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Good morning, everybody! How are you all this fine Saturday morning? I'm doing pretty good, actually, and I hope you are, too.
In light of the recent Stupid Censorship Tricks going on over at a local alleged institution of higher learning -- yes, St. Thomas, the one that censors Bishop Desmond Tutu and welcomes Ann Coulter -- I thought I'd see what other doings were happening at Tommyville, by checking their events calendar for this past week.
Turns out that last Wednesday, October 3, there was a Banned Books Week event at the library. No, really:
The Stupid! Eeeet BUUURRRRRNNZZZ!
Why hold a Banned Books Week event and then -- in that same week -- ban one of the world's great heroes from speaking at your university?
Jewish Voice for Peace (h/t to AlterNet) is asking concerned citizens to contact the Tommies and ask them to let Bishop Tutu speak -- and to reinstate Professor Cris Toffolo, who had opposed the censoring and who was then punished for her opposition, as the chair of St. Thomas' Justice and Peace Studies program. It's the right thing to do.
UPDATE: Get this -- Michelle "I wuuv internment camps" Malkin was also invited to speak at UST -- with the apparent approval of UST president Father Dennis Dease, whose CYA letter implies that his main reason for axing Tutu was that he wasn't told about the invite:
WHERE IN THE WORLD
By Michelle Malkin • April 4, 2006 12:31 PMSorry for the late notice–just swamped as usual–but I’m in Minneapolis today for a few appearances. University of St. Thomas at 12noon and later tonight at the Freedom Club.
I’ll log in in the afternoon between events.
Ciao.
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zed or two?
amazing! - 1st try ever!
Hey Phoenix Woman!
Congrats KathieinMN for the zed. Nice going.
Apropos of Minnesota, I will EPU myself:
Something to make your blood boil.
From TPM:
The irony of banned Tutu and Banned Books week occuring at the same time has not been lost on the faculty.
Considering their speaker choices, is it possible that they were CELEBRATING banned books week?
allan_in_upstate @ 4
My father was Assistant Adjutant General for Mn back in the 60’s - he started the education program for Mn guardsmen. He must be rolling over in his grave! For me - I am infuriated.
Because Tutu is not a book. Duh.
If I die before I wake, at least in Heaven I can skate…
Heaven is a Halfpipe - OPM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u4F5Q0qymk
KathieinMN @ 2
Congratulations!
allan_in_upstate @ 4
I blame Desmond Tutu!!!
KathieinMN @ 5
I thought not. :-)
Feel free to spill, if it won’t get you in trouble.
Hi PW! Since i am mostly talking to myself here, I thought you might be interested in seeing this:
“Father Dennis Dease, president of the University of St. Thomas, has asked that the letter below be sent to St. Thomas students, faculty and staff:
Dear members of the St. Thomas community,
I am writing to you today to explain the University of St. Thomas’ decision not to co-sponsor an April 2008 PeaceJam conference for high school students.
Last spring, a representative of our Justice and Peace Studies program advised my office of an opportunity to invite Archbishop Desmond Tutu to speak at St. Thomas during the PeaceJam conference. I discussed the matter with my staff and decided not to take advantage of this opportunity.
Later, I learned that Youthrive, an Upper Midwest affiliate of Denver-based PeaceJam International, had invited Tutu to speak at St. Thomas without my knowledge or that of other senior administrators.
(Metropolitan State University has agreed to host the conference, which will be held April 11-13, with Archbishop Tutu as the featured speaker.)
St. Thomas receives hundreds of proposals to sponsor speakers and events, and we often decline for a variety of reasons. Why was this the case for the Archbishop Tutu opportunity?
We became aware of concerns about some of Archbishop Tutu’s widely publicized statements that have been hurtful to members of the Jewish community. I spoke with Jews for whom I have great respect. What stung these individuals was not that Archbishop Tutu criticized Israel but how he did so, and the moral equivalencies that they felt he drew between Israel’s policies and those of Nazi Germany, and between Zionism and racism.
