tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post1861043044322494583..comments2024-02-24T05:19:10.949-05:00Comments on Durham-in-Wonderland: Glossarykcjohnson9http://www.blogger.com/profile/09625813296986996867noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-631446970773850012008-02-29T11:52:00.000-05:002008-02-29T11:52:00.000-05:00Regarding the update: I want the posts to total a...Regarding the update: I want the posts to total a million words. That means KC has many more posts to go.<BR/><BR/>BTW.....<A HREF="http://www.predictablyirrational.com/?p=162#comments" REL="nofollow">this</A> is a fun and entertaining and also educational place to go.<BR/><BR/>You can comment on almost anything if you can frame it in the context of "predictably irrational".<BR/><BR/>I'm looking for a door to open for the lacrosse case.<BR/><BR/>That should be an easy one.Debrahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04567454727276881424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-75536164221106822052008-02-16T11:37:00.000-05:002008-02-16T11:37:00.000-05:00Re Anon at 9:18"Welcome to Duke -- where we punish...Re Anon at 9:18<BR/><BR/>"Welcome to Duke -- where we punish the innocent (Pressler and the players) and reward the guilty (the G88 and their ilk.)"<BR/><BR/>Duke ProfAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-10892298927916393452008-02-16T09:18:00.000-05:002008-02-16T09:18:00.000-05:00KC,You've admired some of what president Brodhead ...KC,<BR/><BR/>You've admired some of what president Brodhead has done and you've referred approvingly to the provost Lange. What do you think of the building celebration that the two of them are sponsoring on Monday? The big ad was in the Duke Chronicle on Friday and there's an story online at Duke Today. The building is a newly renovated space with posh offices for angry studies, cultural anthropology, literature department, and Duke human rights center. They're making a big to-do about moving those gang88sters into the new building.<BR/><BR/>Those people aren't going to be punished. They're being rewarded. They're never going to apologize. Why should they? They've got Brodhead and Lange in their pockets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-14436027072126340552008-02-02T10:39:00.000-05:002008-02-02T10:39:00.000-05:00For those who often check the N&O for news related...For those who often check the N&O for news related to the civil suits and other case-related lacrosse matters, the <A HREF="http://blogs.newsobserver.com/orangechat/index.php?title=wife_money_back_door_deal_why_did_edward&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1" REL="nofollow">N&O political blogs</A> are quite lively and provide spirited debate.Debrahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04567454727276881424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-27773999000505028162008-01-31T15:33:00.000-05:002008-01-31T15:33:00.000-05:00Is Duke a state school?Is Duke a state school?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-7533824025671308582008-01-31T00:34:00.000-05:002008-01-31T00:34:00.000-05:00dorothy said...Some of the questions asked upstrea...<I>dorothy said...<BR/>Some of the questions asked upstream are addressed in a post today at truthaboutkcjohnson.wordpress.com</I><BR/><BR/>That's the longest ad hominem attack I've ever seen.<BR/><BR/>However, like any ad hominem attack, it is irrelevant in regard to the facts of the case.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-55921313236850066342008-01-30T22:02:00.000-05:002008-01-30T22:02:00.000-05:00If the charges in the suit at http://dig.abclocal....If the charges in the suit at http://dig.abclocal.go.com/wtvd/dukeplayerslawsuit_pt1.pdf and http://dig.abclocal.go.com/wtvd/dukeplayerslawsuit_pt2.pdf are at all true, many senior Duke officials not only need to resign or be fired, they should be jailed on gross civil rights abuses and conspiracy.<BR/><BR/>The allegations are shocking beyond belief. Is this the Soviet Union?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-40433936180339686542008-01-30T20:06:00.000-05:002008-01-30T20:06:00.000-05:00Amanda Marcotte, the semi-skilled, foul-mouthed ma...Amanda Marcotte, the semi-skilled, foul-mouthed marvelette formerly of John Edwards' campaign, must be rolling over in her lair.<BR/><BR/>Justice should be for everyone, not just John Boy's clients; justice for his clients usually meant a fat check for him. <BR/><BR/>Edwards and his surrogates seem to have forgotten the concept of equal protection, and it's hard not to take a little schadenfreude at his departure; if Edwards could not spend an ounce of energy on the hoax/conspiracy, then he got what he deserved. Good riddance. <BR/><BR/>Whether Obama wins or not, his strategy ought to capitalize on the fact that he was the ONLY Presidential from either party calling for a federal investigation of the Hoax. If Obama is looking for an angle, this is it!<BR/><BR/>The stoudt I just drained tastes like honey.