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:
http://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. A hero is emerging:
If you wanted to know what Sen. Joe McCarthy would sound like if he came back from the dead, read David Horowitz’s explanation for “Islamofascism Awareness Week,” an event he is sponsoring on college campuses across the country from October 22-26:
The progressive left is the enabler and abettor of the terrorist jihad. It has forged an “unholy alliance” with the most retrograde and reactionary forces in the world today. The institutional base of the left is the university system, from whose classrooms it is conducting a behind-the-lines psychological warfare campaign against its own countrymen.
Horowitz, who edits the online FrontPage Magazine and runs the creepily named Web sites CampusWatch and DiscoverTheNetwork, is the self-appointed chief of the new thought police on college campuses.
My thought is that HRC’ ‘regret’ as to the Tu Tu thing rings hollow. After all, Senator Clinton’s campaign money supposedly derives from much the same sources as does Joe Lieberman’s.
peterr,
Although you may be right about the peace and justice committee not having followed some guidelines about communication with the top level of administration when they extended the invitation, I haven’t seen any article yet which says that. Regarding canceled productions of the play My Name is Rachel Corrie in numerous places in the USA – and now, since regime change there, in Canada – in each case a theatre group scheduled the play after careful vetting by all levels of their organization, only to have to cancel because of outside pressure.
Professor Cris Toffolo should remember how the Catholic Church works in times of controversy:
Her boss has the example of what happened to Cardinal Law.
That’s right, the one who covered up the abuse of hundreds of Boston kids AND reassigned the abusive priests to new parishes with new, unsuspecting families is responsible for one of the four most important basilicas in Rome.
The Vatican in action.
Peterr @ 91
my plywood drone has been silently circling for hours looking for these ‘mods.’
i’ve found the ‘rockers’ but have yet to find the ‘mods.’
(okay- that’s only going to make sense to people who remember the ‘British Invasion’)
Somewhat off topic, but a story.
Some years ago, my daughter had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of a trip to South Africa as a part of a group on a money raising/charitable mission to South Africa.
During this time she was treated to a ride with Desmond Tutu, and his wife (sorry, I forget her name) to the prison that held Mendela for 30 years. The ride was on a boat that Tutu had obviously ridden on other occasions, because my daughter was scared out of her wits about the waves, while the Tutu’s were as calm as a cucumber, laughing, talking and telling stories to the guests. She loved every minute, and they calmed her fears of the waves as she sat beside them.
I might also add that the height of this trip, one that she will never in her lifetime forget, was meeting Nelson Mandela in his home.
She did her homework ahead of time,read everything she could get her hands on, and knew much about his hardships Mandela experienced ahead of the trip.
When the actual time came for her to meet Nelson Mandela in person, one on one, she was so overcome by emotion that she simply broke down and cried. Nelson Mandela simply took her in his arms and hugged her.
Believe me this was a day, and a moment in time that she will never forget. Neither will I, because I was so very proud of my daughter.
Ed*ard Teller @ 94
We in this house have a special place in our hearts for Rachel Corrie.
Ed*ard Teller @ 94
I haven’t seen anything that says that either — I’m just going by decades of watching how university adminstrators work, and what I’ve seen that it takes to get a department chair canned.
Love your Mods…
Pure Prairie League – Aimie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHWt8qZao4A
Ed*ard Teller @ 94
the play has been cancelled due to………..due to………….due to……uh, well, in all these cases, coincidentally there’s been a salt shortage no wait, an aphid infestation that has caused everyone to ‘pull together’ and give up such frills as theatre but only for a short time.
nothing else.
nothing at all.
There is one thing that Rachel Corrie had, which I lack: Guts.
Sixty Something @ 97
beautiful beautiful story.
when Nelson Mandela appeared in Toronto with our then uber-right premier who was deliberately underfunding the school system etc… Nelson Mandela recieved a heroes response.
I can recall the look on his face when the school children booed and groaned when the premier was introduced.
it’s like he thought, ‘oh i get it. yeah. i can see what this guy’s all about.’
