UNH Professor Bill Woodward isn't in the least bit scary. US Senator Judd Gregg, on the other hand, is.
All Americans rallied together after we were attacked on September 11. The stars and stripes were everywhere. We renewed patriotism and recommitted ourselves to the threatened liberties we too often take for granted.
Today those constitutional liberties are threatened by puffed up grandstanders who have the gall to call themselves conservative.
May I quote His Aristocratic Majesty on a course to be taught by Professor Woodward dealing with psychological effects of 9/11, which of course include the topic of conspiracy theories surrounding the attacks:
"In my view, there are limitations to academic freedom and freedom of speech. I believe it is inappropriate for someone at a public university which is supported with taxpayer dollars to take positions that are generally an affront to the sensibility of most all Americans."
The man is clearly unfamiliar with the very concept of freedom of speech. No one is yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater. All Woodward is doing is stimulating learning.
One of Woodwards students, Zack Bazzi, who served with the National Guard in Iraq said professors should not be censored for exposing students to radical ideas, “It’s America. It’s a free country.” I pray we remain a free country in the face of attacks like Gregg’s.
The student pointed out that academic freedom is even more important at a publicly funded institution like UNH, “where most of us regular folks go that can't afford to go to private schools.” Then again, this is really not new. Judd Gregg has never been mistaken for one who respects the common folk.
Gregg's respect for freedom of speech is matched by his sentiments toward journalists, like Pulitzer Prize winning Seymour Hersh. To wit: "America has many characters. We have Donald Duck and Seymour Hersh and they're approximately in the same category. And I give them the same credibility."
High and mighty politicians like Gregg are comfortable with force-teaching antiscientific creationism. An opposition party is clearly unpatriotic to them, they’d rather see enforced fealty to The President and The Party, to the ruling elite. And he calls Professor Woodward a threat.
The mother of a UNH student said, “I don’t think young people need Sen. Gregg’s protection from the indoctrination of a leftist professor. They are more than able to think for themselves.” Ah, maybe that's what's really bothering Judd.
In all the hoopla around Woodward’s inclusion of conspiracy theories in his course, Hillsborough's Deborah Whitaker, whose daughter is a recent UNH grad, said in a letter to the editor, “MY outrage is with Senator Gregg’s comment. Freedom of speech is, after all, what we're fighting for. His position is an affront to the sensibility of those Americans like myself who believe in the foundation of the Constitution and the right to speak out against the government, especially in the classroom.”
By the time you are reading this, he whole Woodward incident will probably be old forgotten news, as it should be. This is due, in large measure, to the cooler heads of the University System prevailing. Interim President Bonnie Newman (a Republican, by the way) recognized the objective of the 9/11 terrorists was to “destroy the United States of America, the freedoms we enjoy, and the principles that guide our democracy. Among these principles is freedom of speech.”
Provost Bruce Mallory recognized that “Some degree of discomfort often helps learning.” No student or parent has complained about Woodward, that is left for self-righteous self-serving politicians.
The Constitution was not created to protect soothing speech. Our basic American rights are chiseled in stone to protect speech which some may find offensive.
No doubt, students critical thinking skills are stimulated by Woodward's leading discussions of theories of conspiracy at the highest levels of government. Good for UNH. And shame on those who would intimidate the university and undermine our Constitution; they are the real threat.