We have another example of a teacher being disciplined for an act of free speech in his private time. I have previously written about the increasing scrutiny given public school teachers in their use of social media sites. University of Kansas Associate Professor of Journalism David Guth has been placed on administrative leave after posting an anti-NRA tweet following the recent Navy Yard shootings that killed 12 people. Guth tweeted” “blood is on the hands of the #NRA. Next time, let it be YOUR sons and daughters. Shame on you. May God damn you.”
Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little issued the following statement after Guth was placed on administrative leave:
“In order to prevent disruptions to the learning environment for students, the School of Journalism and the university, I have directed Provost Jeffrey Vitter to place Associate Professor Guth on indefinite administrative leave pending a review of the entire situation. Professor Guth’s classes will be taught by other faculty members.”
While the statement is framed in terms of avoidance “disruptions,” it does not appear to be at the request of Guth. Free speech is often limited in the name of maintaining order and avoiding disruptions. Once again, I find the statement of Guth to be repulsive in wishing the death of the children of gun rights supporters. Yet, it was clearly a political statement made outside of the university.
Nevertheless, Kansas State Senator Greg Smith wants Guth to be fired for engaging in free speech. He is further promising to oppose any appropriations for the university. That sounds like threatening students in protest of a tweet deemed threatening to children of NRA members. A curious moral high ground.
Smith, a former law enforcement officer, however may feel such a threat particularly acutely. His website cites the kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder of his daughter, Kelsey, as his motivation to continue in public service. I can certainly understand why Guth’s words would be particularly hurtful to Smith. Yet, threatening an entire academic institution for the views of a single faculty member is excessive and wrong-headed.
Likewise, the Kansas State Rifle Association President Patricia Stoneking has pledged that it “will do everything possible to see to the removal of this man . . . He should be fired immediately. His statements are outrageous!. . . Is this who you want teaching your children? I certainly do not want him teaching mine.” Of course, these are not children but college students who are part of an academic community built on the exchange of different ideas and values.
For his part, Guth is not backing down. He is quoted as saying “I don’t apologize for it because I’m not saying in the tweet that I want anybody harmed, and I expanded on it in my blog.”
He is not getting a lot of public support from Ann Brill, dean of the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Brill wrote that “While the First Amendment allows anyone to express an opinion, that privilege is not absolute and must be balanced with the rights of others. That’s vital to civil discourse. Professor Guth’s views do not represent our school and we do not advocate violence directed against any group or individuals.” The reference to the limits of the first amendment by Brill would seem to encourage those who want Guth disciplined by suggesting that this case might fall within those limits. However, this is an expression of a teacher on a matter of great social and political debate. I do not believe that he actually wanted harm to come to NRA family members. He used injudicious and offensive words to convey his passion. Since some of his students are likely gun rights supporters, it was particularly disturbing. However, he was on a social media site expressing his anger in the aftermath of a great tragedy. I do not see how the “limits” of free speech would allow the discipline of a teacher for such a statement in such a circumstance. Notably, it is Brill’s”limits” point that was quoted by the Regents of the University.
Ironically, Guth specializes in public relations according to his resume. He has a M.A. in Journalism, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (1990) and a B.A. in Radio, Television and Speech, University of Maryland at College Park, 1973.
Do you believe that a professor can or should be disciplined for such a posting on a social media site?
Gene,
Republican Congressman: 30 Or 40 Birthers Are Driving Government Shutdown
By Sy Mukherjee
October 2, 2013
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/10/02/2716351/peter-king-30-to-40-republicans-obama-illegitimate/
During an appearance on MSNBC’s Hardball on Tuesday, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) told host Chris Matthews that “probably 30 or 40 Republicans” in Congress reject President Barack Obama’s legitimacy in office and are essentially trying to undo his presidency.
