^^^ Wow. How long did it take you to come with "^^^"? Oh, BTW, I agree.

^^ These days, unfortunately, the adversarial system is the only civilized way to settle these types of differences. And where would you have a constitutional rights' issue settled?

^ Yeah, many here have a problem with the term "Islamofascists," which refers to people that are trying to kill us and our way of life. But bigotry against Christians? Who gives a fuck, am I right?

[Edited on December 18, 2007 at 2:00 PM. Reason : .]

12/18/2007 1:57:21 PM

Quote :

"Among the statements the lawsuit contends Corbett said to students include 'when you put on your Jesus glasses, you can't see the truth';"

Not an appropriate thing for a teacher to say, but an idiotic thing to sue over, I think. Just have tell the principal and he/she should do something about it.

Quote :

"religion is not 'connected with morality';"

That's true. Morality and religion aren't connected.

Quote :

"and suggested that churchgoers are more likely to commit rape and murder. "

Also technically true: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1798944,00.html

^ You don't know what context those things were said in. THe only one that probably he shouldn't have said was the jesus glasses thing, but the other 2 I could easily see being valid in certain contexts.

You're preemptively claiming bigotry from only hearing one side of the story.

12/19/2007 12:32:18 AM

WSSU will alter policy on protests and demonstrations
Officials say intent was not to limit speech

Quote :

"The chancellor of Winston-Salem State University said Friday that the university will revise a new policy that limits unscheduled protests and demonstrations to one area of campus. Donald Reaves said that the new policy wasn't intended to limit free speech at WSSU. But it has caught the attention of a national civil-liberties watchdog group that has successfully helped challenge free-speech zones at public universities across the country. The Foundation for Individual Rights for Education, or FIRE, sent a letter to WSSU on Friday criticizing the university's policy for being too restrictive and suggesting that it may violate the First Amendment. WSSU's policy limits unscheduled protests to the breezeway of the Thompson Center, which houses the university's cafeterias. Groups would be able to assemble in areas typically used for public activities if they schedule them with the university. The university would need to be notified at least three business days before the activity."

Quote :

"FIRE learned about WSSU's new policy by reading a Winston-Salem Journal story, Harris said. Typically, the group finds out about free-speech zones through students. That happened at Colorado State University last year, when FIRE sent university officials a letter that, in part, complained about a policy that designated an area near the university's student center as the 'primary' place for free speech on campus. The university's attorney said that students could demonstrate in other areas of campus, and policy changes reflected that, Colorado Springs Gazette reported."

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ/MGArticle/WSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173354102727

It's damned peculiar how leftist academics continually fail to realize that the country is a free-speech zone. Damned peculiar.

1/23/2008 12:50:15 AM

I'm constantly amazed at the large number of liberals in the huge business and engineering departments

1/23/2008 12:52:51 AM

^ Congratulations. But that doesn't have a damned thing to do with the specific post above, does it?

1/23/2008 12:57:49 AM

Free-speech/protest zones almost always follow the president around. Do you not remember the manual that was leaked not too long ago that dictated that protest zones should be moved out of the public eye?

1/23/2008 9:08:10 AM

I believe there is a liberal bias in some departments and conservative bias in others.

One thing about this bias thing that bothers me is that it can make some professors lazy as fuck. I had a professor once who talked on about how all the white kids got to go to the wealthy schools and the black kids had to go to the poor schools, and that's why there was a disparity in academic achievement between the two groups. And she used Wake County as an example.

Rich schools vs. Poor schools is such a lazy, simplistic way to look at the issue.

And Wake County is probably the worst example she could have possibly used to support her argument.

She was talking to a classroom where five or so freshmen who all went to the same public high school agreed that black students should have take an entrance exam before being admitted to "their school." Dumbasses who think like that need shit broken up into simple pieces...but still...

[Edited on January 23, 2008 at 9:49 AM. Reason : sss]

1/23/2008 9:43:19 AM

Can we please end this "liberal conspiracy" bullshit

1/23/2008 11:00:42 AM

^
but..but.. isn't that exactly what the "liberal conspiracy" would want us to do?

1/23/2008 10:21:42 PM

Oops. . .posted in the wrong thread.