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14248016116043347912noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-14630051911094528602008-01-29T15:58:00.000-05:002008-01-29T15:58:00.000-05:00Free Republic News ItemNifong off the hook for now...Free Republic News Item<BR/><BR/>Nifong off the hook for now<BR/><BR/>Posted on 01/29/2008 11:46:17 AM <BR/>DURHAM -- Former Durham district attorney Mike Nifong is off the hook for the time being from any civil lawsuits. <BR/><BR/>The judge overseeing the Duke Lacrosse lawsuit filed by three exonerated players has put their suit on hold.<BR/><BR/>(Excerpt) Read more at abclocal.go.com ...<BR/><BR/>http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=5921699 ^ | Jan. 29, 2008Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-44309403016629954842008-01-29T15:03:00.000-05:002008-01-29T15:03:00.000-05:00Earlier this month, David Rudolf, an attorney for ...<I>Earlier this month, David Rudolf, an attorney for Seligmann, said he and other lawyers on the team did not plan to let Nifong hide in bankruptcy court.<BR/><BR/>Rudolf said they plan to argue that Nifong maliciously and intentionally went after the players long after he knew about gaping holes in his case.</I><BR/><BR/><BR/>Rudolf is a pit bull!<BR/><BR/>No rest for Mikey, I'm afraid.Debrahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04567454727276881424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-22683007987883921192008-01-29T15:01:00.000-05:002008-01-29T15:01:00.000-05:00Nifong off the hook for now<A HREF="http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/910488.html" REL="nofollow">Nifong off the hook for now</A>Debrahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04567454727276881424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-68546430296065325072008-01-28T13:06:00.000-05:002008-01-28T13:06:00.000-05:00In August of 2006, following the New York Times' i...In August of 2006, following the <I>New York Times</I>' incredibly poor Wilson/Glater coverage of the lacrosse hoax, KC Johnson wrote an e-mail letter to the Times' executive editor Bill Keller and news editor Jill Abramson.<BR/><BR/>KC's <A HREF="http://durhamwonderland.blogspot.com/2006/08/times-open-letter.html" REL="nofollow">letter</A>, posted on August 28, stated in part: <BR/><BR/><I>"I've read The Times my whole life. I've always viewed it with the utmost respect. But to read your coverage of a case I know a lot about leaves me utterly shaken. I don't know if your reporting is driven by incompetence, laziness, or an agenda, but it's an embarrassment.</I><BR/><BR/>I commented afterword that I was somewhat amused at KC's shock since I had read the Times for over 30 years and was greatly disturbed by its false, misleading and agenda-driven coverage of a subject "I know a lot about" --- the US military.<BR/><BR/>The Times latest "embarrassment" began on January 13th with a series <I>"War Torn ... about veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have committed killings, or been charged with them, after coming home"</I> that is so demonstrably biased, misleading, and poorly written that it makes The Times coverage of the lacrosse hoax look like gospel by comparison.<BR/><BR/>As KC and other bloggers exposed the false Times coverage of the lacrosse hoax, attorney and blogger John Hinderaker has skillfully eviscerated the "War Torn" piece <A HREF="http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2008/01/019533.php" REL="nofollow">here</A>, and <A HREF="http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives2/2008/01/019654.php" REL="nofollow"> here</A> which includes a response by New York Times' Public Editor, Clark Hoyt.<BR/><BR/>Don't be shocked; The Times has been an agenda-driven newspaper for a long, long time.<BR/><BR/>One SpookOne Spookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00592774438681904368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-49425905228949957892008-01-27T11:18:00.000-05:002008-01-27T11:18:00.000-05:00Inre: "So is this the end?""...Now this is not the...Inre: "So is this the end?"<BR/><BR/>"...Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." - Winston Churchill.<BR/><BR/>Spoken at the Mansion House Lord Mayor's Luncheon following the victory at El Alameinin North Africa, London, 10 November 1942<BR/><BR/>I was just reading about the homeless problem at a park in Berkley. The similarities between that problem and the Klan of 88 at Duke are, to me, striking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-70004356261571302112008-01-27T11:00:00.000-05:002008-01-27T11:00:00.000-05:00Will Conway 1/25/2008 1:25 PM said... ...so is thi...Will Conway 1/25/2008 1:25 PM said... <BR/><BR/>...so is this the end?<BR/>::<BR/>No, this is most certainly not the end but Due Process is difficult to understand when you are very young.<BR/><BR/>Due Process, a constitutional concept (Fourteenth Amendment), is all about fairness and being effective but not especially efficient.<BR/><BR/>So, be patient and watch over the next several months as the truth begins to be revealed.