Matthews told King that he had heard several members of the GOP make incendiary statements about Obama, implying that they couldn’t stomach the reality that he was actually elected president. King replied that there is, in fact, a sizable number of Republicans who think that way:
MATTHEWS: I’ve had members, they know who they are, they say — ‘I really can’t say with these lips that this man, Barack Obama, was elected president.’ They choke on that. How many are there in Congress on your side that represent that rejectionist front? […]
KING: I would say there are probably 30 or 40 who are like that. As there were a number of Democrats who felt that way about George W. Bush, and going back to when you and I first met, Republicans who felt that way about Bill Clinton… This is a very dangerous aspect to our government… The fact that we have people who are willing to demonize the president of the United States because he’s from a different party… and now, obviously, with President Obama, it’s definitely there.
Multiple GOP congressmen, including Rep. Steve King (R-IA), Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO), Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), and House Homeland Security Oversight Subcommittee Chariman Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) have questioned whether or not Obama’s birth certificate showing that he was born in the United States is fake. Duncan even told a conservative radio host that it would be appropriate for Congress to “revisit” the president’s “validity.”
King is one of a growing number of Republicans to argue that shutting down the government over Obamacare is a big mistake.
UPDATE: House GOP revolt in progress. Majority of House backs a clean bill. This is a developing story.
Gene, absolutely.
Mike A.,
Astute observation, to which I would add that what is going on the House right now is also a direct attack on the structure of government set forth in the Constitution that tramples both the Separation of Powers Doctrine and the rule of law. I have real issues with the ACA, but it is the law and they way the House GOP is going about attempting to usurp that law is simply wrong.
The Rich Get Richer, the Poor Get Poorer, While the Middle Class Gets Decimated
October 10, 2011
Dave Lefcourt
http://economyincrisis.org/content/rich-get-richer-poor-get-poorer-while-middle-class-gets-decimated
Excerpt:
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. That should be the theme that best describes this “great recession.” Only the poor are expanding in numbers with members of the middle class (that have been treading water since the late 1970′s with flat incomes that barely kept up with inflation) now being decimated with job losses, expiring unemployment benefits, depletion of savings, foreclosures and bankruptcy; some falling so far and having to rely on food stamps just to survive.
Meanwhile the rich have remained whole, thank you very much. Wall Street tycoons were bailed out. The stock market has recovered with the Dow now over 11,000 so all is well with the investor class. Of course the big corporations, having moved their labor operations to 3rd world countries are quite profitable, as are the private health insurance behemoths, their brother pharmaceutical giants as well as all the defense related industries (with their huge government contracts) that never had it better.
But for the working men and women (on whose backs made this country the envy of the world) have seen their fortunes go with the globalization of manufacturing and outsourcing of their once good paying jobs.
Small towns have withered and died with the loss of their manufacturing plants while the town’s small businesses got decimated and replaced by the likes of Wal Mart and big corporate franchising of the stores, businesses and restaurants that were once owned and operated by local entrepreneurs.
And where has the government been in all of this? It’s been subsidizing the corporations that pulled up stakes with tax breaks and NAFTA type agreements. Where were the governmental incentives, the tax breaks and infrastructure improvements to help keep those corporate outfits in this country?
But with this “great recession” (more like a depression for many) where are the 1930′s depression era WPA’s and CCC’s? Where are the giant government sponsored infrastructure projects of roads, bridges, schools, railroads and the like?
Is it just nostalgia when one thinks about FDR and the Depression of his time where there was a commonness of purpose (even in the face of Republican Congressional resistance) of initiating huge government programs to get people back to work, regulate the fat cat financial interests and have government act to the benefit of its people?
Instead, what are most loud today are the “tea party” activists, bankrolled by the likes of the ultra-conservative Koch brothers and other behind the scene corporate sponsors that underwrite the anti-government, ant-tax, fear mongering rants (which depict all governmental action as “Socialism”) by these misinformed and misguided fools.
davidm:
I see that you have incorporated the latest talking point into your arguments on the ACA by referring to it as a “bill.” It is not a bill. It is a statute. There is a difference. If the House had spent less time insisting that the ACA would not be recognized as law and attempted to implement it in good faith, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. But the truth is that the right in this couintry, including the evangelical right, has refused to accept the legitimacy of the law, not to mention the legitimacy of the President himself. And it is not a coincidence that the epicenter of the opposition is the south, which has apparently determined to replay the 1850s. None of what is happening in Congress bears any resemblance to the concept of compromise. I am grateful only that canes are no longer a fashionable male accessory.