KathieinMN @ 59
And unless Father Dennis is a liar:
Seems like this issue is a red herring.
And if you didn’t get to the bottom of the NY Times article about the appointment of Cardinal Law to be responsible for one of the most important basilicas in Rome, here’s how it ends:
The appointment is also likely to make Cardinal Law one of the most influential Americans in the Vatican.
And the job will give him considerable autonomy. While at the Maryland convent, he was technically under the authority of the local bishop. Now, ”he answers to no one but the pope,” the former Vatican official said.
There was also the recent cancelation of a lecture by either Walt or Mearsheimer at the University of Montana. It, too, had been vetted through the school along regular lines, only to be canceled because of external pressure.
Sixty Something @ 97
what a wonderful story. No wonder you are so very proud of your daughter!
Boston1775 @ 105
will he be tutoring the ‘boys choir?’
I think Tutu would approve.
From the NYT
Oklahoma kiddo @ 102
for Oklahoma kiddo…
Norske – Tut’s appearance was not a singular event – but part of a three-day April 2008 PeaceJam conference for high school students. It is possible that the U of M did not have the capability of hosting such an event at this late date.
Peterr – your comment “Administrators are constantly faced with competing concerns, especially when it comes to the public relations aspects of their institutions” is right on. As were these observations:
“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.”
Also Peterr:
“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.”
Kathie says: exactly.
Mabel’s Wig Shack @ 108
Oh Mabel, Mabel, Mabel,
I figure he’s giving advice to the head of an American Catholic University embroiled in a controversy. Ya think?
Time to dance in place!
Popcorn – Marsheaux
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDqnq_Qb-kE
egregious @ 30
What were you doing there? Just curious…
Oh Mabel, Mabel, Mabel,
I figure he’s giving advice to the head of an American Catholic University embroiled in a controversy. Ya think?
um, well, maybe…. yeah
probably….
a constant comment, please.
LS @ 73
God, I hope you are right. If Cheney goes, by losing influence (after all, his only power is what W lets him have) or in some other way, the worst neocon faction is no longer there (Rummy & Co. no longer there). Condi and Gates are hardly angels, but they are far less crazy than Darth and crew…
PeterK @ 114
I founded a charity that sponsors children’s heart surgery in St. Petersburg. We built an ICU and operating room suite, bought a heart-lung machine, and have provided supplies for thousands of surgeries.
Now our focus is on training other surgeons and ICU physicians so that pediatric heart surgery will be available in the whole country, not just the 2 big cities.
On the subject of academic hypocrisy: a few days ago I heard Albert Mohler, the President of the Southern Baptist Seminary where I live (Louisville) and a guest on Mohler’s radio show complaining about the horrible discrimination against conservatives and Christians in academia.
This is a man who, in his first four years at the Seminary, engineered a faculty turnover of over 60% (http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-18445192.html). Among his triumphs was getting rid of the entire School of Social Work (http://www.baylor.edu/pr/bitn/news.php?action=story&story=46215). The article is not explicit about the exact cause, but it was essentially because the social workers’ professional code of ethics forbids discrimination against gays. This was well-known and publicly discussed in Louisville when it happened.
And my personal favorite story: he fired a librarian who had been at the Seminary for 35 years, months away from his official retirement date, over a letter the librarian had written as a private citizen, not as representative of the Seminary (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_n4_v115/ai_20350170).
To hear him coming on as a champion of academic freedom and diversity almost made my head explode (and yes, I realize there’s a difference between a sectarian seminary and a comprehensive secular college, but still…)
egregious @ 118
Were you there when it was still the USSR?
PeterK @ 120
No I was raising my own sweet children then. Started learning Russian about the time the Soviet Union broke up, then founded the charity in 1996.
LS @ 73
With a high quality Sec’y of State like Condi, what could possibly go wrong?
step, step, slide, slide, 1-2, windmill over the top, hip thrust, 3-4…
Will I Ever – Alice DeeJay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-jvni4HRzA
there’s a typo in the St. Thomas schedule:
Banned Books – Weak Event
My friend Cecile Suransky has posted a letter by Father Dennis Dease, president of the University of St. Thomas, to his students here.