<BR/><BR/>Be prepared to be amazed.<BR/>::<BR/>GPGary Packwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05177986821224068759noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-35945660182465763042008-01-26T19:49:00.000-05:002008-01-26T19:49:00.000-05:00Nice to see what was learned in Wonderland being t...Nice to see what was learned in Wonderland being taken into Chafe's world, a history blog, among Chafe's peers. That is where it really matters.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-38281393629141650882008-01-26T15:00:00.000-05:002008-01-26T15:00:00.000-05:00A reminder:I will be back to post on the plaintiff...A reminder:<BR/><BR/>I will be back to post on the plaintiffs' responses in the civil suit (due in around 10 weeks); and will also post if there are any other significant case-related developments in the interim.kcjohnson9https://www.blogger.com/profile/09625813296986996867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-71843696611066167852008-01-26T08:14:00.000-05:002008-01-26T08:14:00.000-05:00TO 1:25 PM--No, dear Will.Nothing as magnitudinous...TO 1:25 PM--<BR/><BR/>No, dear Will.<BR/><BR/>Nothing as magnitudinous as <I>Wonderland</I> is ever really <I>over</I>.<BR/><BR/>On another note, I am pleased to report that the H-S printed the Diva letter ripping Chafe--every word, untouched by an editor's pen.<BR/><BR/>I was a bit surprised, actually, that Ashley would allow one of his 88 buddies to be criticized.Debrahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04567454727276881424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-23143738288232597212008-01-25T21:00:00.000-05:002008-01-25T21:00:00.000-05:00No, this is not the end. Just have to know where ...No, this is not the end. Just have to know where to look: <A HREF="http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/46777.html" REL="nofollow">Chafe, Hillary, and LBJ</A> posted by KC Johnson at <I>Cliopatria</I>.Stuart McGeadyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09384232058188464218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-25230347435279968512008-01-25T13:25:00.000-05:002008-01-25T13:25:00.000-05:00so is this the end?so is this the end?Will Conwayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05087204612168774398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-1138136376080691482008-01-23T13:50:00.000-05:002008-01-23T13:50:00.000-05:00A column from the ever-confused Chafe:William H. C...A column from the ever-confused Chafe:<BR/><BR/><BR/><I>William H. Chafe : Politics and the legacy of Martin Luther King<BR/><BR/>Guest columnist : The Herald-Sun<BR/>Jan 20, 2008<BR/><BR/>On this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the memory of the late civil rights hero is being tested by the front-running Democratic candidates. Barack Obama regularly evokes Dr. King in his speeches, often wrapping himself in the mystique of King's soaring rhetoric and projecting visions of change reminiscent of King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Hillary Clinton similarly places herself in the tradition of civil rights reform, but of late has run into trouble by emphasizing that it took practical political leadership by President Lyndon Johnson to make civil rights legislation a reality, thereby emphasizing her campaign slogan that experience in using power effectively is just as important as visionary idealism. <BR/><BR/>The subsequent bickering by the Obama and Clinton camps over who "owns" the King legacy has been unseemly. More important, it has ignored the historical reality of the man they seek to honor. <BR/><BR/>This is not a new phenomenon. For more than two decades, American politicians have crafted an image of King that has made him into an all-American "moderate," safe for everyone to honor. King's prophetic calls for radical change in the structure of America's racial and economic life have been muted. Instead, politicians have trumpeted King's demand that individuals be judged "by the content of their character," not the color of their skin. Such a construction of King's life drastically diminishes his real message. In reality, every time King pleaded for reconciliation and redemption, he simultaneously demanded repentance and far-reaching change. <BR/><BR/>Clearly, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson deserve credit for embracing civil rights reform. But they would never have arrived at that point were it not for the fact that the civil rights movement -- led by King -- gave them no alternative. The civil rights revolution, from the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 to the Greensboro sit-ins in 1960 to the Birmingham Children's Crusade in 1963, literally forced America's white leaders, against their will, to confront the reality of American racism that for so long they had ignored. <BR/><BR/>What Senator Clinton failed to acknowledge is the degree to which Kennedy and Johnson had records prior to 1963 that were as shameful on issues of civil rights as that of many