Mike Appleton wrote: “I see that you have incorporated the latest talking point into your arguments on the ACA by referring to it as a “bill.” It is not a bill. It is a statute.”
I was talking about when ACA was a bill. They passed it without a single Republican vote in either the House or the Senate. Do you really call that a democratic process? If I was President, I would have been concerned about not having bipartisan support because it would lead to problems down the road, like we have now.
The ACA has been a federal statute now for more than 3 years, but it is a bad law. It is like the prohibition law. I don’t know anybody denying that it is law. We just think it is a bad law for a variety of reasons and that it should be completely repealed. In compromise, at least delay it a year, or at least make it optional for a year.
The current stalemate in Congress would not even be going on if the President had proposed a budget and Congress passed it. Instead, the President prefers to just operate with a blank check and keep raising the debt ceiling to pay for everything with borrowed money. If my wife or anybody in my family managed finances like this, they would hear loud objections from me. I am thankful my wife doesn’t act that way, and I can just turn over all the money I earn to her and let her spend it however she wants. If she did spend like President Obama and mismanage funds like him, you can bet I would take all the money away and have somebody more responsible manage my finances.
Whether you like it or not, the President and Congress has been running the country into financial ruin. There are a few in Congress now who are wise enough to put their foot down and say enough is enough. Obamacare is too expensive. It was sold as not going to cost one penny. Now the President and the Democrats refuse to compromise when it is clear they need more than a trillion dollars to pay for it? Give me a break. The Democrats need to stop being so partisan and they need to use some rational thinking about finances and be realistic about what is affordable and what is not. The Affordable Care Act is not affordable.
Mike S.,
As far as being an employer goes–you usually get as good as you give. Respect, pay and treat employees well and they will more than likely work hard for you.
re Koch brothers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_activities_of_the_Koch_brothers
citations at end to a lot of articles about them. (I had posted 2 other links but I guess spam filter didn’t like them.)
davidm,
My husband has been involved in the de-manufacturing and recycling of computers and other electronics for more than twenty years. His businesses have done work for the government, HP and other companies. His employees were well-trained. Some had to run expensive equipment and machinery. He hasn’t found any differences in workers since Obama took office.
What business are you in? What kind of training do you give your employees?
Juliet,
It occurs to me that David is probably lousy at HR, if his hiring selections are that bad.
David,
It is abundantly clear that neither you nor Bron are economists, and I am pretty sure you never played one on TV. The demise of the middle class is not due to high taxes, although there are those who would have us believe that. Jobs are being shipped overseas, wages are tanked, health care is expensive and one of the primary causes of bankruptcy filings in the US.
Not taxes, but greed on the part of a wealthy few who have managed to convince poor people to vote against their own self interest. Our town has seen its largest employers leave. When Alcoa, North American Rayon and Inland Container closed, leaving only Snap-On Tools, the locally owned short-line railroad died as well. Snap-On does not generate enough freight to keep the railroad going. There used to be trains through here every day, but the tracks were dug up last year and the rails sold for scrap. As the economy went into the toilet, big box employers took advantage of that and put on lots of part time employees. Part time, so they don’t have to pay benefits.
There is one industry that has boomed in the absence of good paying jobs. Law enforcement. Arrests for drugs and alcohol related crimes has shot up. I blame a lot of that on despair as people try to self-medicate for depression and a sense of futility.
I got an email from our Congressman this week complaining about how the White House won’t “compromise” and agree to their “very reasonable” offer to destroy affordable health care for millions of Americans. They don’t want to pay for what they have already spent. Wow. I wish I could run up a tab on my credit card and then vote to not pay the bill when it comes due.
DavidM: You clearly associate with the absolute dregs of society — aggressive gays, system players, frauds, cheats and lazy people. I’ve lived in two countries and seven states in the U.S. I’ve been in the Army, was an Army wife, attended two universities and law school. Suffice it to say, I know many people on this earth. And yet, most of the people I know are good, hard-working, responsible people. Perhaps the problem is you. Perhaps you’re projecting your own deceptive nature onto others.
