[PEN-L:1193] Re: Emergency civil liberties appeal for Jim Craven's right to privacy

[Rosser Jr, John Barkley]

    I am not going to reproduce here my message to the 
Clark College president.  But I shall note that I included 
in it a suggestion that Interim Vice President Ramsey be 
removed from office for his abuse of academic freedom.
     BTW, here at James Madison University we have finally 
succeeded in getting our longtime president, Ronald Carrier 
removed (forced to retire actually).  An economist, he had 
been in power for 27 years, had become corrupt and 
megalomaniacal, and had taken to trying to fire faculty 
critical of him, including those with tenure (attempted to 
eliminate the whole physics department just to get at one 
critic, a close friend of mine). It took his involvement in 
a murder-prostitution scandal to finally force him out, no 
shit! Given what was going on here, I know that if I did 
not have tenure I would be currently unemployed, at least 
at this institution.  That is a fact that should be taken 
into account when anybody debates with me about academic 
tenure. I have seen up close and personal, power hungry 
administrators going after faculty they don't like for 
political and personal reasons, including tenured ones.  
These bozos will use any weapon they can get their hands on 
to get their way.  This is my major problem with the 
critics of tenure.  Just who do they think is going to be 
firing faculty and on what grounds?  Some of these 
administrators are just plain scum and should not have more 
power than they already do.  Lots of them are just wannabe 
corporate CEOs and plantation owners.
Barkley Rosser
On Tue, 24 Nov 1998 17:14:15 +1100 Ajit Sinha 
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> At 18:30 22/11/98 -0500, you wrote:
> 
> Anyway, here is a copy of the letter I sent. If the address was right, then
> it went to the right place.
> 
> Professor Tana Hasart
> President, Clark College
> 
> Dear Professor Hasart,
> 
> I have learnt that there is an attempt to suppress the freedom of speech of
> a senior academic of your college, Professor Jim Craven, due to his
> unorthodox political views; as it appears from the below cited
> communication from Chuck Ramsey, Interim Vice President of Instruction. 
> 
> Professor Craven is well known in the international academic cerciles for
> being a good scholar and a man of high integrity. If freedom of speech is
> not secure in an academic institution, then where should we look for it? I
> think this sort of actions do not augur well for Western democracy. And
> definitely gives a bad name to your college. I hope you will intervene
> personally and restore Professor Craven's right to free speech without
> intimidation and harassment. Thank you.
> 
> Sincerely,
> Dr. Ajit Sinha    
> 
> FROM: Chuck Ramsey, Interim Vice President of Instruction
> 
> TO: Professor Jim Craven
> 
> "We have received a complaint/expression of concern about your use of
> College e-mail. So that I may gather relevant information about the
> complaint, you are hereby directed to provide paper copies of all e-mails
> you have sent or received, using College e-mail or other electronic
> resources, that name or refer, directly or indirectly, to Kevin Annett. You
> are directed to provide paper copies of all these e-mails to the Office of
> Instruction no later than 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 24, 1998."
> ________________
> 
> >In the course of getting to know Jim Craven, I have been made privy to his
> >various battles in Indian country and academia. Jim is a Blackfoot Indian
> >who teaches economics at Clark College in Washington State. Lately fights
> >in these two worlds have become meshed in such a way as to threaten his
> >employment. These are the facts.
> >
> >Jim has been embroiled in various battles with the College administration
> >for a number of years, mainly revolving around issues like corruption, due
> >process, hiring and academic standards. Jim is not only an outspoken
> >radical, but has a blunt and uncompromising style. His tenure has protected
> >him, but he has become such a thorn in the side of the administration that
> >they are trying to fire him nonetheless.
> >
> >Part of the ammunition they are trying to use against him involves his role
> >in exposing a former cleric named Kevin Annett. As an expert witness in an
> >inquiry on residential schools in Canada (based on dubious credentials, as
> >it turned out), Annett used his access to testimony in order to promote his
> >career. The material on videotapes of horribly abused Canadian Indians
> >found their way into an article Annett wrote for some journal. The material
> >was used without the permission of the Indian victims and activists, who
> >are organized in a group called Circle of Justice. Annett was once a member
> >of the group but has been expelled for his high-handed behavior.
> >
> >Jim has been a forceful spokesman for the Circle of Justice people and has
> >written both private and public email making their case for returning the
> >tapes. Annett has now contacted Clark College and demand that they do
> >something about Jim, whose criticisms of Annett have made their mark.
> >
> >This is a communication that Jim just received from a Clark College
> >administrator:
> >
> >FROM: Chuck Ramsey, Interim Vice President of Instruction
> >
> >TO: Professor Jim Craven
> >
> >"We have received a complaint/expression of concern about your use of
> >College e-mail. So that I may gather relevant information about the
> >complaint, you are hereby directed to provide paper copies of all e-mails
> >you have sent or received, using College e-mail or other electronic
> >resources, that name or refer, directly or indirectly, to Kevin Annett. You
> >are directed to provide paper copies of all these e-mails to the Office of
> >Instruction no later than 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 24, 1998."
> >
> >Jim has asked me to contact people wide and far to send email to Clark
> >College to protest this violation of his political expression and right to
> >privacy. The school has no right to demand that he turn over his private
> >email. Jim is even conscientious enough to include the words "My Employer
> >has no association with my private/protected OPINION" at the end of all his
> >communications.
> >
> >Email supporting Jim's right to privacy should be sent to President Tana
> >Hasart ([EMAIL PROTECTED]).
> >
> >
> >Louis Proyect
> >(http://www.panix.com/~lnp3/marxism.html)
> >
> >
> 

-- 
Rosser Jr, John Barkley
[EMAIL PROTECTED]