It appears peterr is correct that Father Dease had reason to feel an event was being planned over which he had little control.
BigMitch @ 104
Seems like this issue is a red herring.
Umm – things look a bit messed up in the block quote in #104 – the only thing that I wrote was “Her tenure, rank, teaching duties and salary were not affected.” However, it looks correct here – that the comments were BigMitch’s. Or maybe I am just confused – always possible!
Father Dennis Dease, if he is to be believed, says: “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.”
It is in the context of a discussion of “Jewish” pressure on the University to uninvite Tutu that SandraO said:
Just wondering: Is an apology in order?
[RBG Note; “Billy did it too” doesn’t carry much weight with the mods.]
KathieinMN @ 126
I edited it after it was posted, so your confusion is based on the fact that I forgot: preview is my friend.
KathieinMN @ 126
A hard refresh will show the comment corrected.
It is ok to read, but not hear, at STU.
BigMitch @ 127
Oh thank you you thank you – I thought I was losing it!!! (-:
egregious! any chance you’ll be gracing this side of Monterey Bay during your west coast sojourn? Would love to welcome you here this beautiful weekend! ;~)
egregious @ 121
It never ceases to amaze me the incredible people found here at the lake.
My hat is off to you egregious! You are one of them.
newspaperbrat @ 131
No but I’ll be back in a few weeks. Would love to meet you then!
Why is right for one group of people to have a homeland, but not right for another?
radiofreewill @ 124
eclectic in your taste!
Sixty Something @ 132
Thank you Sixty. Very kind of you.
1,617 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citizen KathieinMN, Peterr and the Firepup Patriots:
” 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 openess expected of American universities on the other.”
With all due respect folks, neither public universities nor Catholic schools have ever acted out of a culture of “academic openess” unless forced to by faculty and students and forces in the political public. That’s why this incident is so important and why exposin’ St. Thomas and the local powers that made this decision is so important. We don’t have the force of a politically vibrant academic community or a student population that is politically energized as we have had in the past. The days of the university as a safe sanctuary for diverse views and students who were politically curious and empowered are long gone. Let’s not think that institutionally the academy has EVER advanced a culture of “openess” to diverse ideas without great pressure and struggle from the folks on the street both inside and outside the campus.
KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, THE WAR AGAINST FASCISM MUST BE FOUGHT EVERYWHERE!!
self-censorship never ceases to amaze me…
I haven’t read the comments yet because I have to first offer my outrage at what our world has become.
Tutu banned? Coulter allowed? What is wrong with these people? What is happening to the world? I keep thinking I’m living in some very weird science fiction novel where everything has gone completely nuts. Black is white, up is down … you get the idea.
Hopefully I will wake up one day and all this madness will be over. But as I’ve said before, at my age, I don’t think I will live to see the day when the insanity stops.
Do the Russian people really have a choice in their leadership?
Oklahoma kiddo @ 64
He saw an abyss he was quite comfortable with.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 140
About as much as we do.
1,617 DAYZ AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND..
Citzen Ed*ard Teller:
I am reminded of your incredible contribution to historical awareness, humanity and art in the opera “Rachel Corey”…please tell me where I ken hear the music. We must all hear the music, mustn’t we?
KEEP THE FAITH AND WE’LL TRY AND FOLLOW!!
Well, I see that this thread is about how we at the lake love free speech and appreciate irony.
Then we can all appreciate this: my comments are being thrown into moderation which effectively prevents me from participating in a debate.
Ironic, n’est pas?
Free speech: not so much.
OKK@136 — Good question. And as long as I am in moderation pergutory, you can feel free to discuss it without any fear of having your views challenged.
ET@140 Self censorship has another name: discretion.
Margot @ 141
Nice, Margot. I’ve been searching for those words for quite a while. Brava!
for you radiofreewill
might make you move
Ruby Blue
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J4NDZfvl-Q
egregious @ 143
Can the Russian people throw Putin out?