I happen to think Mike A has the issues nailed down David….
So David if you believe in fairness…. How come congress and the president as well as staff are still being paid…. Not having to worry about being furloughed….. Is that fair?
By all means… The House should do something as all tax and revenue bills must originate there…. That’s republican controlled right?
There has been relatively no compromise since Bill Clinton was in office….. Bus shoved everything down the American people….
davidm,
Your experience is different from that of my husband. Over the years, he had experiences with some people who didn’t want to work hard–but they were not the majority. He paid his workers well, provided them with excellent health insurance, and treated them with respect. He included his employees in discussions about the company and listened to their ideas. In return, they were loyal and worked hard.
Elaine M wrote: “Over the years, he had experiences with some people who didn’t want to work hard–but they were not the majority.”
When was this? Has he hired while Obama has been in office or are you talking about a time prior to the Obama era? What industry are you talking about? My hires require a lot of training. It is not like hiring for McDonalds or Walmart.
“When was this? Has he hired while Obama has been in office or are you talking about a time prior to the Obama era? ”
So people only became lazy and unworthy of your hiring them because Mr. Obama gave them permission to become lazy, etc and they weren’t prior tp that? Come on, David. Sometime reread what you write and think, am I making sense.
Bron,
Care to address what the loss of millions of manufacturing jobs in this country has done to our middle class?
*****
“It isnt “fat” cats screwing the middle class.”
Right. The Waltons are benevolent people. The fat cats of Wall Street who tanked our economy never had to suffer because we the people bailed them out. They are still making big bucks while many average guys and gals are just trying to make ends meet.
Read about the working conditions of Amazon warehouse workers.
Fat cats are alive and well in this country. Some people don’t see what they don’t want to see.
Are there corrupt unions? You’re damned right there are, but then again most of the institutions of this society have been corrupted by money. When George Meany of the AFL/CIO started playing golf in the 50’s with the executives of the auto industry it was the beginning of the union movement’s decline. However, the facts are that the Union Movement has done more for uplifting the economic status of the workers of this country than all the entrepreneurial capitalists in the pantheon put together. The labor of average people, working under backbreaking and deadly conditions sparked the industrial revolution, which couldn’t have happened without them. Yes Henry Ford was smart enough to pay his workers more so that they could buy his cars, but that wasn’t the end of his mercilessly paternalistic story.
Read the history of the transcontinental railroad; the Colorado Coal Fields; the Pullman Strike and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory to begin to get background on the Union Movement. Personally, for every one of you who could give me an anti-Union story from his father, I can match you with an anti-union story from mine. In a corrupt society no institution is immune from corruption. That doesn’t negate the need, or value of the movement. I was a union activist for many years and yes I did see what I thought was corruption. I even ran for President of my own Union in 1969 to fight against certain wrongs I saw occurring. However, that Union and others I was a member of, protected the workers against predatory management and in some instances against actual harm being done to the people we served. In the context of this blog, David has identified a problem with how Universities treat their teaching staff. Unions would lead to more equitable pay and working conditions and they have every right in our “free country” to organize and make the fight more equal.
When Ronnie destroyed PATCO the Union Movement went into sharp decline.
What also went into sharp decline were wages, working conditions and the middle class in this country. That is no coincidence. Why is it that those who uphold the “free market” for business, hate a “free market” for labor. Without a union the contract between employer and worker becomes one of unequal power and so can’t really be considered a contract, but an action of coercion.
I have listened with a mixture of amusement, annoyance and astonishment at the lengths to which the Republican Party has gone to describe the current government shutdown as a product of White House intransigence. The argument is repeated here and elsewhere using language that is almost scripted.
The impasse, we are told, results from a refusal of the President to “compromise.” The compromise demanded by Sen. Cruz is in effect a temporary repeal of the principal provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Sen. Cruz apparently believes that the repeated capitulation of the Obama administration during its first term to various Republican demands was a template that would likely be repeated in its second. I am quite certain that he also believes that continued efforts to obstruct implementation of the law will make complete repeal more likely after the 2014 elections.
