University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case • Hacker News Board

Re: University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

#481

Post by blindmute » Thu, Nov 04, 2021, 11:35 AM UTC

curryst wrote: post #247

elliekelly wrote: post #10

I have a colleague who does environmental litigation. (Think Erin Brockovich.) They have a big civil case against a large energy company in a southern, “energy-friendly” state. They had an expert witness all lined up - a professor at the (public!) state university. Well this expert happened to be up for tenure and was (allegedly) told in no uncertain terms that, should they testify as an expert witness in this case,…

It's because government power has creeped to a degree where it's no longer feasible to inflict any kind of punishment, so accountability is impossible. We basically have the options of complaining on the internet, complaining in person at a protest, or full on violent revolt. They've removed all the options to revolt in a way that harms the government without you needing to be ready to die for the cause. Something li…

Nothing whatsoever has changed about the power imbalance between people and government. The only thing different between the tea party and now is that back then, a lot of people were willing to kill, be killed, and be jailed for their political beliefs. Almost no one at all is still willing to risk this.

I could write a whole thesis, and I'm sure someone has, about the decline of honor or idealism or whatever you want to call this spirit. Point is, the valuation of the self has never been so high in history before, nor the comforts. Who is going to risk death by cop today when they have such comfortable lives? And it's not just comforts, but a change in attitides; the tea party folk were quite comfortable, more than most today, and they were absolutely prepared for jail.

Re: University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

#482

Post by jhgb » Fri, Nov 05, 2021, 11:31 PM UTC

clairity wrote: post #214

ianai wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree. With all the anti-democratic practices being rolled out across the states it’s pretty scary to imagine things even a year from now and a long time forward. Life threats against election officials and all the way up to Senators. Gerrymandering. Even the SCOTUS is biased. Seems civics in the US are about to be rigged for one party rule.

we’ve been oligarchic since at least the 90s, so it doesn’t really matter that there are two major parties. in fact, having two parties has been an effective shield against criticism and activism, keeping us distracted (see every comment on hn and beyond that mentions democrat/republican, liberal/conservative, etc.) from the real roots of our growing inequality and stagnation. consolidation of power, wealth and influ…

> we’ve been oligarchic since at least the 90s

You mean the 1890s?

Re: University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

#483

Post by rsj_hn » Sat, Nov 06, 2021, 12:00 AM UTC

jhgb wrote: post #482

clairity wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

we’ve been oligarchic since at least the 90s, so it doesn’t really matter that there are two major parties. in fact, having two parties has been an effective shield against criticism and activism, keeping us distracted (see every comment on hn and beyond that mentions democrat/republican, liberal/conservative, etc.) from the real roots of our growing inequality and stagnation. consolidation of power, wealth and influ…

> we’ve been oligarchic since at least the 90s You mean the 1890s?

1790s

But I would say "oligarchic tendencies" rather than a pure oligarchy, which is the natural and default state of the world once you chop off the head of the monarch and no longer have power vested in a single individual -- it devolves to a smaller group of more powerful individuals.

But elections and popular movements are still in the mix as well, and occasionally make an impact. Thus it's an oligarchy influenced by popular pressures, which is a pretty good classification of all non-monarchic/non-dictatorial governments.

Re: University of Florida bars professors from testifying in a voting rights case

#484

Post by bsanr » Sat, Nov 06, 2021, 5:46 PM UTC

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #476

bsanr wrote: post #475

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Packing the Supreme Court because you can't trust the justices appointed by the right to vote the right way? As much as I wish we would have breached this point of trust by now, liberals have never actually packed the Supreme Court. >That crazy plan to make a separate state out of each DC neighborhood, so that DC would have dozens of senators? I have never heard of this. Please focus on things that have actually hap…

I'm not sure what you think that article demonstrates. It certainly doesn't demonstrate that "The Right has never trusted the Left with the right to vote". I will give you that there have been times when the Right has not trusted the Left with the right to vote. I will give you that in some places, that is true right now. But a general, sweeping statement? "Never"? C'mon. You're simply wrong.

It demonstrates that

>conservatives are married to a century-and-a-half-long campaign of doing whatever it takes to try to restrict voting along lines of identity (sex, race, class, location), and that liberals are the ones trying to get the citizens, of a country that prides itself on its free and fair democracy, to vote

The protected classes in question tend to vote with the Left. Therefore, the Right has largely, generally, in sweeping fashion, resisted the extension and protection of major portions of the Left's right to vote. "Never" is the correct word. You are wrong.