Subject: Lynne Cheney-Joe Lieberman group puts out a blacklist 
Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2001 12:47:42 -0800



Published Thursday, Dec. 13, 2001, in the San Jose Mercury News


Lynne Cheney-Joe Lieberman group puts out a blacklist


BY ROBERTO J. GONZALEZ
AN aggressive attack on freedom has been launched upon America's college
campuses. Its perpetrators seek the elimination of ideas and activities that
place Sept. 11 in historical context, or critique the so-called war on
terrorism.

The offensive, spearheaded by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a
Washington-based group, threatens free speech, democratic debate and the
integrity of higher education. In an incendiary report, ``Defending
Civilization: How Our Universities Are Failing America,'' the American
Council claims that ``colleges and university faculty have been the weak
link in America's response'' to Sept. 11. It also asserts that ``when a
nation's intellectuals are unwilling to defend its civilization, they give
comfort to its adversaries.''

The report documents 117 campus incidents as ``evidence'' of
anti-Americanism. More than 40 professors are named, including the president
of Wesleyan University, who suggested in an open letter that ``disparities
and injustices'' in American society and the world can lead to hatred and
violence.

Other examples abound. A Yale professor is criticized for saying, ``It is
from the desperate, angry and bereaved that these suicide pilots came.'' A
professor emeritus from the University of Oregon is listed for recommending
that ``we need to understand the reasons behind the terrifying hatred
directed against the U.S. and find ways to act that will not foment more
hatred for generations to come.''

Dozens more comments, taken out of context and culled from secondary
sources, are presented as examples of an unpatriotic academy.

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni was founded in 1995 by Lynne
Cheney, the vice president's wife, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman. Its Website
claims that it contributed $3.4 billion to colleges and universities last
year, making it ``the largest private source of support for higher
education.'' Cheney is cited several times in the report, and is reportedly
a close associate of its authors, Jerry Martin and Anne Neal.

Although the council's stated objectives include the protection of academic
freedom, the report resembles a blacklist. In a chilling use of doublespeak,
it affirms the right of professors to speak out, yet condemns those who have
attempted to give context to Sept. 11, encourage critical thinking, or share
knowledge about other cultures. Faculty are accused of being ``short on
patriotism'' for attempting to give students the analytical tools they need
to become informed citizens.

Many of those blacklisted are top scholars in their fields, and it appears
that the report represents a kind of academic terrorism designed to strike
fear into other academics by making examples of respected professors.

The report might also function to extend control over sites of democratic
debate -- our universities -- where freedom of expression is not only
permitted but encouraged.

At my campus, symposiums, teach-ins and lectures about religion, terrorism,
central Asia, the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy have been organized
recently. A teach-in entitled ``Background for Understanding'' drew hundreds
of students, faculty and citizens from many political and intellectual
perspectives. The audience had the opportunity to ask questions and comment
freely. The discussion was lively and at times contentious.

As a microcosm of society, the university is a place where people of
different ethnicities, religions, generations, and class backgrounds
exchange ideas and opinions. Anyone who has visited Bay Area colleges knows
that they are especially rich places for intercultural exchange.

The vigorous and often heated debates typical of such encounters are a
hallmark of democratic processes. On most campuses this can still be done
freely, but official accusations of anti-Americanism might intimidate and
silence some voices.

That is not patriotism, but fascism. The American Council's position is
inaccurate and irresponsible. Critique, debate, and exchange -- not blind
consensus or self-censorship -- have characterized America since its
inception.

Our universities are not failing America. On the contrary, they are among
the few institutions offering alternatives to canned mainstream media
reports.

The targeting of scholars who participate in civic debates might signal the
emergence of a new McCarthyism directed at the academy. Before it escalates
into a full-blown witch hunt in the name of ``defending civilization,''
faculty, students and citizens should speak out against these acts of
academic terrorism.

Roberto J. Gonzalez is an assistant professor in the Department of
Anthropology at San Jose State University.





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