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Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Patrick in lecture

texastribune.org

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Re: Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Patrick in lecture

#111

Post by amanaplanacanal »

confoundcofound wrote: post #59
Animats wrote: post #26

Crackdowns on free speech are increasing worldwide. Afghanistan, Russia, China, Hong Kong, Florida, Texas... Israel just reached the using fire hoses on protestors level.[1] [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/25/world/middleeast/israel-j...

This is what happens when free speech is not valued and defended throughout our culture. Politics is downstream from culture. When we are OK with, and often encouraging of, private censorship, we shift the Overton window and provide moral cover for politicians and government entities to further consolidate power. This story is a prime example. People who peddle the argument that the 1st amendment only protects you fr…

everybody (to a first approximation) supports private censorship. If you come into my house and insult my family or friends, or start in on a racist tirade, I’m kicking you out. Are there people who really wouldn’t do this?

Re: Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Patrick in lecture

#112

Post by bachmeier »

ceejayoz wrote: post #35
bachmeier wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd be interested to hear how this could fall under the second classification. The professor in this case wasn't even working directly with the politician.

You can be a public employee without being a direct report to the Governor.

Well I get that, but I'm curious what would be the "government employees' work product" in this case, using the Supreme Court's chosen phrase. The case you linked is about someone doing their job in a way that his bosses thought was wrong. It just happened to involved speech. I don't see the connection to this case. To the extent that the criticism of the politician was related to that person's work duties, it's because they're paid by a public university to share opinions related to their expertise.

Re: Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Patrick in lecture

#113

Post by vel0city »

idopmstuff wrote: post #104
rayiner wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

> How is repercussions for criticizing your employer a free speech issue? When your employer is the government, it clearly is. The biggest reason we have free speech in this country is so that the government cannot punish people for speaking up against it.

The government can punish employees when the speech is pursuant to their position as a public employee. A DMV worker saying "lets go Brandon" to everyone coming through the door while they're at the desk is not protected speech. That DMV worker getting off the clock and attending a Trump rally is.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garcetti_v._Ceballos

Re: Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Patrick in lecture

#114

Post by Domenic_S »

ubermonkey wrote: post #90
mikeyouse wrote: post #34

It's worth knowing more details than the headline here: 1. Professor Joy Alonzo, who's an expert in Opiod harm-reduction gave a talk where according to all accounts, she mildly critiqued the Lt. Governor and state's preferences for punitive approaches for drug control and that they are considered Federal non-reporters on Opioid stats since they don't collect the data required. 2. Dawn Buckingham, the TX Land Commissi…

[flagged]

Please save the low-quality mudslinging for Reddit.

Re: Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Patrick in lecture

#115

Post by ROTMetro »

vxNsr wrote: post #18
pityJuke wrote: post #14

As Nilay Patel from the Verge put it [1] >Your regular reminder that the biggest threat to free speech is the government. > Complaining about social platforms moderating content according to their whims is just how politicians distract you from how fast they’ve all gotten sick of the First Amendment. This story is outrageous — no one will even say what this professor allegedly said that was so offensive! [1]: https:/…

Exactly which is why it’s a huge problem when the tech companies act in lock step with government officials.

Now do the Government and tech companies bypassing the right to privacy by 'purchasing' our data. If the Government asking to take something down is a violation of our rights the government asking for private information is a violation of our rights.

Re: Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Patrick in lecture

#116

Post by ecf »

bozhark wrote: post #84
Animats wrote: post #26

Crackdowns on free speech are increasing worldwide. Afghanistan, Russia, China, Hong Kong, Florida, Texas... Israel just reached the using fire hoses on protestors level.[1] [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/25/world/middleeast/israel-j...

Israel just removed their judicial branches ability to review government actions. The hose just got a lot bigger.

The amount of taxpayer $$$ that Israel claws from the US in the name of religion was already quite sickening. Now they’re getting that money while simultaneously switching to a totalitarian government.

Re: Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Patrick in lecture

#117

Post by throwaway38475 »

neilv wrote: post #83
vkou wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Texas's attorney general has had been both state, and federally indicted for fraud for the past 8 years, and has successfully stalled the case, on the basis[1] that as long as he's a Republican politician, he can't get a fair trial. He's only been impeached for it this year . There is no oversight to be had in that kind of single-party state. If you're wondering about what the end game of that sort of thing looks lik…

How do tech workers in Texas cities like Austin feel about being under that?

I live in Austin and I hate it here. I vote in every local and statewide race but it seems like it's getting worse.

I'm pretty close to selling my house and moving to Colorado but as third generation Texan I feel like I'm abandoning my home and leaving it to the crazies.

Re: Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Patrick in lecture

#118

Post by lokar »

treis wrote: post #98
mikeyouse wrote: post #34

It's worth knowing more details than the headline here: 1. Professor Joy Alonzo, who's an expert in Opiod harm-reduction gave a talk where according to all accounts, she mildly critiqued the Lt. Governor and state's preferences for punitive approaches for drug control and that they are considered Federal non-reporters on Opioid stats since they don't collect the data required. 2. Dawn Buckingham, the TX Land Commissi…

What did she say?

Tellingly, the school won’t say

Re: Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Patrick in lecture

#119

Post by kergonath »

nverno wrote: post #31
kevingadd wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that really the right takeaway here? Do you think a private university based in Texas wouldn't have done the same thing?

Probably not. The Texas A&M chancellor is elected by the board of regents, selected by the Governor of Texas. This is true for many (all?) state systems (eg. the board of governors, appointed by the state politicians, picks the UNC head chancellor). So, that position is always under political pressure. This is not true at privates.

Private entities are immune from corruption and never collude with politicians? People do not get fired for political reasons at private institutions?

You show a mechanism through which the government can abuse its power, which is terrible and everyone should agree that it’s bad and change how this works. But how not having that implies that a chancellor picked by a board with no oversight could not be worse? The problem is the lack of checks against abuse of power and mechanisms to guarantee a basic independence level for the professors. Once you have those in place, how is a university better merely by being private?

I wish free-market neo-liberals would apply to themselves what they say every time someone mentions socialism: pure ideology might sound good but does not work in the real world.

Re: Texas A&M suspended professor accused of criticizing Lt. Gov. Patrick in lecture

#120

Post by amanaplanacanal »

tick_tock_tick wrote: post #23
pityJuke wrote: post #14

As Nilay Patel from the Verge put it [1] >Your regular reminder that the biggest threat to free speech is the government. > Complaining about social platforms moderating content according to their whims is just how politicians distract you from how fast they’ve all gotten sick of the First Amendment. This story is outrageous — no one will even say what this professor allegedly said that was so offensive! [1]: https:/…

> Your regular reminder that the biggest threat to free speech is the government. Absolute though it crosses over with social platforms alot. There is currently an injunction against the Biden administration to stop them from instructing social platform on what to censor.

No there isn’t. It was stayed by a higher court.
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