Gazing ever so briefly in the mirror, Churchill and his sycophants see no evil. Meanwhile, his critics want to ensure that he speaks no more evil. Both sides have become amazingly irrational and spectacularly wrong.
It seems like nearly everyone has chimed in on the hottest issue of the day… except the acerbic wits at the Rocky Mountain Progressive Network. With frequent biting commentary on most any news tidbit of political or cultural significance in Colorado, the Democrat Party-affiliated RMPN has approached the Churchill controversy with startling silence. While most of their Democrat friends in the Capitol were at least willing to condemn the substance of Churchill’s rancorous essay, RMPN has skirted the issue altogether.
Perhaps they would condemn the professor’s statements but defend his right to continuing employment. Perhaps they would hold him up as an imagined First Amendment martyr. Perhaps they secretly cherish his America-hating views. Perhaps they might agree with Governor Owens but are afraid to admit it. Until the RMPN speaks, we are left to speculate.
Manufacturing a weak integrity argument to justify free speech violations…
It started in a federal Court in Pittsburgh and has moved quickly to Colorado Universtity and Iraq. It’s a stretch, but political hacks have besieged first amendment free speech protections.
They attempt to combine a provacative essay comparing victims of 911 with Nazi criminals and an emotionally charged General’s comments on war, questioning whether such is permissible when the comments may cause damaged to an institution’s integrity.
Why?
Because in a Pittsburgh federal court a well connected corporate crony has suggested the novice argument, and the legal question is waddling without any legal precedent in need of an activist court.
Thus the current unexplained campaign against “free speech” appears to be little more than a Madison Avenue scheme to control any discussion of the President’s desire to privatize higher education.
That is, a number of for-profit colleges have faced inquiries, lawsuits and other actions calling into question the way they inflate enrollment to mislead/increase the value of their parent company’s stock.
In the last year, the Career Education Corporation of Hoffman Estates, Ill., has faced lawsuits, from shareholders and students, contending that, among other things, its colleges have inflated enrollment numbers. In addition, F.B.I. agents raided 10 campuses run by ITT Educational Services of Carmel, Ind., looking for similar problems.
But in a Pittsburgh federal court there is a bigger can of worms.
Kaplan, Inc., is wholly own by the Washington Post Company. For-profit postsecondary education has turned the company around and individuals far more powerful than Martha Steward have made millions. However, there is a nominal “Watergate” styled federal court proceeding (scandal) involving campus “free speech,” that could expose the administration’s violation of public trust
In short, I provided the S.E.C., Department of Education, and federal courts information that appears to prove Kaplan inflated the Concord School of Law enrollment, telling investors that the “flagship” of its higher education division has as many as 600 to 1000 or more students.
I also provided evidence to prove apparent violations of sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder.
However, in an attempt to protect important icons of the Washington and New York financial/political circle, hacks have been hired to stir a free speech controversy.
But even Stan Chess (En Passant http://lawtv.typepad.com/en_passant/2004/a_question_of_l.html) innocently questioned the obvious – a clear violation of the federal securities laws.
“Kaplan’s Concord School of Law says it’s one of the largest law schools in the country, yet for each administration only about 25 of its graduates sit for the bar exam. What happens to the hundreds of other students in each class?”
What are you willing to do?
Way to call ’em out Ben.
Jim