I was under no pressure from any pro-Israeli groups or individuals, nor did I receive any requests from them, to refrain from inviting Archbishop Tutu to speak.
I am not in a position to evaluate what to a Jew feels anti-Semitic and what does not. I can, however, take seriously the judgments of those whom I trust by not putting St. Thomas in a position that would add to that hurt.
Questions also have been raised about why Dr. Thomas Rochon, executive vice president and chief academic officer, removed Dr. Cris Toffolo as director of our interdisciplinary Justice and Peace Studies program. This is a personnel matter. I will say only that she was not removed because of any private or public disagreement with my decision not to invite Archbishop Tutu to St. Thomas. She continues to teach in the program and remains a tenured associate professor of political science.
I also wish to address concerns about threats to academic freedom at St. Thomas. I strongly defend the principle and practice of academic freedom at the university. This incident did not involve our curriculum or St. Thomas classroom activities. Instead, it involved the use of our facilities and name in connection with an external group.
I want to thank members of the St. Thomas community for sharing their concerns with me. This has been a difficult issue, and I know many people do not agree with the decision. As always, I welcome your comments.
Sincerely,
Father Dennis Dease”
I love censorship. It keeps my mind less cluttered.
At least at Luther we got Newt instead of Coulter
Army Secretary Pete Geren’s public schedule Thursday included a speech at a ceremony to celebrate the achievement of a big goal: The Army signed up 80,000 new recruits this year.
“Today we honor the American soldier,” Geren said. “Today we honor the men and women about to become American soldiers.”
Away from the ceremony, Geren had men and women already serving the country on his mind.
Pressure has been building for the Army to resolve the issue of education benefits that went AWOL. More than 1,100 members of the Minnesota National Guard - soldiers who were on the ground longer than any other unit in Iraq - were denied thousands of dollars they say they should have earned under the GI Bill.
Geren talked about those benefits in a phone call to Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Penn., the former Marine and chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
Once again, Geren promised a quick review.
Congressman Tim Walz, D-Minn., spoke to Murtha and later said, “The personal assurance from Secretary Geren to Chairman Murtha is good news for all members of the brigade who spent two years serving their nation in Iraq, only to find that they were denied benefits upon return.”
The chief of the National Guard Bureau, Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, told NBC’s Today show the issue should be resolved.
“I have no doubt whatsoever that the Army will do the right thing for these great citizen/soldiers that did what (the) nation asked them to do when they were needed,” Blum said.
An Army review board is looking into missing money. Earlier this week, two members of the unit told KARE11 they believe the Pentagon deliberately wrote their deployment orders for 729 days, one day short of the 730 days needed to qualify for education benefits worth hundreds of dollars a month.
The Army said it hopes to have the matter cleared up by the end of the year.
In the meantime, Minnesota lawmakers have introduced measures to guarantee the education benefits are paid.
Congressman John Kline introduced the bill in the House.
I want to thank members of the St. Thomas community for sharing their concerns with me. This has been a difficult issue, and I know many people do not agree with the decision. As always, I welcome your comments.
Sincerely,
Father Dennis Dease”
hey no problem Father! Replace him with Ann Coulter! And by the way- luvvv your ‘concerns’ man! keep up the good work!
allan_in_upstate @ 4
Which of course means that they’ll just have to go back for another tour, right? Arrrrrgh!
Still lurk here all the time but don’t comment much….however,
Phoenix Woman!
Oh, and Christy! Jane! Rexy! Scarecrow! Marcy! Liveblogging! Pach! Whoever I’m Forgetting!
And goddammit - Fitz!
Oklahoma kiddo @ 14
And that Open Forum of Ideas thing is so messy…
Banned Books Event activities:
9:00 a.m.:Library Discussion: Fahrenheit 451′
9:45 a.m.: Cafeterial special: toast
KathieinMN, how appropriate for you to get the zed on this thread!
I never thought I say this. But in view of the Fascist attempt to once again take over the world, I miss the Communists.
Next thing you know, they’ll be celebrating the anniversity of the
Burning of the Great Library of Alexandria
if they can figure out the date,
and hide who dunnit.