It’s a big enough umbrella, but somehow it’s always me who’s getting wet…
Everything Little Thing She Does is Magic – The Police
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5W2Vr6HU7s
Anybody read belgium ? one and
two
I’m off to see My Rep, Jane Harman this morning, and ask her some “blue dog” questions. Sunny and cool in west LA today. See y’all later.
NorskeFlamethrower @ 144
Thanks. I’m afraid to put the entire work up at my site, as I get enough hate mail as it is. I have posted the final song here. The words are by Rachel Corrie, as sung by soprano Deborah Fink, past President of the London branch of Jews for Justice for Palestinians.
egregious @ 30
You know, egregious, this form of democracy has had the same effect. We got ourselves the New Dark Age.
itwasntme @ 149
Yay itwasntme!
looking forward to hearing her answers!
itwasntme @ 151
w00t, good on ya!
Warning to Norskeflamethrower:
They seem to have a low tolerance for “gratuitous insults” here.
Thus, when you said, as you did in a thread about Tutu:
you may subject yourself to being assigned to moderation pergutory. Especially since Father Dennis put you on notice that
Oklahoma kiddo @ 147
They don’t want to. He is genuinely popular, with something like an 80% approval rating, and in my experience this is real support rather than warped statistics.
People were genuinely perplexed that he wasn’t going to be president any more. I see he has decided to stay on as Prime Minister.
Think about it this way. If your government was being run by a bunch of criminals, and the patriotic remnant of the intelligence agencies managed to take power away from them, how would that be?
I’m not saying the current people are saints, but they could do a lot worse.
Lyrics by Rachel Corrie, edited by Philip Munger: Feel sick to my stomach a lot from being doted on all the time, very sweetly, by people who are facing doom. You can always hear the tanks and bulldozers passing by. I have had bad nightmares about tanks and bulldozers outside our house and you and me inside. Tanks and bulldozers destroyed 25 greenhouses the livelihoods for 300 people. Then the bulldozers come and take out people’s vegetable farms and gardens. This happens every day. I think that I should at least mention that I am also discovering a degree of strength and of basic ability for humans to remain human in the direst circumstances. I think the word is dignity. I wish you could meet these people. Maybe, hopefully, someday you will.
I’m outta here, pups, Mitch. Gotta get ready for a benefit for an organization that flys disabled Vets, mostly Alaska Natives, from villages to the Vet Hospital in Anchorage. shalom…
Phoenix Woman, oh the irony!
Football or…
The Donnas – Take It Off
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiXhSWig_x0
Ed*ard Teller @ 159
see ya later.
very moving words by rachel corrie.
i hope to hear this performance someday.
Mabel’s Wig Shack @ 162
yup, very moving words.
egregious @ 142
Oh snap… Considering our Constitution fashions a remedy to criminals in the executive, the comment is especially telling about the poor leadership all the way around the government.
egregious @ 157
o si yo. lahoma and kiddo.
It’s pretty important to keep your screen names the same, once you’ve chosen them.
Thanks.
Mabel’s Wig Shack @ 157
Lucky for me, I have met these people.
For eight years I have worked side by side with an Israeli Arab. Her entire extended family is in Haifa.
She is some kind of cosmic gift in my life.
I am learning to see the world with her eyes and enormous heart.
Howie’s upstairs.
Late coming to the thread, which I regret missing. I live in Minneapolis…
Hi Phoenix Woman!
The Lurking Mod @ 166
this was the basis for the early retirement of my upside-down alter-ego 3sivund
Gotta go, c u tonight, ‘pups!
Thank You – Led Zeppelin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj3bi_mckW0
Lahoma and Kiddo,
O si yo, to you! [Is that the right response]
Thanks for picking up on that link to”Jewish Voice for Peace”. Ban Archbishop TuTu and allow Ann Coulter. that says it all….frightening
punaise @ 169
oddly enough 3sivund was my uncle’s nickname – his real name: Kcahsgiw Slebam he thought would be too hard to remember!!!
