Prof. Kirstein on his vision of academic freedom

The DePaul Academic Freedom Conference concluded yesterday. I'm sure the organizers of the event meant well, but in promoting academic freedom, they forgot to put conservative academics on the roster of speakers.

Perhaps next time they'll remember.

The premier apologist for former professors Ward Churchill of the University of Colorado and Norman G. Finkelstein of DePaul, Peter N. Kirstein of Chicago's St. Xavier University, gave a rambling speech in defense of his vision of academic freedom.

Here's how he concluded:

We must confront the new McCarthyism and some of its more prominent acolytes: David Horowitz, Daniel Pipes, Alan Dershowitz, Lynne Cheney and Laura Ingraham and demand that progressive voices will be heard and progressive calls for international peace and security will not be silenced. We must denounce universities that are complicit in this unseemly, autocratic purge of idealistic professors who defy the canon of Judeo-Christian elitism and American exceptionalism. Professors should profess and not be silent. To be silent, is to lie and accept the destruction of academic freedom and the inevitable closing of the American mind.

New McCarthyism? Closing of the American mind?

By having not conservative, or even moderate speakers, the DePaul Academic Freedom Conference achieved just that.

Lynne Cheney, who is of course the wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, is an author, I guess, of subersive children's books, two of which grace Little Marathon Pundit's libary. But Lynne's book on political correctness must have earned Kirstein's ire.

And as I remarked last month in my first post about the conference, why wasn't Thomas Klocek, a former DePaul professor fired for expressing his free speech rights, invited to speak?

H/T to Dr. Steven Plaut, in the snowy land of Israel. Although he's on the balmier coast of the Holy Land.

Related posts:

Ignorance is strength: Free speech at DePaul University
Good God! Free speech tackled at DePaul University
Sept 15: Second anniversary of the beginning of the Thomas Klocek affair
DePaul President Fr. Holtschneider: "Academic freedom is alive and well at DePaul"
CAIR-Chicago recommended that DePaul fire Klocek
FIRE prez: DePaul is a "basketcase"
David Horowitz comes to DePaul
Finkelstein defender Peter Kirstein praised David Irving
DePaul alum Mayor Daley writes recruiting letters for St. Xavier University
Glenn & Helen podcast with Laura Ingraham

Technorati tags: Chicago illinois college education DePaul free speech conservative academic freedom books Norman Finkelstein Thomas Klocek Ward Churchill Kirstein St. Xavier Daniel Pipes Lynne Cheney Laura Ingraham Alan Dershowitz