Questions also have been raised about why Dr. Thomas Rochon, executive vice president and chief academic officer, removed Dr. Cris Toffolo as director of our interdisciplinary Justice and Peace Studies program. This is a personnel matter. I will say only that she was not removed because of any private or public disagreement with my decision not to invite Archbishop Tutu to St. Thomas. She continues to teach in the program and remains a tenured associate professor of political science.
Also: the tricycles have been repainted and the unicorn mobiles in the foyer have been checked for alien ‘brain dust’
KathieinMN at #13 — Yeah, I saw that letter. What Father Dease said was dealt with in the links I cited — namely, that Tutu criticized the Israeli government, not Jews or even Israelis in general.
In addition, many other Jews (such as Marv Davidov and the people at Jewish Voice for Peace have come to Tutu’s defense, saying that the attacks on Tutu are coming from right-wing defenders of Israel’s right-wingers, who are the ones behind the policies Tutu condemns.
raven @ 16
John Kline??!!! First good thing he has ever done!
Banned Books Week Event:
10:30 a.m. in the Medical Sciences Bldg. Rm.# 22:
Baghdad’s Libraries: Why do they still carry Desmond Tutu’s memoirs?
for the lolcat fans.
Okk, gotta disagree with you there. I always thought people were exaggerating when they said communism was evil, til I went over there to work. It’s soul-killing.
Mabel’s Wig Shack @ 21
6:00 p.m.: Bonfire, all welcome!
It’s the era of the ignorati—good news is- it’s coming to an end.
Phoenix Woman @ 18
Maybe. Or maybe they need to go for another tour that’s at least 730 days long.
s
They should have read the fine print.
/s
Mabel’s Wig Shack @ 21
You got it. :-)
I’ve actually been in the main Tommie cafeteria. It’s not bad. (Though I expect that crow will be on the menu.)
The thing that really sticks in people’s throats is not so much the banning of Tutu during Banned Books Week, but the punishment meted out against a professor, Cris Toffolo, for opposing the censorship and daring to warn Tutu of the backstabs and smears directed his way.
egregious @ 31
B.Y.O.Bk?
egregious @ 30
this is a good time to connect this thread with the previous thread:
communism & dogs: The Unbearable Lightness of Being
KathieinMN @ 27
Yup. I heard about that last night.
I think Kline is all too aware that he was very, very lucky last time out.
egregious @ 30
Perhaps it’s a matter of taste. Pick your poison kinda deal. Fascism or Communism. ;0)
Hi Phoenix Woman!
What if Baptists told the Catholic Schools TuTu should be censored/banned from speaking? What if atheists told Catholic Schools Ann Coulter should be banned/censored from speaking?
Would the Catholic School roll over then as well?
Oklahoma kiddo @ 14
- Barbara Bush, speaking on behalf of her entire family.
“What’s this about banning tutus at St. Thomas? I didn’t know they had a school of dance there, and besides - they let me wear my little black dress, which is close enough…”
- Ann Coulter
Is it just me, or does Ann Coulter look eerily like the movie version of Lord Voldemort?
Phoenix Woman @ 37
Word is getting out around Congress that some people are going to face unexpected primaries from the left. Keep up the good work, pups.
amazing photographs at top of thread:
you can just see the greed, avarice, cruelty, ignorance and idocy in bishop tutu’s face can’t you?
thank goodness we have the joy, light, intelligence and love of ann coulter to balance his countenance.
i for one thank god each minute that impressionable students will not be exposed to this man.
Phoenix Woman @ 26
Sorry PW - didn’t see the link. What saddens me is that everyone who reads and hears about this is going to think the whole University is like this. It’s like when Bush makes some sabre-rattling comments, people say it is the “US’ - which paints us all with the same brush.
egregious @ 30
It is as if they were beating us with a cudgel and at the same time demanding, “You must rejoice, you must rejoice.”
