Welcome to the Hyper Security State, Post 9-11. Where your privacy and personal freedom are superseded by national security, as defined by whoever has the most power and influence. Hmmmm, are conservatives really that frightened by terrorists? Enough to give up the right to bear arms, free speech, freedom of worship?

I think David has invented the first SPAM post. This post reads just like much of the junk email I get in my Inbox. I suggest that posters be a bit less lazy and actually inform readers what they are linking through to. I did follow the link and found it to be a topic that didn't interest me, but may have interested others who may not have followed it, since they didn't know what it was about.

An interesting piece by itself, but far more interesting considered in the context of the debate about the academic freedom of another embattled figure - Professor Ward Churchill of the University of Colorado.

Lecturer Liner was by most accounts an excellent teacher of a critically important subject. She has not (to my knowledge falsified her record in any way. Professor Churchill is a professor of 'ethnic studies' (whatever that is) who garners mixed views as a teacher in a discipline of perhaps questionable rigor and value. Moreover it appears that he has acquired his tenured position in part by claiming background he does npt posess.

Lecturer Liner has been discharged - apparently for her views expressed on the blog. Professor Churchill has not been discharged and probably will not be.

Yet whom is it who recieves of waves support because of 'academic freedom? Professor Churchill of course. Very little has been heard about the case of Lecturer Liner.

I conclude that the concern is not 'academic freedom' but about the sanctity of the tenure system. Which makes it about power and not 'academic speech' after all.....

Please try to keep this in mind after you achieve tenure, professors and try to be consistent. The Liner's are if anything MORE important thanthe Churchills - because of what they show about the belief system of the academiat.....