[Edited on January 24, 2008 at 2:05 AM. Reason : .]

1/24/2008 1:55:39 AM

bttt by request

4/26/2008 1:21:49 PM

oh boy, a new article coming up, hopefully something from David Horowitz about how he understand the "liberal mind" because he was raised as a communist or something equally exciting.

Quote :

"BTW, I find it damned peculiar that some of you are willing to accept specific experience in a given area--such as Duke's experience with waterboarding--if you agree with the user's position on a particular issue. But if you disagree with a user's position, you view his experience as invalid or you somehow diminish that experience. Damned peculiar."

What are your credentials in this area, if that's the case?

[Edited on April 27, 2008 at 9:37 PM. Reason : .]

4/27/2008 9:27:58 PM

Well, look's like Obama's pal, far-left terrorist bomber Bill Ayers, has been named vice president-elect of the "Curriculum Studies Division" (Yikes! ) of the American Educational Research Association.

http://www.aera.net/AboutAERA/Default.aspx?menu_id=18&id=321



I guess it's not enough for Ayers to be a radical leftist and indoctrinator. He now wants to infect the minds of our nation's K-12 students. GG.

[Edited on April 28, 2008 at 12:47 AM. Reason : .]

4/28/2008 12:46:45 AM

do you understand why there are so many "leftists" in Academia?

4/28/2008 12:47:49 AM

1. You concede that academia is overwhelmingly leftist?

2. Do you defend AERA's inclusion of a far-left terrorist in its hierarchy?

3. To answer your question, your position, I'm sure, is that leftists are smarter than everyone else. I certainly understand that you believe such to be the case.



[Edited on April 28, 2008 at 1:00 AM. Reason : .]

4/28/2008 12:59:35 AM

i don't have the time or inclination to give a shit about 2)

but, of course academia is leftest, because of "3)" which you already know is the case, as you so quickly put forward

the people in academia... intellectuals aka "smart people", tend to be more open minded, questioning, and progressive

[Edited on April 28, 2008 at 1:24 AM. Reason : .]

4/28/2008 1:22:47 AM

^

Quote :

"1. You concede that academia is overwhelmingly leftist? 2. Do you defend AERA's inclusion of a far-left terrorist in its hierarchy? 3. To answer your question, your position, I'm sure, is that leftists are smarter than everyone else. I certainly understand that you believe such to be the case."

Yeah, I'll bet you don't want to answer question 2--just answer the question, chicken shit. And, as I indicated, I understand that you believe leftists to be smarter than everyone else.

Quote :

"the people in academia... intellectuals aka 'smart people', tend to be more open minded, questioning, and progressive"

These qualities make one smart? Prove it.

4/28/2008 1:46:37 AM

hooksaw, what is your purpose here?

you're just a raving loser, right?

4/28/2008 2:15:21 PM

no hooksaw is right, some people are so open minded their brains fell out. liberal ideas and values are not always the smart way of doing things when you look at them from a rational point of view.

4/28/2008 2:51:33 PM

i gave up on this liberal leftist bullshit when i got a job and saw my tax money and the huge ass line grabbing a free welfare check with perfectly able men that could work construction or someshit if they felt like it.

4/28/2008 3:31:24 PM

Democrat minus Reality = Liberal

4/28/2008 4:23:42 PM

yup

4/28/2008 5:51:53 PM

^x5 As usual, you've got nothing, nastoot. I mean, you can't even form a coherent response to a straightforward post, and you question my presence here? Fuck you, douche bag--and shut the fuck up.

Now, back to the current topic at issue. I would like responses to this:

Quote :

"Well, look's like Obama's pal, far-left terrorist bomber Bill Ayers, has been named vice president-elect of the 'Curriculum Studies Division' (Yikes! ) of the American Educational Research Association."

http://www.aera.net/AboutAERA/Default.aspx?menu_id=18&id=321

Is this appropriate? If so, why? And out of about a dozen possible areas he could have become involved in, why did Ayers choose curriculum studies?