- Dmitri Shostakovich (this quote is real)
“We’re as popular as Jesus Christ.”
impressionable young musician amazed simply flabbergasted at the popularity of him and his mates.
burn his recordings now
Ann is supporting Willard. I hope someone is asking his campaign about her desire to repeal the 19th amendment.
Mabel’s Wig Shack @ 25
Oh, exactly.
What happened is that when she found out about the banning, she wrote to Tutu to tell him about it — and to warn him that he was about to be the victim of a hardcore smear campaign.
Once the Tommie administration found out about the letter, she was removed from her position as the Chair of the school’s Justice and Peace Studies program.
Once the Tommie administration found out about the letter, she was removed from her position as the Chair of the school’s Justice and Peace Studies program.
irony within an irony!
I wonder if St. Thomas has banned Tutu books or banned Tutu T-shirts.. If I were a student there I would be hosting Tea for Tutu parties every day.
Ed*ard Teller @ 46
I played his piano very briefly. His is an amazing story.
There is a 60 question quiz on civics at:
www.isi.org
It is fun to take, and the results of the study are very interesting. I wonder if St. Thomas got a good score…I don’t know if they participated, but a lot of colleges and H.S. did.
1,617 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citizen Phoenix Woman and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
By all means, Fire Fighters, dump a whole lotsa shit on St. Thomas but as a native Minnesotan and dedicated member of the Public Schools Defense Force I want to suggest that the only way to beat the unholy alliance between the Catholic Church and Israeli fascism is to hit the Church where it will hurt the most…expose St. Thomas for the educational degree factory and local political force that it is and encourage the University of Minnesota to pick up Tutu’s invitation. It’s a twofer, get Tutu in town while givin’ the U of MN great exposure and shine some light on the educational sweat shop that is St. Thomas.
We are gettin right down to it now, the extent of the fascist consolidation of power is bein’ exposed at the local level while we are hit daily with the extent of the corporate control of Democrats at the national level. By all means pressure St. Thomas but put the REAL heat on the University of Minnesota to pick up the ball for the free people of the state.
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE FUCKIN’ AMMUNITION, THIS IS A BATTLE THAT’S GUNNA BE FOUGHT HOUSE BY HOUSE AND STREET BY STREET!!!
pw - was Dr. Toffolo’s removal as chair of the section also a reduction in pay? Also, was her personal communication with Dr. Tutu a violation of any of the terms of that chairmanship, or of her tenure conditions?
Is NAFTA great or what.
The US pollster and strategist behind Bill Clinton’s 1996 re-election, Tony Blair’s third victory in 2005 and Hillary Clinton’s current dominance of the presidential primaries, has recommended that Gordon Brown put off the election.
In the wake of poll figures showing the Tories had closed Labour’s lead since their party conference, Mark Penn, the Democratic party’s top electoral guru, said Mr Brown would be better off waiting until he had established a longer record with the voters as prime minister. “His numbers now are very soft, because in reality they don’t know much about him, and they have not really seen him perform over the long haul,” Mr Penn told the Guardian.
In a scathing attack, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards went after front-runner Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Friday, calling her a “corporate Democrat,” comparing top Clinton campaign strategist Mark Penn to former Bush aide Karl Rove and assailing Penn’s ties to Blackwater USA, the embattled private firm of military contractors accused by the Iraqi government of firing upon and killing 11 unarmed Iraqi civilians last month.
“Bush has been a perfect example of cronyism because Blackwater has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republicans and to President Bush,” Edwards said in an interview with the Associated Press while campaigning in Iowa. “I also saw this morning that Sen. Clinton’s primary adviser, Mark Penn, who is like her Karl Rove — his firm is representing Blackwater.”
KathieinMN @ 45
I understand. I should point out that Davidov himself is part of the Justice and Peace program at St. Thomas, and that the whole reason that this story made it to the public is because of the horror and disgust evinced by the faculty at Tutu’s banning and Toffolo’s punishment.
Eureka Springs @ 51
You could even have Two Tea for Tutu Parties each day!
Ed*ard Teller @ 56
Her tenure, rank, teaching duties and salary were not affected.
Mabel’s Wig Shack @ 59
LOL!