conservative white Southern legislators. Kennedy had never advocated civil rights legislation as a senator, and voted to weaken the 1957 Civil Rights Bill. He was endorsed in 1960 by reactionary segregationists like Alabama's Governor John Patterson. And despite his promise in the 1960 campaign to end segregation in publicly financed housing by issuing an executive order, he signed that order (two years later) only after civil rights supporters sent the White House millions of pens, mocking the emptiness of his campaign pledge. <BR/><BR/>Lyndon Johnson was no better. As a senator, he refused to support federal anti-lynching legislation, subverted efforts to end Southern senators' ability to filibuster civil rights bills to death and failed to support a Fair Employment Practices law in 1949, arguing that it would "inflame the passions and prejudices" of white folks. Repeatedly, and in public, he called his chauffeur the "n" word. Although he receives credit for shepherding a civil rights bill through Congress in 1957, Johnson in fact eviscerated that law of all substantive content, leading liberal senators to call it a "sham." In short, there is no basis for thinking that either Kennedy or Johnson would have voluntarily embraced civil rights reform if left to their own druthers. <BR/><BR/>This latest political debate ignores the prophetic radicalism of King's fundamental message. The 1963 March on Washington was for "Jobs and Freedom," not just freedom. King insisted economic inequality had to be rooted out if racial inequality were to be solved. In his critique of the Vietnam War, he called America one of the worst "purveyors" of violence in the world. With growing insistence, culminating in the Poor People's Campaign of 1968, he urged a revolution in the social order, not just in terms of the color line, but also in terms of eliminating poverty, war and disease. <BR/><BR/>On these issues there has been far less attention by the major candidates, with the possible exception of John Edwards and his call for universal health care, an end to "two Americas" and a major jobs program. As the candidates take up the cudgels about their relationship to King's legacy, it might be helpful if they acknowledged the depth and breadth of his real vision, and paid more attention to implementing it. <BR/><BR/>William Chafe is the Alice Mary Baldwin Professor of History at Duke University, and the former president of the Organization of American Historians. He has written widely on issues of civil rights.</I><BR/><BR/>****************************************<BR/><BR/>To which the Diva replied with a letter to the H-S:<BR/><BR/><B>I was amused by the feverish effort put forth by Professor Chafe as he attempts to whip up the legacy of MLK, Jr. into one more akin to Malcolm X of that time. Even Malcolm evolved into a more moderate position once he moved away from radical Islam.<BR/><BR/>Education is a powerful thing. Pity so many in the academy are hermetically sealed inside a 1960's bell jar.<BR/><BR/>The difficulty that Chafe and his ilk will have for the duration is that the thoughtful, the intelligent, and the truly educated people of good will are not buying his brand of tired and overblown rhetoric any longer.<BR/><BR/>We were all treated to an alarming dose of Chafe's illogical histrionics when he wrote a column comparing the Lacrosse Hoax with the case of Emmett Till.<BR/><BR/>MLK, Jr. never said that white men or anyone of any other race should be saddled and framed for a crime that never occurred just so bitter opportunistic people can exercise their perversions and their own racist hatreds.<BR/><BR/>Barack Obama is a threat to this soiled and obsolete mindset. He is able to reach across all self-imposed borders which many wish to construct.<BR/><BR/>Obama is a charismatic, transforming, and able man who more than anyone on the political stage exemplifies how much progress this country has made and the true goals of MLK, Jr.<BR/><BR/>Those who cannot or will not evolve will be left behind.......as they should be.</B>Debrahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04567454727276881424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-43333516348116981262008-01-23T12:41:00.000-05:002008-01-23T12:41:00.000-05:00Cogratulations, KC, on the quality of this blog.Bu...Cogratulations, KC, on the quality of this blog.<BR/>But now, of course, you have an obligation to monitor events through to the end, until the wrongs are properly set right and justice is served. The consequences extend far beyond the nearly-ruined lives of innocent and decent young men. And you must keep us blog-readers fully informed.<BR/>If you don't, I'll set the Group of 88 on you. Wait, that's not a threat, it's a joke. I know, I'll have the NY Times do an article about you. No, that won't work either - nobody believes a word they print any more.<BR/>Seriously, you have exposed, inter alia, a spineless and dishonest university administration, a wacky and potentially group of academics, a corrupt police force, a dishonest nurse and a (words fail me) district attorney. The common thread is that each of these had their own agenda.