Eggheads Ordered To "Shape Up!"

[redstar2000]

New Bill Threatens Intellectual Freedom in Area Studies

The International Studies in Higher Education Act of 2003 threatens the freedom of education and classroom curriculum. In 1996 the Solomon Amendment was passed, denying federal funding to any institution of higher learning that refused to allow military recruiters on private and public university campuses. On September 17 of 2003 Congress passed House Resolution 3077, the "International Studies in Higher Education Act of 2003."

It proposes an advisory board that would be responsible for evaluating the curricula taught at Title VI institutions, course materials assigned in class, and even the faculty who are hired in institutions that accept Title VI funding. The advisory board would report to the Secretary of Education and make funding recommendations based on their findings.

Conservative academic Stanley Kurtz testified in support of HR 3077 and the advisory board. Kurtz stated that "the ruling intellectual paradigm in academic area studies is "post-colonial theory." His problem with this idea is that "The core premise of post-colonial theory is that it is immoral for a scholar to put his knowledge of foreign languages and culture at the service of American power." According to Singh, Kurtz argues that "the root of anti-Americanism, is not our repeated missteps abroad, unilateral occupation, or the continuing deaths of innocent civilians, but rather, post-colonial scholarship." He feels that post-colonial theory is the cause for bias against America, driving his conclusion that Title VI programs are putting national security at risk as they indoctrinate their students with a hatred of America.

With the ratification of H. R. 3077, any academic discipline that includes cultural studies will be under the scrutiny of the advisory board. These include African, European, Latin American and Iberian, Middle Eastern and East Asian studies departments as well as any language program. To add to this horrific agenda for control, "professors whose ideological principles may not support U.S. practices abroad can have their appointments terminated, any part of a course’s curriculum containing criticism of U.S. foreign policy can be censored, and any course deemed entirely anti-American can be barred from ever being taught."

"Proponents of HR 3077 insist that no one is forced to agree with government policies unless they want government money" (Michael Bellesiles, Sunday Gazette: Jan 11, 2004).

More... (http://www.projectcensored.org/publications/2005/14.html)

:redstar2000:

The Redstar2000 Papers (http://www.redstar2000papers.fightcapitalism.net)
A site about communist ideas

[Capitalist Imperial]

All this is saying is that the US government won't fund it's own critics and dissidents. I fail to see the problem. If you want to question or criticize America or American policy in an Acedemic forum, well, then fine.

Just don't ask America to pay for it.

Government funding of subversive academia is in no way guaranteed in the constitution, nor should it be.

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

This makes sense. It's terribly reactionary, but if I were a capitalist I would do the same thing. Or should I say, if this were socialism, I would advocate the same thing against reactionaries.

One question, what are title IV institutions? Are these high schools or universities? All universities, or only State colleges?

This will only work to further and increase the repression of freedom and the socialist movement. I know that many Americans who expect the liberal American "left" to prevent this shit from happening won't be too pleased.

On the same note, I'd like to point out that even if the democrats had been in power in congress, this shit still probably would've passed. Know that they're equally as reactionary as the republicans who did this.

Another question, how far in the process is this bill? The article says it was passed by congress, but has the president already seen it? Have both houses already seen it? Was it passed by a joint committee as well?

[redstar2000]

All this is saying is that the US government won't fund its own critics and dissidents.

True...but when you think about how dependent higher education is on federal money, the consequence is that the "critics and dissidents" won't be hired at all.

All the graduates will emerge stuffed with pro-American prejudices, ready and eager to apply their "knowledge" in service to the empire.

Perhaps that sounds appealing to you.

But wait! What happens to a person or a government that is never criticized?

You know what happens. Their heads get bigger and bigger; their fantasies become ever more baroque and completely divorced from reality.

In the end they become like Hitler in his bunker, moving "armies" around a map to "defend Berlin"...armies that no longer existed.

You see, I did not post this item to "reproach" the American ruling class for their hostility to "freedom of education"...like some whiny liberal.