I beg to differ. I think Tutu’s remarks during the speech in question, and on other occasions, definitely had an anti-semitic tone. His advocacy of non-violence is also seriously overrated. He used to be a regular apologist for the terrorist actions of the ANC.
I’m a bit puzzled by President Dease’s claims that he wasn’t consulted on the decision to bring Tutu to campus? Does HE personally oversee all the events that are sponsored by student organizations and academic groups at St. Thomas?
If so then how come Coulter was invited, spoke, and only after the fact the President made aware of the women’s “controversial” nature?
Yet he was informed about the Tutu appearance by “Jewish friends” long before Tutu actually spoke? “Friends” who provided him with selected elements of speeches made by Tutu that criticized Israeli government policies? How did these folks learn of Tutus proposed engagement at St. Thomas?
Suddenly President Dease is the “gatekeeper” for whom student and faculty groups invite? But he wasn’t for Coulter?
And maybe he should consider shutting down “Banned Books Day”…after all it’s quite obvious that all those books are “controversial”. They might offend someone…and since President Dease “isn’t Fundamentalist…Muslim…etc.” then he would have to take their advice as to what “speech” they find offensive! Those books are obviously offensive to some special interest group…they were, after all, BANNED!
And how does Dease come away with making it sound like he “didn’t really” censor Tutu simply because some other school stood up and offered the conference the right to speak? That’s ridiculous! Tutu is a Nobel Peace Laureate and well informed about oppression and the character of apartheid…he seems quite qualified to speak about human rights violations.
Wonder if Dease will ban Jimmy Carter next?
Mabel’s Wig Shack @ 173
no kidding!
punaise @ 176
well, maybe some kidding.
daed si luap
nabalzbbfr @ 174
Can you cite ONE example where Tutu was an “apologist” for any ANC actions that were acts of terror against civilians? Tutu always warned that the apartheid regime had to make way for a democratic atate or it would lead to disaster and violence…but being prophetic doesn’t make one an advocate. In fact it is precisely the opposite in his case.
And can you cite the section where Tutu is “anti-Semitic”? Or are any remarks regarding Israeli government policies that draw parallels with apartheid and Nazi Germany necessarily anti-Semitic? Tutu pointed out these same “Nazi” parallels with the apartheid South African regime…and they were legitimate.
The whole idea that Cris Toffolo overstepped her bounds by inviting Bishop Tutu to speak is CYA revisionist bullcrap. She wasn’t removed from her Justice and Peace Chair until after the administration found out she’d warned Tutu about the cancellation and smearing.
I hate this blame-the-victim crap.
cinnamonape @ 175
No, he doesn’t. This is all pure CYA blame-the-victim crap on his part.
DING DING DING! We have a winner!
Yupper.
And the other school isn’t exactly in UST’s league when it comes to reputation. It’s as if Tutu got banned at Harvard and was forced to go to the local trade school instead.
Probably.
cinnamonape @ 178
Israel supported the apartheid regime along with such illustrious humanitarians as richard (be still little quail) cheney
we didn’t realize mr carter would be advocating the use of hammers, nails, drills, power-saws, 2X4s and screwdrivers in solving the plight of the homeless!
Mabel’s Wig Shack @ 181
And we mustn’t invite Samuel Adams or John Adams to speak, as they advocated and took part in terrorist actions themselves!
By the way: If Fr. Dease really is (as he tries to imply) supposed to be signing off on each and every guest speaker at UST, then he’s not only nixed Tutu and approved Coulter, he’s also approved Michelle “internment camps” Malkin as well!
Go to http://students.yaf.org/events…..events.cfm and scroll to the entry for April 4, 2006. Ack! My bad — she was at a college on that date, but it wasn’t UST. Some other con did a presentation there that day.
The amazing thing is that President Dease cancelled the Peace Jam conference that has been held at St. Thomas for four years bringing such speakers as Rigoberto Menchu Tum.