<BR/>I can't wait for the rest of the truth to come out.<BR/>My major disappointment in all this - Brodhead goes unpunished dispite the fact that he played a major role in a swcandal that scarred and nearly ruined the lives of three young men.<BR/>Again, KC, congratulations.<BR/>(From Canada, where we also enjoy academic political correctness and spineless university administrations).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-58905086781733549382008-01-18T11:50:00.000-05:002008-01-18T11:50:00.000-05:00TO RRH--You need to know that I had a very long po...TO RRH--<BR/><BR/>You need to know that I had a very long post in response to (4:46PM), but KC wouldn't put it through.<BR/><BR/>I'll sum it up, though:<BR/><BR/>There are two kinds of people in this world, fundamentally.<BR/><BR/>Those who don't waste the valuable time of others and who give their opinions honestly.....<BR/><BR/>.....and those who tap dance in an effort to talk out both sides of their mouths.<BR/><BR/>No one needs to <I>coax</I> allegedly educated adults to do the right thing. I have no use for those who support criminal and destructive behavior and endlessly make excuses for it.<BR/><BR/>You give these people no credit for having some semblance of intelligence. They know what they did and what they continue to do. It's their hope and desire to cover everything by screaming "anti-intellectualism" and other tired and silly phrases so critics will stop bothering them with reality.<BR/><BR/>You can ask those who have known me for a long time. They might not always like me, but they respect me for not wasting their time.<BR/><BR/>I much prefer respect.<BR/><BR/>Dancing with these people will never be to their tune.<BR/><BR/>Change must come from them. It is not hyperbole to say that they are in many ways <I>evil</I>.....and that's OK.<BR/><BR/>It's their parasitic lifestyle and their cowardice--(much like those who lurk and harass using phony monikers)--that's the deal breaker.Debrahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04567454727276881424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-17603993393627435302008-01-17T16:46:00.000-05:002008-01-17T16:46:00.000-05:00Divah said...This "Sicilian thing" is an analogy t...<I>Divah said...<BR/><BR/>This "Sicilian thing" is an analogy to the destructive "88 thing" and it must end for the good of the academy....or at least there must be a consistent fight against this cancer. Anything or anyone who wishes to soften the blows for such people will be highlighted as enablers and for their duplicity.<BR/></I><BR/><BR/>Divah, let me share <B>my</B> analogy. Here’s how I view our nation’s enemies in the War on Terror (probably better named, as suggested by Christopher Hitchens, the War Against Jihad). <BR/><BR/>First, we have Al-Qaeda, the guys who did 9/11 and other murderous attacks on us and our friends. If I’m the commander-in-chief, these guys get no consideration. As far as I’m concerned, they joined AQ to die, and I’m glad to help with that (after appropriate “enhanced interrogation”). <BR/><BR/>Next in line, we have the Taliban, the guys who did NOT launch attacks against us but who (1) enabled AQ to do so and (2) are ideological siblings of AQ anyway. It is my understanding that the Taliban is made up mostly of members of the Pushtun tribe, which is Afghanistan’s (and Pakistan’s) largest tribe, but still a minority. As the unrepentant drivers of AQ’s “getaway car”, these Taliban guys would get pretty much the same treatment from me as the AQ guys themselves – though I would keep in mind that the Taliban at least are fighting on their native soil, unlike AQ, which is a team of crazed international killers.<BR/><BR/>Finally, we have the Sunni militia groups in Iraq. Now, these people had even less to do with AQ terrorism than did the Taliban. Also, Sunnis are an even smaller minority in Iraq than are the Pushtun in Afghanistan, but the Sunnis have been ruling over the Shiite majority so long, they’ve come to believe it is practically their birthright. So, in addition to us taking away their temporal power in Iraq, AQ infiltrators into Iraq convinced many of the Sunnis that we were also the enemies of Islam. I recall when two years ago the idea of an amnesty for these Sunnis was discussed, some of my many military friends were opposed – on the grounds that there should be no amnesty for killers of Americans. While sympathetic to that argument, I disagreed with my friends. What at last happened was that AQ overplayed its hand in Iraq while the Americans underplayed theirs. While the Americans were avoiding bombing mosques and urging that the new Shiite rulers make concessions to the Sunnis, AQ’s demands for intermarriage into native Sunni tribes and for strict Koranic law and its extreme brutality finally alienated the Sunnis to the point of instigating a Sunni uprising against AQ in Iraq – or as the Sunnis themselves call it, “the Awakening”. As a result, attacks on U.S. forces have reached their lowest level recorded since the beginning of the insurgency in 2003. Average weekly U.S. combat deaths have <A HREF="http://icasualties.org/oif_a/CasualtyTrends.htm" REL="nofollow">plunged from about 30 a week to about 4 a week</A>. In other words, American patience and AQ extremism produced the Sunni turnaround (“the Awakening”) that has produced a situation where the U.S. cannot lose the conflict militarily.