Kansas professor placed on administrative leave after controversial tweet

While I respect his right to free speech, I also respect his employers right to keep him from making them look like idiots.

Being stupid SHOULD hurt, unfortunately he will probably sue and win back pay + pain and suffering.
 
It's in everyone's best interest for professors to be able to say nearly anything without repercussions from government actors (which a public university is). Free speech is an important principle, but free speech in such a setting is especially important, as restricting it teaches the next generation that free thought and free debate isn't as important as everyone not having their precious feelings hurt.

He should be shunned, ridiculed, and derided by all. If this means nobody wants to take his classes, that's something the University should deal with. But in the mean time he shouldn't suffer government retaliation.
 
Perhaps it will deter his liberal mind bending colleagues from forcing their ideologies on the next generation of students currently enrolled in universities across the country today. Stick to education and the curriculum please professor.
 
Tenure. The point of which is to allow academics to propose and support unpopular views without public, political or administrative penalty. He is an asshat. But he will not be fired and I cannot support his firing. As much as I oppose his views. Want to blame someone? Blame the Catholic church. If they had left Copernicus and Galileo alone, simply ignored them instead of persecuting them, their ideas would eventually have been accepted and no one would have shit on their face.

But, 400 years later, we have a system to protect academics because politicians are all *******s. Can't argue the benefits of such as system. Politicians ARE all *******s.

Oh, and douchebags, global warming is real. Just ask your kids in 100 years. Tee-hee-hee.... suck it.
 
It's in everyone's best interest for professors to be able to say nearly anything without repercussions from government actors (which a public university is). Free speech is an important principle, but free speech in such a setting is especially important, as restricting it teaches the next generation that free thought and free debate isn't as important as everyone not having their precious feelings hurt.

He should be shunned, ridiculed, and derided by all. If this means nobody wants to take his classes, that's something the University should deal with. But in the mean time he shouldn't suffer government retaliation.


Did you read the statement? He is basically saying that the children of the NRA should be murdered by the next mass murderer. Replace NRA with Obama and see what happens. Bit of a double standard here. And he is bordering on threatening, which is most definitely NOT protected speech.
 
can't be... Kansas is a right wing utopia full of patriots and wheel guns. Only New England is shit.

/impersonation of half this board
 

So he makes a stupid asshat Tweet not unlike many of the stupid asshat remarks made elsewhere so you think that his employer which is the state should fire him? If he had made pro-2A Tweets then it would be "oh well, that's different"...It's only news because somebody in the media made it news. A lot more venomous crap is spewed forth every day in the college classrooms of America. Consider the source and move on.
 
Why are people shocked when college professors say/post/print/tweet things like this? I don't believe it's a secret that Progressives infest college campuses and advance this kind of thought.
 
Did you read the statement? He is basically saying that the children of the NRA should be murdered by the next mass murderer. Replace NRA with Obama and see what happens. Bit of a double standard here. And he is bordering on threatening, which is most definitely NOT protected speech.

Which exception to the first amendment covers things that are "bordering on threatening"? Only true threats (threats which seem likely to be carried out) are not protected, and by your own admission this merely "borders".

Calls for 'civility' sure are a double-standard, but government actually taking action is a different thing, and we ought to be suspicious of it even when it's 'our team' benefiting. Just because I can sure imagine this happening to hyperbolic comments about gun-free-zones or special people with armed guards doesn't mean we should accept that's a good thing and abandon the principle.

It's vile, outrageous, and unpopular speech, on all sides, that most needs protection. And besides, what part of 'congress shall make no law" do you not understand?[smile]
 
If a public university can fire him for this, it means a university could also fire a professor for making a pro 2A statement; anti-abortion tweet; etc.

If this is upheld, a logical next step would be requiring public employees to conform to the "official position" when making any comments as private citizens regarding any issue of political controversy.
 
If a public university can fire him for this, it means a university could also fire a professor for making a pro 2A statement; anti-abortion tweet; etc.

If this is upheld, a logical next step would be requiring public employees to conform to the "official position" when making any comments as private citizens regarding any issue of political controversy.

My sentiments exactly. The statement is moronic to say the least. But wishing harm to innocent people tells everyone within earshot who you truly are.
 
If a public university can fire him for this, it means a university could also fire a professor for making a pro 2A statement; anti-abortion tweet; etc.

If this is upheld, a logical next step would be requiring public employees to conform to the "official position" when making any comments as private citizens regarding any issue of political controversy.

The problem though is his statement was not simply pro or anti 2A.
It was advocating violence or wishing harm towards a group of people.
If it had simply been an anti 2A statement, I doubt there would have been an issue.
Try publicly posting the same statement wishing harm on (insert name of minority group here) and see how long your employed at any job.
 
Some one who teaches young people ,advocating the harm of the ones who have parents that are. NRA
members.

a sign of mental illness.
not fit to teach.
 
"Not fit to teach?" Really? We know nothing about how this guy teaches, only about how he tweets. Besides, it's a college; the market decides who's fit to teach, as students can vote with their feet both coming and going. If what this guy did is truly an outrage, nobody will take his classes anymore; if people still do, then clearly what he tweeted was no biggie.

I've read far, far more inflammatory comments in a dozen other formats, from all sorts of people who didn't lose their jobs. What this guy tweeted is just as protected as any other free speech, and the university is shooting itself in the foot by allowing itself to be used as the government's thought police. Public universities walk a fine line on matters like this, and in this case they'd have been better off standing up for free speech IMO.
 
"Not fit to teach?" Really? We know nothing about how this guy teaches, only about how he tweets. Besides, it's a college; the market decides who's fit to teach, as students can vote with their feet both coming and going. If what this guy did is truly an outrage, nobody will take his classes anymore; if people still do, then clearly what he tweeted was no biggie.

I've read far, far more inflammatory comments in a dozen other formats, from all sorts of people who didn't lose their jobs. What this guy tweeted is just as protected as any other free speech, and the university is shooting itself in the foot by allowing itself to be used as the government's thought police. Public universities walk a fine line on matters like this, and in this case they'd have been better off standing up for free speech IMO.


Your kidding right ?
 
How does this guy know that none of the people killed weren't sons/daughters of NRA member? Or NRA members themselves?
 
"Not fit to teach?" Really? We know nothing about how this guy teaches, only about how he tweets. Besides, it's a college; the market decides who's fit to teach, as students can vote with their feet both coming and going. If what this guy did is truly an outrage, nobody will take his classes anymore; if people still do, then clearly what he tweeted was no biggie.

I've read far, far more inflammatory comments in a dozen other formats, from all sorts of people who didn't lose their jobs. What this guy tweeted is just as protected as any other free speech, and the university is shooting itself in the foot by allowing itself to be used as the government's thought police. Public universities walk a fine line on matters like this, and in this case they'd have been better off standing up for free speech IMO.

I'm wondering if perhaps you might have missed the part were the guy was advocating the murder of innocent children because he disagrees with their parents politics?
Just the sort of person I would want teaching my kids [rolleyes]

While I may wish ill will on some of these freedom hating d-bags.
You have to be a special kind of messed up to hope kids get killed.
 
I'm going to take this opportunity to follow my own advice and say nothing. Wait, I already did. Well, maybe I'll have a drink then.
 
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