I guess that Universities should start listening to those who were “offended” by Nobel Peace Laureates who lambasted their governments. The Honduran military regime should have been able to veto speeches by Menchu. Maybe the regime despots of Myanmar should be consulted when and if they ever release Ang Son Suu Kyi. Or the Chinese when the Dalai Lama questions their activities? Or the Protestant and Catholic bully-boys in Northern Ireland who might get upset at those “peace mothers” for speaking out against them.
And apparently the faculty member that was removed from her Chairmanship of the Peace Studies program has a letter from the University specifying quite explicitly that she was removed because of her advocacy of bringing Tutu to campus and her telling Tutu precisely why he was being banned. So President Dease is being more than a bit disingenuous when he asserts that her demotion was unrelated to the cancellation.
http://www.peacejam.org/chronology.htm
Good afternoon to you, Phoenix Woman. It’s finally winter in my neck of the woods. And we even get a few visitors from your neck of the woods now and then.
Locally this is significant because….
St. Thomas wants to open a fourth Medical School within the state of Minnesota–in collaboration with Alina, one of the big Health Care Providers…
What is St. Thomas going to do when someone starts criticising their business-based scewed health-care delivery and processes set up by Alina,… They’ll have a choice to make: Good PR marketing or good science?
Won’t that be fun if the crux of the issue has to do with contagious disease!
Ed*ard Teller @ 125
So Fr. Dease is saying that he vets each and every person invited to speak at UST?
If so, he must have approved Ann Coulter personally, then.
The possibility that St. Thomas is somehow filled with progressives who were thwarted by a chickenshit administrator isn’t credible. I lived just down the road from St. Thomas in St. Paul from 1974-89.
My take.
1) Marv Davidov is a wonderful hell-raiser. He was the den-father on a bus I rode to the great Nov. 15 1969 march on Washington. He WAS the Honeywell Project. Davidov is progressive eyewash at STU. He does NOT reflect the values of the empire builders that run the school.
2) St. Thomas is a notorious diploma mill. If you have a way to pay the tuition, the admission test is Do you have a pulse? The place is crawling with idiot rich kids. The prime directive of St. Thomas administration is to provide a place where wealthy parents can send their underachieving progeny secure in the knowledge that their children will learn the ethical superiority of finance capitalism.
3) The fact that St. Thomas is this PRO-business place does not mean they are any good at what they do. A close friend took one of STU’s MANY how-to-grow-your-small-business type courses. She got an A on writing a business plan. She thinks this is a sign to try her plan in the real world. It was a DISASTER. She has finally recovered from this STU-induced fiasco but she nearly lost her house and it took 15 YEARS!!!
So forget what the officials of St. Thomas claim about this controversy. The decision to invite Ann Coulter wasn’t controversial because for much of their student body, Ann is good, light-hearted entertainment.
On the other hand, Desmond Tutu is precisely the sort of person that rich parents don’t want their darlings to hear. That is STU’s customer base. STU may argue that they have programs that allows an occasional poor kid to be exposed to their extremely conservative rich-kid education, but that hardly excuses their academic sins. Because what they offer is what Veblen called “trained incapacity,” their “generosity” towards the poorer students may actually be their greatest crime of all.
oh, and i know that earlier this year, mark steyn spoke at st. thomas, if you want to play ‘tally the wingnut’…
egregious @ 30
They’re both examples of a horrible imbalance of power in society. Individuals need more than freedom, they need a degree of power, so they can manage their lives. Centralized power structures suck all the air out of the room and leave no alternative views, plans or lives. They do suck the life out of a person — as if they could channel it into some bank account or bottle where they can use it for themselves. In essence they seek to enslave everyone.
What I’d like to know is what is the fundamental structural problem with our Democracy and Capitalism style of society which tends toward letting things slip out of balance (as it did in the 1920s, leading to the great depression and as it has in recent decades).
If we can keep power from slipping away from the many and into the hands of the few, then we might really achieve something new and great.
BTW, the thread down below about dogs certainly shows why this is fireDOGlake.com Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences.
Ed*ard Teller @ 46
—-
“We want you to like us. That’s all, just like us.” — military commanders to Yossarian in Catch-22