<BR/><BR/>And so I look at the 88 who took part in the 4/6/06 attack at Duke (except for Arlie Petters, who disavowed his participation almost immediately) as I look at AQ. To them, I have nothing to say. As I have said before, someone should lay pistols on their desks – after some “enhanced interrogation” at the hands of attorneys in court. Then I look at their ideological allies – both at Duke and at other universities – as the equivalent of the Taliban. There is probably no hope for these people, but I am willing to talk with them at least in order to urge their divorce from 88ism and entry (or return) to true scholarship. Claire Potter is probably an example of one of these.<BR/><BR/>Finally, I think I see a large number of professors who, while left-of-center, are ambivalent about or even mildly suspicious of the actions of the 88 – especially the 4/6 attack. The 88ists have worked hard to persuade this group that we critics of the 88 are actually enemies of “intellectualism and scholarship” with which most professors identify. These are the professors who I would treat like Gen. Petraeus treated the Sunni militias: “We are not your enemies; the 88ists are. We are not insisting on putting any ideological strait-jackets on professors; they are. We will not ask you to defend our attacks on our own students while we hide behind tenure and our university’s deep-pockets; they have already done that. You can join yourselves with the 88ists if you <B>want</B> to, but not because you <B>need</B> to.” An example of a member of this group might be the music professor who calls himself the “reharmonizer”. For these professors, I think it is incumbent upon us to show our openness and good faith. Many of them need to be educated about the evils of the “political correctness on campus” that led to the 4/6 attack. We could show them stories by other professors – for example, <A HTTP://WWW.MINDINGTHECAMPUS.COM/ORIGINALS/2007/09/THE_HIDDEN_IMPACT_OF_POLITICAL.HTML” HREF="”" REL="nofollow"> one where political correctness led to a professor’s suicide</A>. (The professor, an expert in Kenyan business practices, commented in class one day that black Kenyan businesses couldn’t compete with Indian-run ones until the blacks became less generous about giving credit to family and friends. For this he was, of course, denounced as a racist, lost his job, and eventually killed himself.)<BR/><BR/>And so I leave it to you, Divah. While I view you as an ally; I don’t agree with a “take-no-prisoners” approach to all enemies – I view many of these enemies as potential friends.<BR/><BR/>RRHAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-44883521267440894692008-01-17T10:45:00.000-05:002008-01-17T10:45:00.000-05:00It's interesting to see the calls of racism and se...It's interesting to see the calls of racism and sexism play out in the Democratic Primary. I think that Obama and Clinton would rather bury the hatchet on racism as it's an overall loser for both of them and the party. The media seems to be the loser on the sexism stuff.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps some day being called racist or sexist will open one up to a charge of slander or libel.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11381497683202091939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32542246.post-25999152319090847972008-01-17T09:54:00.000-05:002008-01-17T09:54:00.000-05:00Debrah,KC's comments about the damning effect of b...Debrah,<BR/>KC's comments about the damning effect of being labelled a racist or sexist are true, and getting more visible all the time.<BR/><BR/>One day, people will be immune to the words "racist" and "sexist," and those words won't have any effect upon their employment; one day, those words will be considered harrassing, ugly words - unless they're used by the persons they're intended to describe. (As a white male, I may be the only one who is able to call myself the "R-word.") <BR/><BR/>One day, we may have to use the first letters of each of those words, like the "N-word" or the "Q-word."<BR/><BR/>In the meantime, people who have lost jobs or contracts because of accusations of "racism" or "sexism" may find that there are lots of hungry lawyers willing to help them reclaim their reputations.<BR/><BR/>Imagine that: Grant Farred being sued for claiming that white Duke students are practicing "secret racism" because they registered to vote!<BR/><BR/>One day, one day...<BR/>One day at a time.<BR/>Pendulums have their own pace.machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14248016116043347912noreply@blogger.com