ACTA's Must-Reads
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Correcting the Record
On Friday, Inside Higher Ed ran an op-ed entitled "Connecting the Dots" by Alan Jones. Jones' piece contains many errors, but I will only correct those that directly pertain to ACTA.
Contrary to Jones' assertions otherwise, ACTA (under an earlier name) was founded in 1995, not 1994--and not by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, which had an alumni effort of its own, called the Forum for University Stewardship Project. And ACTA is bipartisan, as documents clearly show. Its National Council includes New Republic publisher Martin Peretz, Carter Administration official Hans Mark, and former Colorado Governor Richard D. Lamm, all certifiable Democrats, not to mention the fact that Senator Joseph Lieberman also helped launch the organization.
That Jones is a college dean, whose decisions influence whether his campus invites a diversity of views, is not reassuring.
Posted by aneal at June 20, 2006 09:38 AM
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Comments
In a polemic comment following the Inside Higher Ed link to the Op-Ed by Dean of the Faculty Alan Jones at Pitzer, there is a diatribe about ACTA and the 'ACTA blogger.' Since the ACTA blogger is clearly identified, one does wonder why the author of the comment continues to act as if 'the ACTA blogger' is a mystery person.
Some clips:
'But if ACTA is looking to respond to Dean Jones's article, I have a very simple suggestion: they should list on their website who all of their contributors are (including foundations), and how much money they have received from each one. Sunlight, after all, is the best disinfectant, right ACTA?'
....
'The ACTA blogger once accused me of 'opining in paranoid terms about what's wrong with ACTA's work". Well, here's your chance, ACTA blogger. Show me I'm paranoid. Show us that Dean Jones is totally up a tree. Prove once and for all that all this talk of right-wing foundations is just a big conspiracy theory.'
And how does Mr. Sunshine-is-the-Best-Disinfectant sign his name?
"Unapologetically Tenured"
Posted by: Mike McKeown at June 20, 2006 04:25 PM
Hear, hear .. first, apparently Mr. U.T. has never heard of Google, or he wouldn't have been dumb enough to post this ".. who all of their contributors are (including foundations) and how much money .."
All my students Google prospective dates, employers, et al. One only hopes Mr. U.T. finds his way to the 21th century and Google.
As to the tenured radicals who blather that "sunshine is best for all" --
As soon as they get all the TENURED law professors and law schools in the FAIR case to publicly identify themselves -- we, the untenured independents, will consider idenifying ourselves.
Holy good night, there is so much crap and waste in higher-ed, it is unbelievable. A six-month shut-down, to go over the books and goals, could only improve things.
Posted by: Bart J. at June 21, 2006 07:10 PM