4/29/2008 5:55:24 AM

bump request

6/23/2009 6:11:23 AM

700 NYC teachers paid to do nothing
Accused of misconduct, taxpayers foot bill at cost of $65 million a year

Quote :

"NEW YORK - Hundreds of New York City public school teachers accused of offenses ranging from insubordination to sexual misconduct are being paid their full salaries to sit around all day playing Scrabble, surfing the Internet or just staring at the wall, if that's what they want to do. Because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them, the teachers have been banished by the school system to its 'rubber rooms' — off-campus office space where they wait months, even years, for their disciplinary hearings. The 700 or so teachers can practice yoga, work on their novels, paint portraits of their colleagues — pretty much anything but school work. They have summer vacation just like their classroom colleagues and enjoy weekends and holidays through the school year."

Quote :

"Because the teachers collect their full salaries of $70,000 or more, the city Department of Education estimates the practice costs the taxpayers $65 million a year. The department blames union rules. 'It is extremely difficult to fire a tenured teacher because of the protections afforded to them in their contract,' spokeswoman Ann Forte said. City officials said that they make teachers report to a rubber room instead of sending them home because the union contract requires that they be allowed to continue in their jobs in some fashion while their cases are being heard. The contract does not permit them to be given other work."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31494936/ns/us_news-education/?gt1=43001

6/23/2009 6:18:47 AM

hooksaw

Rightists in Academica...

6/23/2009 7:35:51 AM

^ Would you mind getting off my nuts and addressing the post? Was it "rightists" that came up with that $65 million fiasco in NYC?

[Edited on June 23, 2009 at 7:39 AM. Reason : PS: WTF is "Academica"?]

6/23/2009 7:37:47 AM

The question is, do we blame the union (partially at least, obviously) or do we blame whatever system is in place that takes a year to hear misconduct cases. Seems like this would be a non issue if it didn't take so long to make a decision.

6/23/2009 7:46:00 AM

theres 2 teaches at my gf's school in the rubber room.

one of the teachers chucked a chair and it bounched off a wall and hit a kid.

6/23/2009 9:20:57 AM

^ Um. . .are the rooms actually made of rubber?

6/23/2009 9:22:18 AM

MSNBC.... only 16 months behind This American Life
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1286

maybe it was in response to to documentary being made, although it's not mentioned in the piece
http://www.rubberroommovie.com/

6/23/2009 9:46:32 AM

^^

ha I think its just a random office building.

I always imagine abunch of aging jewish guys in a big room of tires.

6/23/2009 11:04:39 AM

Quote :

"Would you mind getting off my nuts and addressing the post? Was it "rightists" that came up with that $65 million fiasco in NYC?"

I actually agree with what you are saying hooksaw
I just could not resist the obvious trolling opportunity.

6/23/2009 5:43:30 PM

o snap! troll got trolled?

6/23/2009 5:49:42 PM

How is the NYC thing about Leftists in Academia? Maybe retards on the NY city council... but still. I fail to see the connection between the two. For one, Public Schools != Academia. Two, this seems like the doing of a Union that has to much power (and shouldn't exist anyway) and a dumbass city council. Even if both the Union and Council members are card carrying reds it still isn't "Lefist in Academia." But whatever.

6/23/2009 5:50:41 PM

^ Sweet Jesus--where do I start?

1. academia

Quote :

"(sometimes initial capital letter) the milieu or interests of a university, college, or academy; academe."

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/academia

academy

Quote :

"a secondary or high school, esp. a private one."

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/academy

academe

Quote :

"(sometimes initial capital letter ) any place of instruction; a school."

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/academe

2. Yes, you have a firm grasp of the obvious--this is the "doing of a Union" (sic). Please direct me to the conservative NYC teachers' union site.

3. The leftists are the ones who got the school system at issue in the shape it's in. Feel free to attempt to disprove this if you like--it will be an exercise in futility. The fact of the matter is that it took a Republican mayor--and a number of sensible Democrats--to wrest control of the system from entrenched leftist interests in 2002.

