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College Admins: If You Favor Second Amendment Rights, You Must Be Crazy
By Jon Sanders
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
A Minnesota college student was suspended and ordered to undergo "mental health evaluation" for his response to campuswide e-mails from school officials concerning the Virginia Tech massacre.
The college, Hamline University, a private, liberal-arts institution affiliated with the Methodist Church, has a policy on "Freedom of Expression and Inquiry" that guarantees that Hamline students will be "free to examine and discuss all questions of interest to them and to express opinions publicly or privately."
With such a strong guarantee on students' "freedom from censorship and control" by the university, student Troy Scheffler's e-mail must have been horrifically bad to warrant such a crackdown. Right?
Wrong. What Scheffler did was make a gun-rights case for concealed-carry permits on campus to help ward off potential Cho Seung-Huis before they strike Hamline. This was no monstrous act; in fact, it was in line with public debate across the nation following Cho's rampage, not to mention an issue of perennial debate in America. Many researchers, most notably John R. Lott Jr., have shown conclusively that gun ownership itself wards off crime while laws banning guns lead to increases in crimes. Criminals are less likely to strike if they have reason to believe their prospective victims could be armed.
Scheffler had written in his April 17 e-mail reply to David Stern, Hamline vice president of student affairs, that "Considering this university also pushes 'diversity' initiatives like VA Tech, maybe its 'leadership' will reconsider [Hamline's] ban on conceal carry law abiding gun owners... Ironically, according to a few VA Tech forums, there are plenty of students complaining that this wouldnt have happened if the school wouldnt have banned their permits a few months ago."
He added, "I just dont understand why leftists dont understand that criminals dont care about laws; that is why they’re criminals... Maybe this school will reconsider its repression of law abiding citizens rights."
Two days later, Hamline President Linda Hanson e-mailed the campus about Virginia Tech. Scheffler replied to that e-mail also, expanding upon his comments to Stern.
In both messages, Scheffler made it clear to all but the most hysterically inclined person that his advocacy of concealed-carry permits was to protect the students from criminals. Scheffler recognized that this protection would be afforded primarily by predators' foreknowledge that any one of the students at Hamline could shoot back, but also – given that the administrators had both brought up the VT massacre – by students being able to stop a killing rampage before it got started.
In short, what Scheffler wrote was no preamble to a blood-lusty explosion of violence. At worst it was crude criticism of the university administration combined with a stark assessment of the true risk of a concealed-carry society like Virginia Tech's: total defenselessness against a Columbine-inspired mass murderer. Regardless, it should have been protected by the university's stated policy guaranteeing free expression.
Nevertheless, on April 23 Scheffler received a hand-delivered letter from Dean of Students Alan Sickbert that informed him his e-mails were "deemed to be threatening and thus an alleged violation of the Hamline University Judicial Code" and that he was placed on "interim suspension" to be lifted only after he agreed to a psychological evaluation by a licensed mental health professional.
Scheffler contacted the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, whose service in the cause of liberty in opposition to the petty tyrants populating American academe is invaluable. The history of the case, including the offending e-mails, are viewable on the FIRE's web site (www.thefire.org). Hamline officials say they moved to suspend after Scheffler failed to meet with university officials over his e-mails (he was given less than one full business day to do so) and that he is also the subject of "critical input from various members of the Hamline community" (which was news to Scheffler, nor has he been told of their identities nor given a chance to defend himself against their allegations, whatever they are – if those people exist at all).
The Soviet Union was notorious for psychiatric abuse, the use of psychiatric hospitals for the incarceration of political dissidents. Human Rights Watch accuses the government of China of psychiatric abuse of political activists, whistleblowers, various individuals and especially members of Falun Gong. Declaring dissidence a sign of mental instability is one of the lesser-known tools of the despot.
Psychiatric abuse is not something one expects in America, but it happens. For example, in June, the assistant director of the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, Joey Gardner, was suspended without pay and ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after blowing the whistle on DMV Commissioner George Tatum for allegedly seeking help to get his friend a vintage vehicle title for a replica (Tatum later resigned). In 2001, a Temple University student, Michael Marcavage, was involuntarily committed by his university for protesting a campus production of "Corpus Christi," a play that depicts Jesus Christ as a homosexual having carnal relations with his disciples.
In his April 19 e-mail, Scheffler wrote pessimistically, "Im sure this plea of common sense will fall on deaf ears." While the fault wasn't with the ears, as he had predicted, Scheffler's plea did indeed fall on disabled faculties.
Jon Sanders is a policy analyst and research editor at the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh, N.C.
Showing posts with label Fools. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fools. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
How low can you go?
Air America, Talk Host Backpedal on Attack Claim, Admit Mugging Report Was False
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Fox News
An Air America talk-show host who accused "the right wing hate machine" of being responsible for an alleged attack on an on-air colleague did a fast backpedal Tuesday, apologizing for "jumping to conclusions" about a now-debunked mugging report.
Host Jon Elliott issued a written retraction of his remarkable on-air charge, saying: "I shouldn't have speculated based on hearsay that Randi Rhodes had been mugged and that it may have been an attack from a right wing hate machine. I apologize for jumping to conclusions based on an emotional reaction."
Air America also issued a statement, saying Rhodes "experienced an unfortunate incident hindering her from hosting the show. The reports of a presumed hate crime are unfounded."
Elliott's initial claim that Rhodes had been beaten "by the right wing" for her political views set the blogosphere abuzz Monday night.
Rhodes, whose program airs on Air America weekdays from 3-6 p.m. ET, allegedly informed Air America that she was struck while was walking down a street Sunday night near her Manhattan home. There even was a report on-air that she had suffered serious injuries and had lost several teeth.