Norske,
Another Minnesota university has now invited Archbishop Tutu to speak next spring. I can’t find the link and know too little about the university system there to remember which one.
Ed*ard Teller @ 62
In his letter, President Dease said:(Metropolitan State University has agreed to host the conference, which will be held April 11-13, with Archbishop Tutu as the featured speaker.)
And then we have the Bush family spreading their brand of Democracy, economics, socialization, authority, and religion around the world.
And our leader has looked into Putin’s heart and found him a man he can do business with.
Mabel’s Wig Shack @ 59
In honor of FDL I would feature/serve Constant Comment Tea.
A St. Thomas faculty member wrote this at Kos yesterday:
KathieinMN @ 63
What happened was that the Justice and Peace folks scrambled to find him an alternate venue, which they did (though Metro State’s not exactly as prestigious as St. Thomas is locally).
the jujitsu of putin’s heart hypnotizing like a narcotic
in a bottle
beside the bed
on the fake
ranch
Oklahoma kiddo @ 56
What is the connection between NAFTA and the rest of your comment?
In honor of FDL I would feature Constant Comment Tea.
:-)
that is such a lovely tea!
Ed*ard Teller @ 67
Thanks, Ed! That just underlines what KathieInMN’s been saying, that the faculty as a whole did NOT approve of the banning or the demotion of Toffolo, who as the prof notes had been the one to extend the invitation to Tutu in the first place.
Do the Tommies need a home-coming band?
Idiot Son of an Asshole - NoFX
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1fUaXCmqME
Anybody hear Bush’s interview with Arabiya? He sounds like he is completely backing off an Iran attack. He basically said that Iran will be dealt with diplomatically period. I don’t trust him at all, but all this week, I have had the feeling that they are trying to throw Cheney and his crew under the bus; probably to save Bush’s sorry ass. I’m wondering if somebody has cut a deal…no war crimes if Cheney goes…or something like that…not sure what, but I’ve got a strong gut feeling about this. Maybe Tweety’s comment about them finally being caught in their criminality…together with the torture memos, and the Blackwater ties, Leahy’s sudden backing off about documents and alignment with Mukasey…something is up. I hope I’m right…if I’m wrong…well, wouldn’t be the first time.
Ed*ard Teller @ 66
Sadly, it appears that no similar consideration was given to the fear of offending the “Nobel Peace prize laureate-loving” community of the Twin Cities.
Administrators are constantly faced with competing concerns, especially when it comes to the public relations aspects of their institutions. If Fr. Deese couldn’t see this mess coming, he really should help St. Thomas look for his successor.
oklahomaKiddo -
Which Democratic presidential candidate will be the first to criticize the decision of St. Thomas to ban Archbishop Tutu?
Will Al Franken beat Norm Coleman in his condemnation of the ban?
Raise your hands if you’re going to hold your breath on this, folks?
Anybody hear Bush’s interview with Arabiya? He sounds like he is completely backing off an Iran attack. He basically said that Iran will be dealt with diplomatically period.
nothing is straight forward with these guys. maybe he’s sending a coded message to his followers.
Ed*ard Teller @ 75
4:59 p.m. Friday: Hillary Clinton expresses ‘regret,’ while adding, ‘This is going to be a great weekend for college football.’
LS @ 74
I sure hope you’re right!
but with BushCrew… ?
Fern @ 69
Unbridled ‘cooperation’ (control, like in Iraq). Think Tony ‘lap dog’ Blair. Among other things, (think U.S. hegemony and empire). It’s sort of a metaphor. The world did not push through NAFTA. Governments, led by America did.
Sometimes, schools lose their way…
Ohio - CSNY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVi-DXOfnAM
So it’s alright to study, honor, and admire an Archbishop as long as he doesn’t speak? Sounds like a saint to me…
The reason the administration cancelled it was not their excessive conservatism but rather excessive scrupulosity and fear of offending the Jewish community in the Twin Cities.
Just as I was getting ready to applaud “scrupulosity” (being a devotee of the notion that just because a word doesn’t exist shouldn’t stop one from using it anyway) I checked and found it to be a real word.