The law concerning mayoral control of the NYC school system is now being extended:

Assembly Gets A Bill Extending Bloomberg's Control Of Schools
June 15, 2009

Quote :

"The debate in Albany over whether to renew the landmark law giving New York City's mayor control of its public school system, which serves 1.1 million children and is the nation's largest, is being watched closely by politicians, educators, policymakers and parents throughout the country. The notion that urban school systems will improve only if their mayors are fully in charge, and fully accountable, has gained momentum in recent years, garnering support from the Obama administration."

http://www.dfer.org/2009/06/assembly_gets_a.php

And I applaud the Obama administration for supporting this approach. They, too, realize that the previous educational leadership model is a failed one.

6/23/2009 8:57:26 PM

I see little wrong with paying teachers while they are awaiting their hearings. It only seems to be the right thing to do, on the surface. Now, dragging out their disciplinary hearings for years? That's bullshit

6/23/2009 9:08:57 PM

Quote :

"Now, dragging out their disciplinary hearings for years? That's bullshit."

You've pinpointed the problem. In addition, is there nothing useful that the employees in question could be doing to earn their money in the meantime?

6/23/2009 9:26:04 PM

I think the time of union has come and gone; they are nothing more than a relic of days past that developed in response to the "golden days" of American capitalism. Nowadays they do nothing but impede progress and drag down the productivity of the economy. With the modern day labor agencies like OSHA, regulations, minimum wage laws, and just the general "social welfare" beliefs of many politicians (usually with the democrats) there really is no point to having fucking unions.

6/23/2009 9:59:04 PM

^ Yes, but as one can see in these graphs, union membership varies when comparing the public and private sectors and among regions of the United States.

6/23/2009 10:25:06 PM

damnit how did my place of employment end up as the 3.3%

6/23/2009 11:09:10 PM

bump

7/16/2010 6:28:43 AM

Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis: Student Employee Found Guilty of 'Racial Harassment' for Reading a Book

Quote :

"Thanks to FIRE's involvement and the extensive media coverage of the case, the finding against Sampson was eventually overturned and his school record was cleared, but the story behind this incident is still disturbing."

http://www.thefire.org/case/760

Yet another example of leftist PC thought police run amok.

7/16/2010 6:56:33 AM

YAWN

7/16/2010 7:42:39 AM

Most academics I've met are barely left of center

[Edited on July 16, 2010 at 8:50 AM. Reason : .]

7/16/2010 8:49:39 AM

^^ Would you be yawning if a conservative institution were punishing someone for simply reading a book?

^ Um. . .let's stick to the specifics in the case at issue, okay?

Quote :

"One of FIRE's most shocking cases in 2008 was that of Keith John Sampson, a student-employee at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) who was found guilty of racial harassment for merely reading the book Notre Dame vs. the Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan during his work breaks. Thanks to FIRE's involvement and the extensive media coverage of the case, the finding against Sampson was eventually overturned and his school record was cleared, but the story behind this incident is still disturbing."

The student at issue was simply reading a book about the triumph over racial hatred and he was found guilty of "racial harassment." The accuser apparently had a lack of understanding as to what the book was actually about.



Can some of you, at least, condemn the actions of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis in this incident as absurd in the extreme?

7/17/2010 2:18:57 AM

^It doesn't look like the actions of the University or a "liberal institution." It's a handful of black people who fudged some definitions and overstepped the limits of their positions.

White person reads book at work.
Black people ask him stop because book offends them.
White person doesn't stop.
White person seems to be reading this book for an unusually long time.
Black person levels racial harassment charge against him.
Black person at the AAO follows up and sends letter to white dude.
People find out and complain on behalf of white person.
Black groups and Co. involved try to save face but fail.
White person is exonerated, and black person at the AAO resigns.
hooksaw outraged!



To be clear, black people face racism and harassment on a regular basis, and they rarely complain (relative to the sheer amount that they endure). Sooo...I'd think twice before holding up Keith Sampson as some innocent, white victim. I'd bet a lot of money Sampson actually has racially harassed people or purposefully provoked people, and this book thing was the last straw for his co-workers. I really, really don't see anybody of any race or political persuasion running off to the AAO just because of one book...

7/17/2010 3:34:26 AM

Quote :

"I'd bet. . . ."

7/17/2010 6:19:15 AM

^You'd bet what?

7/18/2010 12:49:02 PM

1) Take everything you don't like and call it liberal.
2) Profit ...

7/18/2010 1:46:54 PM