school where free thought is still taught.
B Moe commented:
“Mohammad Bin Laden, a professor of Islam and Modern Islamic Thought was explaining the positions of Islam regarding homosexuality. In an email to students meant to assist them with their exam preparations for the course, Howell reiterated Islam’s stance on homosexuality. Bin Laden then, as he has on numerous occasions, explained that his personal moral views are aligned with Islamic teachings.”
Anybody think that would have lead to the same results?
Karen commented:
I have two children in college. Colleges HATE independent thinkers and HATE students who question anything–because by now, the students SHOULD be properly brainwashed by the system–and most of them are. The few who buck the system are ridiculed and treated with contempt. One of my children is constantly asked by her professors why she cares so much about her grades. HUH? Isn’t that the point of going to school–to get good grades? I’d say that 95% of her professors pretty much hate her (she will tell you this herself because it’s been her experience all her life. Luckily, she does not allow these people to kill her spirit). But they truly despise her for speaking out and striving for excellence. It’s pure insanity!
This past semester my son had a professor who was born in China and this man stood before the class and told them what a hero Mao was. Only my son and another student questioned this absolutely horrendous lie by pointing out how Mao killed about 70 million of his own people. While the professor conceded that this was true (really, how could he deny this???), he continued to tell the class how great Mao was because he obtained an education for free.
This is the mentality we are dealing with. Certain people get free educations so they are able to overlook mass genocide and see the mass murderer as a benevolent leader as long as they aren’t the ones being starved or shot in the head.
Robert commented:
The state of Illinois supports this school.
“And he said the university may well have to borrow money — as a recent change in state law allows — to meet its obligations while it waits for $279 million in overdue state appropriations.”
Corky Boyd commented:
There is one word that strikes fear in the hearts university administrators when it comes to free speech violations. It is FIRE. This is the organization that takes these issues on and wins. Usually a simple letter from FIRE asking about a situation sets the college folks scurrying.
Ken Howell should get in touch with them.
forest commented:
They just effectively outlawed being an openly devout Catholic on campus. And it’s not just Catholicism. Do other religions, like, say, Islam believe homosexuality is a sin?
AuntieMadder commented:
Karen, the teacher from China surely isn’t the only one of your daughter’s teachers who were educated at no cost to themselves. That would explain picking on her for caring about her grades.
regularguy commented:
The only thing that is going to change this assault on real academic freedom is money. If enough people begin avoiding these bastions of “conservative” intolerance and leftist loony bins, then they will have to compete just like any other market based product or service. Choose your academic institutions carefully. Consider community colleges where they offer the same product with less P.C. crap and at a lower price. Never assume the Harvards out there are actually giving you a better education, just because some schmuck out there rates them higher. Consider online universities that will make traditional universities compete for your business. Bottom line, make the universities suffer financially for their less than stellar behavior. They are truly expensive, way overrated hellholes of indoctrination.
DMartyr commented:
Must see video:
Indoctrinate U
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6955013541295584775#
Granny commented:
regularguy, that is a nice dream – but it is only a dream. Universities are tax-exempt institutions. Virtually all of them own huge amounts of property, patents and various investments. And they are a law unto themselves. Let me give you the example of Dartmouth, which also is tied to Dartmouth Hospital, really a chain of hospitals these days that owns most, if not all, hospital facilities in New Hampshire. In the town of Lebanon, NH, they own hundreds of acres of land, on which they have built a shopping mall and numerous office complexes. Because they are tax exempt, they pay not a single dime in taxes on the land, the buildings or the income they receive from the rental of their property, some to major international corporations. They also happen to own a significant portion of the available rental housing in the area. And, BTW, they are one of the most expensive universities in the nation. Don’t like what they do? Don’t want to pay extra tax because they don’t pay any? Want a decent place to live? Move. And that is virtually the only choice. The ONLY way to make universities suffer financially other than a boycott by the alumni is to remove their tax exempt status, which would require an act of Congress. Not happening any time soon.
Thalpy commented:
The University of Illinois system hired Bill Ayers. What is surprising about their treatment of Ken Howell?
BarbaraS commented:
The guy is teaching Catholicism. What is he supposed to do except teach the church’s principles. And why was an anti-tyranny student taking this course?
chuck in st paul commented:
When I got out of the military in ’70 I went to U of I to get my engineering degree. I could only stomach a year of it. What a festering pool of ignorance and stupidity. Already it was overrun with students studying a slew of liberal arts majors with no practical application in the real world being ‘taught’ by so-called professors and TA’s who themselves where wells of stupidity.