Oh well - new word, anyway.
As victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests were coming forward in Boston,
we were lectured to by this woman.
She had some trouble with the truth:
Even lawyer Roderick MacLeish Jr., who represents the Rev. Paul Shanley’s accusers and has criticized the church response to the case, said he feels ”badly for Donna. I think she is on an extremely tight leash and is told what to say and what not to say. But, frankly, what she is saying is upsetting people, and it is making people feel worse. At some point the words you say have to be the words you believe to be true.”
And, separated from Donna at birth is her twin sister, Dana.
Here she is talking about her boss’s policy on “We don’t torture”.
Here’s a question I posed elsewhere about this Thursday: Would it have been more difficult for these unnamed “university officials” to ban a white Nobel Peace Prize Laureate/Archbishop from speaking, had the tentative speaker been white?
Also, does the fact that Archbishop Tutu is black make it easier for these “university officials” to remain pretty faceless through this scandal so far?
I must say, that reading back through Jane’s initial thread on this, I’m struck by a subtle undercurrent of what I assume is unknowing racism toward blacks, but racism nonetheless, from the defenders of the St. Thomas decision who commented here.
Mabel’s Wig Shack @ 77
His smirks spelled out, in Morse Code, “Bomb’s away.”
Boston1775 @ 83
2 blondes and a guy with a beard:
dere aint no abused kids.
dere aint no tortured prisoners.
dere aint no homosexuals.
1,617 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citizen Phoenix Woman, Ed*ard Teller and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:
With all due respect to the St. Thomas faculty member that posted at Kos yesterday (I read it too) St. Thomas is NOT a bastion of liberal values and freedom of thought. St. Thomas, like all Catholic educational institutions, dances to the tune of the local Archdiocese and will serve as cover for the Archdiocese in matters like this. Indeed, the Archdiocese could’ve squashed this thing before it ever happened but chose not to…St. Thomas is not only a large institutional presence in the metropolitan area but is also a real force in local St. Paul politics, ask the residents around the campus. Unfortunately, the University of Minnesota, like most public Universities, is also sensitive to corporate political powers including the Archdiocese. But let’s not let this incident go by thinkin’ that it’s jest “one lone nut” in charge of the asylum, this decision reflects the political judgement and policies of very powerful forces in the Twin Cities and the faculty is irrelevant.
So I want to know why the fuck Metro State gets to host Tutu and not the University of Minnesota main campus??!!
KEEP THE FAITH AND REMEMBER FASCISM IS A LIFE THREATENING DISEASE!!
LS, I hope you’re right. Somehow I don’t think Cheney would go quietly, though.
HEY MODS WHERE’S MY POST??!!!
Ed*ard Teller @ 84
I don’t think it would have been much different, had it been a white Nobel Laureate. Right now, a lot of Catholic universities are trying to walk a fine line between rigid adherence to Vatican conservative hardliners on the one hand and the academic openness expected of American universities on the other. Most of the administrators at these schools, therefore, try to avoid other controversies as much as possible.
My hunch — and I’ve got nothing to back it up — is that the dept chair got relived of the chairmanship because they exceeded their authority in extending “sponsorship” (whatever that means in this case) on behalf of UST without checking it out with the Powers-That-Be upstairs (dean, VP, provost, president, etc.). Just a guess.
NorskeFlamethrower @ 89
If you mean your 9:48, it’s right there on my screen. Reload your page.
(And shouting at the mods is not recommended. They’re the ones who make your comments possible in the first place.)
Re the picture posted at the top. Back in 2004, after I canceled a university performance of my cantata about Rachel Corrie, I made a t-shirt that had an image of the anonymous Chinese student trying to stop T-72 tanks at Tienanmin, above a picture of Corrie trying to stop an IDF bulldozer. Under the pictures, I put GOOD BOY and BAD GIRL.
Meanwhile, despite the inconvenient fact that months after the silent cancelation of Tutu’s activities, all is well on the nation’s campuse