College "Teacher" in N.J. Urges Fragging of Officers In Iraq

One of my regular commenters, Tad a retired Marine Corps Lt. Col and a professor of History, and a good friend with whom I have shared many a repast over lo these many years sent me this heads up from the Washington Times. The lede graf:

A community college in northwestern New Jersey is investigating a part-time instructor who vowed to intimidate students who host conservative speakers at the school. The teacher also called for U.S. soldiers in Iraq to kill their superiors.

The article goes on to describe how student Rebecca Beach, a member of Young America's Foundation, a conservative group of students that offers speakers from the conservative side of the political spectrum. Ms. Beach sent a request to John Daly, adjunct instructor in writing and developmental English at Warren County Community College in Washington, N.J. requesting his support for an up-coming speech by Army Lt. Col. Scott Rutter, a Medal of Honor recipient.

The e-mail reply by Daly noted that the groups posters "looked like fascist propaganda." Daly also stated "capitalism has killed many more people" than the communists and that the "poor and working-class people" are recruited to "fight and die for Exxon and other corporations." OK, that is freedom of speech, one of the guarantees that the troops protect. Then Daly stated that "Real freedom will come when [U.S.] soldiers in Iraq turn their guns on their superiors." And that dear readers is not freedom of speech, that is incitement to commit murder.

The Washington Times reported:

College officials said they are treating the matter "as a personnel issue and will be addressing it according to the policies and procedures of the college."

"The viewpoints of this professor in no way depict the views of Warren County Community College, its administration or the Board of Trustees. The college does, however, support the Constitution, the First Amendment and the right to free speech," WCCC said.

Sounds to me like the college administration needs a fusion of backbone. At least Board Chairman Edward Smith has called an emergency board session to discuss this issue. Unfortunately, the college's President Dr. William Austin

...reiterates his statement that comments made by Mr. Daly are his own. The opinions Mr. Daly has expressed do not represent the views of the community college, administration, faculty, staff or students, nor do his views align with the college’s mission and core values."

Yeppers, it looks like Dr. Austin is in need of emergency backbone transplantation. Of course, if he get's one and does something about the urging of murder by Mr. Daly, the ACLU will doubtlessly weigh in but hopefully on the side of the college students for a change.

Exercising one's right to free speech (as did Mr. Daly up to but not including urging fragging) does not give one the right to shut up others. Nor, does it give license to urge the killing of superiors by soldiers engaged in a war against the islamo-fascist enemy. How is what Mr. Daly did different from an American teacher in 1942 urging American Forces not to fight the fascists and to kill their officers and what do you suppose would happen then?

As my friend noted,

For those of your who feel the ire that I do, you might send an email to yet another institution of "higher learning" where we are conducting our own madrassas.

For those of you desiring so, the phone number for the college (be sure and ask for Board Chairman Edward Smith or President Dr. William Austin) is (908) 835-9222. E-mail addresses (which mayor may not work - depending on recent e-mail volume) should be austin@warren.edu and smith@warren.edu. I'm sure of Dr. Austin's e-mail address, less sure of Smith's.

Linked at STACLU

Posted by GM Roper at November 20, 2005 09:27 PM | TrackBack