Conservative Berkeley Professor...

[GuitarMarc]

The professor should not be fired but his viewpoint is heinous and completely wrong. I have no problem with him expressing his thoughts but of course the secretive shadow administration will use it as justification. It's also a way to distract attention from the actual decision-making abusers.

Many people in those prisons are not "terrorists". You can label someone a "terrorist" and therefore justify any kind of treatment you want. This is a really dangerous philosophy and permits incredible abuses of power.

This is similar to denying constitutional protections to a non-citizen while they are visiting or working in the US.

[sfer]

No offense taken. I did remember the movie and the mix of crowds, but of course right after I fired off my post, so I guess the joke's on me. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

No George Clinton around campus though. Bummer.

[MMMMMM]

Amazing how long and loosely linked is the chain of their reasoning, which assigns blame. The students' logic is absurd, but their desire to silence or harm one for expressing a legal opinion which they do not favor, is even less excusable than their inability to think straight. Can these protesting students seriously be considered intellectually mature enough to merit graduation?


[ QUOTE ]
"The open question is whether Yoo wrote this memo knowing this would facilitate the mistreatment of prisoners, and if he did, he could be accused of a crime," Roth said. "I don't know if it reflects shocking incompetence or criminal intent."

[/ QUOTE ]

Roth is essentially saying that expressing a legal opinion may not a protected form of freedom of expression. Is this guy fit to be director of HRW?

[cardcounter0]

Amazing, considering you were the poster a few days ago with "Cornell's English Faculty Members' Areas of Expertise".

So I guess if a Professor assists and offers opinions on commiting crimes against humanity, that is okay. But if they offer an opinion favoring Lesbianism, well, something is dreadfully wrong with that Ivy League Liberal Institution. They probably even admit French students.

[Ray Zee]

sounds like he doesnt fit in with the mindset at berkely. so maybe he should move on. if i was there i wouldnt want him on my campus.
everyone should be able to speek their mind. but what comes out your mouth determines who listens to it and who will hire you.

[sfer]

There are/were a number of well known Cal professors who have been way, way out of step with the leftist Berkeley stereotypes. Like Edward Teller, Vincent Sarich, the guy who's the last holdout that HIV is not the cause of AIDS who's name I can't remember, and most of the Economics department.

[Oski]

[ QUOTE ]
The professor should not be fired but his viewpoint is heinous and completely wrong. I have no problem with him expressing his thoughts but of course the secretive shadow administration will use it as justification. It's also a way to distract attention from the actual decision-making abusers.

Many people in those prisons are not "terrorists". You can label someone a "terrorist" and therefore justify any kind of treatment you want. This is a really dangerous philosophy and permits incredible abuses of power.

This is similar to denying constitutional protections to a non-citizen while they are visiting or working in the US.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree the application here endangers human rights - In a sense, these prisoners have already been "tried" without a jury and determined to be part of a belligerent, terrorist organization. This is a flimsy pretext for mass exclusion from the Geneva Convention.

That being said, you must differentiate between the speech and the speaker. This man was hired to analyze a legal problem, that he did. That beng said, it does not follow he endorses any plan of action or policy in regards to his conclusion. In fact, it is pure fantasy to believe he would have anything to do with any resulting action. Its as simple as, "can this be done if x = y?" "Yes, because...," or "No, because..."

Finally, I have a problem of how Berkeley studens interpret free speech:

From a post of mine a year ago (regarding of all things, spam in the internet forum):

[ QUOTE ]
- When I was in college at U.C. Berkeley, the campus hosted monthy discussions hosted by guest speakers. One such speaker had a thesis that the Holocaust did not really happen. At first blush, I would think this person was a lunatic and would only listen to see upon what kind of basis this man could derive such a conclusion.



Unfortunately, I was not given to the chance to "hear him out" because this man was "shouted down" everytime he tried to open his mouth, and was further harassed on his way to the venue. What is everyone afraid of? Is this loon going to actually make us believe in something "different?"



U.C. Berkeley lost quite a bit of luster to me on that day, as this alleged bastion of free speech was exposed for the small-minded facade it really is (Lump me in if you wish, I did nothing to stop the "lock down"). My opinion is that people should be able to say their piece without being hounded. If this person is full of it, take notice! You are always free to ignore in the future.



We are all sophisticated enough to decide for ourselves...

[/ QUOTE ]

[MMMMMM]

Whether I, you or anybody else approves or not is besides the point. It is an expression of free speech. Roth is suggesting that Mr. Yoo might be open to criminal charges for this. The students are demanding Yoo's resignation. I don't recall anyone suggesting anything similarly punitive should be done about liberal professors teaching whatever nonsense they fancied. There is a big difference between saying someone might be teaching nonsense, and suggesting criminal charges for it.

[MMMMMM]

Good points, Oski.

For all college students who think shouting someone down is appropriate or that stifling free speech is OK: they ought to be required to wear a physical muzzle for a week, like a dog. THEN maybe they'll properly appreciate the right to free speech, and think twice before denying it to others. Dipsticks.

[MMMMMM]

So, as Oski suggested, many of the students think it is OK to shout such speakers down? Sounds a bit like Mao's student cadres to me. The far Left seems to love to squelch free speech. Totalitarian jerks. The sad part is that many of the students do not realize that the harm of squelching free speech is far graver and more insidious than the harm of saying hurtful things.