FOXNews.com, however, spoke to Rhodes' lawyer Tuesday afternoon, and he quickly moved to shoot down speculation that she was the victim of a political hate crime.
"We don't know whether there was a deliberate intention aimed at her or whether it was an accident... she was pretty much, she was hurt badly when she fell and her face hit the ground," lawyer Robert Gaulin initially told FOXNews.com, adding that people on the street came to her aid. Gaulin later told the Daily News that Rhodes had fallen while out walking her dog near Park Avenue and 39th Street.
Elliott, meanwhile, went on a rant Monday night, telling listeners: "This does not appear to me to be a standard, grab-the-money-and-run mugging," and, "Is this an attempt by the right wing hate machine to silence one of our own?" Elliot also suggested that the act might have been meant to intimidate left-wing radio.
The report spread quickly Tuesday over the blogosphere, with the Google blog search showing hundreds of posts on the subject.
The New York City Police Department told FOXNews.com that they had no record of any attack in the area that Elliott mentioned — Park Avenue and 39th Street — and that Rhodes did not file a report of the incident with police.
"We have no record of her making any complaints whatsoever ... as far back as my computer goes," a police spokesman said. He said the records went back roughly 25 years.
The police spokesman, who asked not to be identified because of department policy, said that police "do not investigate things that are unreported," but encouraged Rhodes to report the incident if she would like police to investigate the matter. Police later attempted to contact Rhodes to see whether she wanted to file a report. Gaulin said Rhodes declined.
In a brief statement posted on its Web site Tuesday, Air America said replacement hosts will continue to fill in for Rhodes as she recuperates.
An Air America employee, who was not authorized to speak to the media and declined to be identified, told FOXNews.com Tuesday afternoon that Rhodes had been attacked, but said "it was not a hate crime."
The source said that Rhodes contacted several employees at Air America on Tuesday, and had told them that she was attacked but had only suffered chipped teeth, and would be seeing a dentist. Gaulin, however, said that Rhodes had been disoriented by the fall and really was not sure what had happened.
FOXNews.com's Greg Simmons contributed to this report
-------------------
Man, and Air America wonders why they are making so little money compared to other radio shows. I bet they think the "Fairness Doctrine" would be a good idea too. Perhaps they can find future work at "The Onion".....
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Fox News
An Air America talk-show host who accused "the right wing hate machine" of being responsible for an alleged attack on an on-air colleague did a fast backpedal Tuesday, apologizing for "jumping to conclusions" about a now-debunked mugging report.
Host Jon Elliott issued a written retraction of his remarkable on-air charge, saying: "I shouldn't have speculated based on hearsay that Randi Rhodes had been mugged and that it may have been an attack from a right wing hate machine. I apologize for jumping to conclusions based on an emotional reaction."
Air America also issued a statement, saying Rhodes "experienced an unfortunate incident hindering her from hosting the show. The reports of a presumed hate crime are unfounded."
Elliott's initial claim that Rhodes had been beaten "by the right wing" for her political views set the blogosphere abuzz Monday night.
Rhodes, whose program airs on Air America weekdays from 3-6 p.m. ET, allegedly informed Air America that she was struck while was walking down a street Sunday night near her Manhattan home. There even was a report on-air that she had suffered serious injuries and had lost several teeth.
FOXNews.com, however, spoke to Rhodes' lawyer Tuesday afternoon, and he quickly moved to shoot down speculation that she was the victim of a political hate crime.
"We don't know whether there was a deliberate intention aimed at her or whether it was an accident... she was pretty much, she was hurt badly when she fell and her face hit the ground," lawyer Robert Gaulin initially told FOXNews.com, adding that people on the street came to her aid. Gaulin later told the Daily News that Rhodes had fallen while out walking her dog near Park Avenue and 39th Street.
Elliott, meanwhile, went on a rant Monday night, telling listeners: "This does not appear to me to be a standard, grab-the-money-and-run mugging," and, "Is this an attempt by the right wing hate machine to silence one of our own?" Elliot also suggested that the act might have been meant to intimidate left-wing radio.
The report spread quickly Tuesday over the blogosphere, with the Google blog search showing hundreds of posts on the subject.
The New York City Police Department told FOXNews.com that they had no record of any attack in the area that Elliott mentioned — Park Avenue and 39th Street — and that Rhodes did not file a report of the incident with police.
"We have no record of her making any complaints whatsoever ... as far back as my computer goes," a police spokesman said. He said the records went back roughly 25 years.
The police spokesman, who asked not to be identified because of department policy, said that police "do not investigate things that are unreported," but encouraged Rhodes to report the incident if she would like police to investigate the matter. Police later attempted to contact Rhodes to see whether she wanted to file a report. Gaulin said Rhodes declined.
In a brief statement posted on its Web site Tuesday, Air America said replacement hosts will continue to fill in for Rhodes as she recuperates.
An Air America employee, who was not authorized to speak to the media and declined to be identified, told FOXNews.com Tuesday afternoon that Rhodes had been attacked, but said "it was not a hate crime."
The source said that Rhodes contacted several employees at Air America on Tuesday, and had told them that she was attacked but had only suffered chipped teeth, and would be seeing a dentist. Gaulin, however, said that Rhodes had been disoriented by the fall and really was not sure what had happened.
FOXNews.com's Greg Simmons contributed to this report
-------------------
Man, and Air America wonders why they are making so little money compared to other radio shows. I bet they think the "Fairness Doctrine" would be a good idea too. Perhaps they can find future work at "The Onion".....
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