But Sen. Cruz’ approach is transparent because it is clumsy, dishonest and anti-democratic. It is clumsy because it relies upon tactics more akin to gang warfare than to policy debate. It is dishonest because it is not put forth in good faith. “I will agree to permit the government to continue to function,” he says, “if you will merely agree that I shall not be obligated to comply with a statute that has been duly enacted by Congress, signed into law by the President and upheld by the United States Supreme Court.” And this so-called compromise proposal is anti-democratic because it is a naked effort to bypass the legitimate processes and procedures by which laws are proposed and adopted.
Sen. Cruz professes that his only interest is in preventing the “train wreck” that is Obamacare. But to date his party has blocked every attempt to even get this train on the track. He believes his last and best hope is to paralyze the nation until his demands are met. This is not compromise. It is certainly not negotiation. It is usurpation and worthy of every word of condemnation that can be mustered against it.
Mike Appleton wrote: “But Sen. Cruz’ approach is transparent because it is clumsy, dishonest and anti-democratic.”
What you are observing is actually democracy in action. The Supreme Court said it was up to the democratic process to deal with ObamaCare, and so that is what is going on. The President and the Democrats forced through a bill that nobody read and that not one Republican voted for. How is that possibly legitimate democracy in your eyes? That bill was sold as “revenue neutral” but now is shown to be extremely expensive. If the bill truly paid for itself like Obama claimed when it was voted for, then why would a vote not to fund it have any effect at all upon it?
The President and Harry Reid have both been very clear that they will not compromise. The Republicans have compromised in asking only for a one year delay in funding ObamaCare. This makes sense because the implementation is behind schedule anyway. People should have an extra year to get ready. Let the eager ones who want it sign up for it and get it started, but don’t force the individuals who don’t want it to sign up. Delay the penalty aspect of it for one year. Why does Congress and all their cronies get special waivers or special accommodations from President Obama but the rest of the American people do not get waivers? That is not fair.
I never knew much about Senator Cruz before all this, but I am liking him very much right now. Finally a Congressman with some backbone to lead and do what is right. Finally a democratic process where a bill is actually being debated and discussed rather than pushed through on the basis of favors down the road. I am very thankful that Senator Cruz has enough support in Congress to keep the issue under discussion. He cannot do this alone. I only hope that President Obama and Senator Reid will wake up and realize that the people of the United States of America want more freedom and liberty in regards to health care insurance.
Senator Cruz’s approach is transparent, bold and fresh, honest and direct, and it brings democracy into action.
“What you are observing is actually democracy in action.”
DavidM,
Wrong! What you are seeing is a minority without the votes to legally overturn a law passed by a majority of both houses, using a completely unrelated issue to hold the country hostage. That is not democracy it is blackmail.
Elaine:
I would say another reason we are losing the middle class is the huge tax burden most middle class people pay. What with state and local taxes, federal taxes, property taxes, taxes on capital gaines, etc.
Some of it goes to worthy causes but most of it is p*ssed away on 100% pure grade A pork.
You cannot take 30-50% of a persons income and expect them to get ahead. There is little ability to save and that is what fuels new enterprise.
It is all very simple and very easily fixed except for all the people who want to make it complicated.
I am reading a book about Marx and Marxism now and the author is pro-free market. He says that in most industries labor receives 75% of the revenues generated. 30-50% of that goes to taxes.
It isnt “fat” cats screwing the middle class.
Bron wrote: “I would say another reason we are losing the middle class is the huge tax burden most middle class people pay.”
I completely agree. I am middle class and my tax bill is my highest monthly bill that I pay. Yet people keep supporting more taxes because they want to milk others to get something for themselves.
“Bron wrote: “I would say another reason we are losing the middle class is the huge tax burden most middle class people pay.”
I completely agree. I am middle class and my tax bill is my highest monthly bill that I pay.”
DavidM,
Define “middle class” incomewise.
davidm,
“The reason we are losing the middle class is because nobody wants to work hard.”
That may be true of some–but it is definitely not true of most.
Elaine M wrote: “That may be true of some–but it is definitely not true of most.”