Instead, I think it is symptomatic...of a frightened ruling class that no longer wishes to hear "disturbing truths".

Instead of shooting the messengers, the new emperors simply want the messengers to "always bring good news".

And they will...it just won't be true, that's all. :D

:redstar2000:

The Redstar2000 Papers (http://www.redstar2000papers.fightcapitalism.net)
A site about communist ideas

[Osman Ghazi]

All this is saying is that the US government won't fund it's own critics

What is wrong with criticism? How will they know when they're wrong? Are you seriously telling me that the people in the White House are smarter than the ones who taught them everything they know?

[inquisitive_socialist]

the other comparison one could make is to the novel 1984 by george orwell. there was no bad news. all news was good even if it was a cut in rations or news from the warfront. if the government won't fund its oppostion its simply feuling its ego as redstar stated. I find it somewhat funny that the goverment has taken so long to get around to this. i figured the goverment would have decided to deny funding to its critics long ago. the us goverment for all its promisies in the bill of rights has allowed very little criticism. the army would not allow journalists to photograph the coffins of american soldiers or the planes full of wounded being sent back because they felt that the american public couldn't handle these images.

[Capitalist Imperial]

Do you really think that the US government should pay for it though?

I mean, my college history classes were prtty objective, and they discussed atrocities by the US government and it's agents quite a bit. This was standard state-college curriculum that is not subject to this proposal. "The Peoples History of the United States" and boos like it will still be readily available and taught as standard text.

I think this bill is intended to address the more extreme subversives that cross the line from objectiveness to vehement Anti-Americanism.

I certainly don't want my tax dollars going to that, and neither do the vast majority of Americans.

[ComradeRed]

I certainly don't want my tax dollars going to that, and neither do the vast majority of Americans. Yes, all fascists want to have their money used to suppress the minds of the youth into submission to the state!

[Osman Ghazi]

I think this bill is intended to address the more extreme subversives that cross the line from objectiveness to vehement Anti-Americanism.


Please. You know that it doesn't matter what it is for. The only thing that matters is what it can be used for. For example, the 14th Amendment was created for for the express purpose of giving freedom to former slaves and maintaining it. But, it was used about 14 times as much to guarantee corporate personhood. (Literally 14 times, Between 1890 and 1911, only 19 of about 300 14th Amendment cases were brought by blacks; the rest, corporations.)

[Capitalist Imperial]

Originally posted by [email protected] 1 2004, 09:46 PM
Yes, all fascists want to have their money used to suppress the minds of the youth into submission to the state!
Next time try to come back with more than a canned response from the shelf of commie-mart.

1) I'm not a fascist.

2) America has plenty of resources on all scholols of thought. Your statement holds no water. Like I said previously, even my required state-college history class spent a lot of time focusing on American atrocities and questionable practices/policies, both domestic and abroad. So, I'm sure that history and liberal arts majors get even more exposure, let alone campus clubs and societies, and we're not even getting into political action groups, independent publications, or the net.

None of these sources are threatened by this bill.

[ComradeRed]

Next time try to come back with more than a canned response from the shelf of commie-mart. Look who's talking! :lol:


1) I'm not a fascist. Oh, I am terribly "sorry". Imperialist, then, does that suite you? Freakin' fascists


2) America has plenty of resources on all scholols of thought. Really? Have you been to an American grammar school? Or a high school? The idea of an "american education" is merely an elaborate, biased game of trivial pursuit!! Biased, of course, for U$ fascism/imperialism(take your pick).


Like I said previously, even my required state-college history class spent a lot of time focusing on American atrocities and questionable practices/policies, both domestic and abroad. So, I'm sure that history and liberal arts majors get even more exposure, let alone campus clubs and societies, and we're not even getting into political action groups, independent publications, or the net. So only those who are "special" enough to go to college gets to receive a good education! After the arduous games of trivial pursuit, there is finally something that loosely resembles a good education! Sounds like a "good" system to me.