BANNING FREE SPEECH AND FREE INQUIRY AT AN AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

I have had many computer problems in November and December, causing me to spend considerable time before the screen but accomplishing less.  One story close to home deserves a comment.  I reside a block from Marquette University in Milwaukee.  I am not affiliated with Marquette, I just live in the neighborhood.
A teaching assistant at Marquette, teaching ethics, cut off discussion of a topic, contending that if it were debated, it might offend some students.  A professor in the Political Science Dept. heard of the incident, heard what the squelched student recorded on tape, and the professor then commented about the incident on his blog.  As a result, at the moment, the professor, John McAdams is barred from the Marquette U. campus.  I am now able to include a comment I wrote for Breitbart.com about the banning of McAdams.  Hugh Murray

humura • 10 days ago

McAdams has taught at Marquette for 37 years. The name of his blog is a snipe at the politically correct Marquette U. administrators who some years ago changed the mascot from The Warriors to the Golden Eagles, because of fear of offending some Amerindians. McAdams also runs a major site on the assassination of Pres. JFK. McAdams is an authority, a tenured professor, and one with courage to speak out when he learnt that a student was bullied by a TA who teaches ethics and decrees that even to debate gay marriage is homophobic. From her action in this matter, I would conclude that she is a dreadful teacher, unwilling to discuss basic issues of ethics. She should be criticized for her authoritarian approach.
I do not agree with Prof. McAdams on the JFK assassination, and probably disagree with him on gay marriage. But he is RIGHT to defend the role of a university in permitting differing views to be discussed in classes, especially an ethics class. The TA is the bully, and the tyrant in this matter. And the university administration is worse. It is seeking to destroy free inquiry in the classrooms and promote politically correct conformity. And its banning of McAdams from campus and teaching is scandalous.
Banning McAdams is a loss to McAdams, a loss to Marquette, and a loss to freedom of inquiry throughout American academies.