Starting in the 60′s colleges became babysitting services for immature high school graduates too shallow and/or stupid to get a job. No prof with a real degree like engineering or math would ever consider teaching courses like ‘queer studies’, etc. so you got all the bubble heads and mentally unstable running the babysitting service. What could possibly go wrong?
Stanley commented:
University of Illinois
Enroll Now
Price of admission
YOUR MIND
Sandy commented:
Let me get this straight. If your 5 years old they can teach from the book Billy Has Two Dads but teaching the Catholic stand on Homosexuality if you teach Catholic Doctrine is not allowed. Maybe the school would be more comfortable if the teacher used the word um um instead of Homosexuality–worked for Edith Bunker.
Sandy commented:
Liberals are the biggest perveyors of intolerance and bigotry in the guise of fairness.
Louis commented:
As a current graduate student I can attest to the political bigotry prevalent in academia. My freedom of speech has effectively been denied because of the actions of both my fellow students and the cabal of socialist professors at the history department of the college I attend. Making the naive mistake of posting my opinions on a personal blog cost me a TA scholarship and grant money. In all likelihood I will be transferring to another university farther away to finish my PhD work – a better college, to be sure, but it will make things that much more difficult.
The socialist thought police are at every level of university life.
aprilnovember811 commented:
One of the first things that need to be done in this country is to shut down the Department of Education. This is a left wing group of people trying to promote communism. Parents pull your kids out of the public school system, and homeschool, private school, etc. Anything you can. They aren’t safe. Also, funding to these types of universities that violate Constitutional rights, etc. need to have any funding cut off. That is their life blood. CUT UP THEIR CREDIT CARDS, STOP DONATING, ETC.
Taxpayer1234 commented:
I read elsewhere that Howell is not a professor but an adjunct (aka “temp”), so that’s why it was so easy to fire him. I am also an adjunct instructor (English) and have worked at several colleges and universities. The indoctrination is absolutely nauseating.
But in my classes, I expect students to think for themselves, and to that end, they have absolute academic freedom. The first day of class, I tell them I don’t grade according to where they stand on issues but on their ability to express ideas clearly. Their relief is palpable!
I also encourage Dr. Howell–and everyone on this thread–to check out thefire.org. This group does amazing work.
Radegunda commented:
Louis, I can empathize. I went through the graduate-school mill and tried to stay quiet about my views, and I remember the looks of shock on a couple of occasions when I let slip a little comment that wasn’t party line.
After I got the degree and was devising my own courses, it felt like a courageous act to assign Hayek (on the same list as Marx). And there were students who seemed relieved in private conversation when they figured out that I wasn’t just another flaming leftist.
GrayRider commented:
It is time to run the Marxist Progressive Secular cabal out of our universities and our political system. Expose their inanity and fight against them every chance you have.
infinite commented:
Conservative radio is most listened to.
Conservative tv news is most watched.
We need conservative run schools as well. People will flock to them.
We need conservative TV stations/networks with prime time programming. People will flock to it.
We also need a New Hollywood/studio, run strictly by conservatives. Watch how people will flock to it’s movies.
People see the “liberalism” injected into just about everything they now watch and want alternatives. Just as Canada has found an opening for “Fox North” programming, soon to be competing with it’s HEAVY liberal/deranged slant, the US should push forth and deeper.
Vote at the local levels, national, federal, and clean up our cities/towns, states and nation.
Entrepeneurial opportunities abound for conservative thinking education and entertainment as well.
AuntieMadder commented:
aprilnovember811
July 11th, 2010 | 10:10 am | #45
One of the first things that need to be done in this country is to shut down the Department of Education.
Yep. Then let the schools get back to teaching the Rs again so that the kids can graduate high school with a decent education. When I graduated high school back in 1982, we were much better educated than the kids graduating high school today. In fact, the poor education they’re getting those first 12 years is what’s made a college education a requirement, when it used to be a plus. People used to go to college for specialized education for a particular field of work. Today, college is required just to be able to write a resume and cover letter that aren’t crayoned onto Big Chief tablet paper.
America used to have the best opportunities for everyone to get a decent education. Now, school is just where the kids are warehoused each day while their parents work.