Censorship in Higher Education

from:
Censoring Our Educators - 
A nationwide effort is underway in statehouse to foster intellectual diversity by censoring professors
—By Mary O'Regan, Utne.com

More news today from the Right Wing Freedom Fighters. Because of their fear of Liberals, a concerted effort to reform higher education and restore balance to the curriculum is underway. These folks would seek to prohibit professors from espousing a specifically partisan solution to any intellectual debate.

"The Arizona legislation, Senate Bill 1542, would forbid school district employees from advocating "one side of a social, political, or cultural issue that is a matter of partisan controversy." Those who take up such stances would face a fine of up to $500."

No taking sides or pronouncing biased answers, no promoting of ideological agendas. These are CONSERVATIVES! This whole attempt is highly partisan in that it is, as they freely admit, a response to the perceived liberal bias of college professors! They are promoting this as "intellectual diversity" and the "Academic Bill of Rights."

"It is not the function of a faculty member in a democracy to indoctrinate his/her students with ready-made conclusions on controversial subjects."

and...

In Montana, based on only "anecdotal evidence" civil rights style affirmative action legislation is being proposed that would require each university to hire an ombudsman to monitor enforcement with the whole program costing taxpayers over $350,000 per school. The legislation being proposed is asking to insure intellectual diversity by hiring equal numbers of conservative and liberal professors. Of course it's conservatives that are feeling persecuted, again because of the perceived liberal bias in higher education.

Hypocritical? What would these same conservatives say about racial quotas and profiling? They seem to be quite happy about profiling and imposing affirmative action principles on Liberals. How does the Intelligent Design/Evolution debate play out in this scenario given that the whole ID concept is in itself a highly partisan issue. If I wasn't laughing so hard, I'd be crying... It's simply nonsense to assume that an ideology can dictate its terms or "create reality." They will try.. they will fail.