My experience is different. I have a very difficult time finding anybody who wants to work hard and build a career. I am in a hiring phase right now, and I dread having to go through 50 applicants, trying to figure out which ones are truly sincere about working. They all appear sincere, but once hired, most want to collect a paycheck for showing up and doing as little work as possible. Some of them don’t even want to show up. One day last week, one of my employees did not come into work because it was raining. It was “unsafe to drive.” Unbelievable.
“I have a very difficult time finding anybody who wants to work hard and build a career. I am in a hiring phase right now, and I dread having to go through 50 applicants, trying to figure out which ones are truly sincere about working.”
DavidM,
I am not only having a difficult time believing you, but it also causes me to wonder what exactly your standards are? I’ll bet that you are a difficult boss to work for and by “difficult” I do mean beyond the pale of good management. I could see a mine owner in West Virginia saying the same thing. From your perspective I’m sure in your mind you provide an excellent job, working conditions and benefits. I question whether your workers think the same, no matter what they tell you to your face. By the way good management is not the same as turning a profit. Anyone with the wherewithal and a good product can turn a profit off the backs of their workers. See Wal Mart, which I think from the tenors of your comments here, is an example of good management. In the end making money to some trumps all else as they self justify and deny their own actions.
Google it up… It’s a hoax…. Been circulating since Clinton’s last term….. How can people really think that this is true….
http://www.snopes.com/politics/satire/noabilities.asp
AY – LOL. It is not a hoax. It is a poignant joke.
Bron,
One big problem these days is that many people with able bodies and able minds work hard for low wages. Some work more than two jobs and still find it difficult to keep their heads above water financially. There are also lots of young adults who are college graduates who work long hours and sometimes have to ask their parents for help. We are losing our middle class. We are seeing the Walmarting of America–a country where the government has to have social safety nets for the working poor because of the greed of some of the wealthiest people in this country.
Elaine M wrote: “We are losing our middle class. We are seeing the Walmarting of America–a country where the government has to have social safety nets for the working poor because of the greed of some of the wealthiest people in this country.”
You are right about how we are losing the middle class, but your reasons are all wrong. The reason we are losing the middle class is because nobody wants to work hard. Our young people are not taught a work ethic. People come out of college expecting six figures right off the bat for doing nothing more than showing up at work. Nobody wants to start at the bottom and prove themselves. When they take a job, they expect to stay only a few years at most. Nobody has any sense of loyalty or sense of wanting to help build a company.
I interview people all the time who want to wait until their unemployment runs out before they take a job offer. I have actually offered jobs to people who turned it down because the unemployment office told them they were going to extend their unemployment another year. I had one girl work for me two weeks. She was just not working out. She could not handle the work, so I let her go. Unemployment was more than glad to sign her up for two years. Fortunately, because my employment contract had a probation period, they did not charge me for it, but they sure did charge the taxpayers. I talked to her about six months later and learned she was working another job but under the table because she was still collecting unemployment. This is they way our job market is today. They work the system, and the more the government keeps making it so good to stay home and not work, the more people will not work.
I am helping someone right now with a free apartment. This person completely works the system, gets Social Security check, Food Stamps, Obama Phone, etc. with no plans to work at all. It has become almost impossible to help people anymore because the government gives out so much free stuff, people just sign up for the free stuff and plan to never work again ever.
I routinely work 70 to 80 hours per week and have never found a person to work for me that will work just as hard. I can barely find anyone to put in 40 hours anymore. The communists and socialists all preach a 30 hour work week or even less. One guy tells me the work week should be 15 hours a week. These are the people who are destroying the American dream. It use to be preached that if you work hard, be loyal, and keep at it, you can have it all. Now everybody learns to apply for free stuff and vote for the government program that will benefit them the most. More than half the country is receiving some kind of government assistance now. Pretty soon, there will not be enough people to support all the freebies that everybody is voting for. That’s what is happening in Congress right now. They vote for free stuff with no money to pay for it, and when the people who understand finance want to stop that, they all scream and act like babies. Obama, Reid, all of them refuse to compromise in the slightest. Obama is the absolute worst political leader I have ever seen. There is no reason for him to let the federal government shut down like he has. All because of his dream to force everyone to buy health insurance.