Freedom of Speech

Official Probe Calls On Illinois To Reconsider Salaita Firing

December 25, 2014 Ali Abunimah, www.electronicintifada.net Educate! Freedom of Speech, Illinois, Israel, Palestine

An official investigative committee at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is calling for the decision to fire Steven Salaita to be reconsidered. The report by the Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure (CAFT) states that: “In light of the irregular circumstances leading up to the Board of Trustees’ disapproval of an appointment for Dr. Salaita, the Committee recommends that Dr. Salaita’s candidacy be remanded to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for reconsideration by a committee of qualified academic experts.” Salaita was fired from a tenured position last August after pro-Israel donors, faculty and students mounted a campaign against him because of tweets he made excoriating Israel’s attack on Gaza.

Newsletter: Respect Our Human Rights Or We’ll ‘Shut It Down’

December 13, 2014 Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese, www.PopularResistance.org Newsletter Bankers, Climate Justice, Corruption, Education, FCC, Finance and Economy, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Speech and Assembly, GMOs, Healthcare, Human Rights, Internet Freedom, Monsanto, Net Neutrality, Police abuse, Racism, Torture, TPP, Undercover police, Worker Rights and Jobs

This week we marked the 66th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was signed by the United States at its inception but has never been ratified. Perhaps because we live in a country that does not protect our human rights, many people in the United States lack an understanding that they exist. In the work for justice, important tasks are to learn about our rights, recognize that they are being violated and to stand up with the demand that these rights are honored. Throughout history it has been organized people-power that has won rights. We cannot expect to gain them any other way. We’ll highlight many areas where people are fighting for rights.

Nobel Peace Prize Winners: Halt Legal Action Against Journalist

September 16, 2014 Institute for Public Accuracy, www.accuracy.org Resist! Freedom of Speech

n a statement addressed to Obama, the Nobel Peace Laureates — Mairead Corrigan Maguire of Northern Ireland and Jody Williams of the United States — said that they “urge a swift end to the U.S. government’s legal threat of imprisonment and harsh fines for New York Times reporter James Risen, who has covered issues of war and peace.” Maguire and Williams added: “Without confidential sources, journalism would be reduced largely to official stories and propaganda — a situation antithetical to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution that has served as a beacon of press freedom for more than two centuries, inspiring people all over the world.” The Nobel Peace Prize winners addressed what a front-page New York Times article this summer called “the most serious confrontation between the government and the press in recent history.”

‘Stop$30Billion’ Coalition Unveils New Billboard

September 16, 2014 Annie Robbins, www.mondoweiss.net Resist! Freedom of Speech, Human Rights, Israel, Palestine, Solidarity

It’s been a busy time for Palestine solidarity folks in Albuquerque. Five and half years ago after Israel’s 08-09 massacre in Gaza, the Coalition to Stop$30Billion to Israel, a grassroots group of ordinary citizens, launched a campaign erecting 10 billboards in their city that inspired campaigns in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Portland, Washington DC, Boston, Arizona, and Seattle, just to name just a few. They’re at it again. Last Monday September 8th the coalition put up their first digital billboard in response to the recent carnage in Gaza. The same day an Op-Ed, Judaism, nationalism or an insurance plan? by Iris Keltz, a founding member of Jewish Voice for Peace-ABQ, appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. Keltz’s op-ed made quite a splash by challenging what being pro-Israel really means.

Zionist Group Publishes List Of ‘Anti-Israel’ US Professors

September 16, 2014 Ali Abunimah, www.electronicintifada.net Educate! Academic Freedom, Freedom of Speech, Israel, Palestine

The Amcha Initiative, the Zionist organization that has repeatedly intimidated, spied on and harassed students and faculty, appears to be escalating its campaign by publishing what amounts to a target list of “anti-Israel” professors. Amcha says that the list is made up of “218 professors identifying themselves as Middle East scholars, who recently called for the academic boycott of Israel in a petition.” It links to an item at Jadaliyya titled “Over 100 Middle East Studies Scholars and Librarians Call for the Boycott of Israeli Academic Institutions.” “Students who wish to become better educated on the Middle East without subjecting themselves to anti-Israel bias, or possibly even antisemitic rhetoric, may want to check which faculty members from their university are signatories before registering,” Amcha says.

National Science Foundation Researcher Fired For Political Activism

September 13, 2014 Mark Strauss, www.io9.com Educate! Education, Freedom of Speech, Puerto Rico

Valerie Barr, a professor of computer science at Union College, decided last summer to take a leave of absence to join the National Science Foundation and help improve science education among undergraduates. But when a background check revealed her involvement in left-wing groups 30 years ago, she was told to leave. News of Barr's dismissal comes three months after a respected policy analyst was fired from the Los Alamos National Laboratory following complaints about an anti-nuclear article that he had written. And, now according to a report in ScienceInsider, Valerie Barr's colleagues worry that her experience will have a chilling effect on efforts to recruit other scientists under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA)—which allows academics to temporarily work for NSF without quitting their existing jobs.

Challenging Pro-Israel Donor’s Role In Professor’s Firing

September 12, 2014 Ali Abunimah, www.electronicintifada.net Resist! Freedom of Speech, Israel, Palestine

The board of trustees of the University of Illinois voted today to reject the appointment of Steven Salaita as dozens of student and faculty supporters of the professor packed the meeting room at the Urbana-Champaign campus. Before and immediately after the vote, The Electronic Intifada questioned top university officials on video, including the president, chancellor, board chair and several trustees, about the apparent influence of pro-Israel donors on the decision to fire Salaita. Salaita has expressed “disappointment” in the decision, stating, “I am speaking with my attorneys about my options.” Lone dissenter A lone trustee, James D. Montgomery, voted in favor of Salaita’s appointment. Regarding Salaita’s tweets, Montgomery, the only university official who did not evade questions, told The Electronic Intifada that it was “pretty clear that some of those opinions were justified and probably most of the people in this room would agree with the opinions in terms of the tragedy that is going on between Israel and Gaza.”

Another Attack On Free Speech In Academia

September 10, 2014 Philip Weiss, www.mondoweiss.net Educate! Freedom of Speech, Israel, Palestine

We’ve covered the backlash against a Yale chaplain for his letter to the New York Times saying that Israel’s “carnage” in Gaza and its footdragging on the peace process were a factor in growing anti-Semitism in Europe. Well, that three-sentence letter to the Times has now produced the resignation of the chaplain, Father Bruce Shipman, from the Episcopal Church at Yale. It happened three days ago. The statement from the Episcopal Church at Yale refers to “dynamics” between Shipman and his board of governors: The Rev. Bruce M. Shipman, on his own initiative, has resigned as Priest-in-Charge of the Episcopal Church at Yale, effective immediately.

Whistleblower Warned Company Tailings Pond Would Fail, Lost Job

September 10, 2014 Damien Gillis, www.commonsensecanadian.ca Organize! Freedom of Speech, Repression

Larry Chambers warned Imperial Metals that its tailings pond was bound to fail – and he was fired for it, the Likely, BC resident told media in Vancouver earlier today. He and his wife, Lawna Bourassa-Keuster, have now lost their home on once-beautiful Quensnel Lake – too afraid to drink the cloudy and discoloured water, which they brought with them to Vancouver in a jar. Cloudy water from Quesnel Lake (Damien Gillis) “Christy Clark did come to Likely and at that time, she informed us that she would make sure that Quesnel Lake would be brought back to its pristine state,” said Bourassa-Keuster. “We haven’t seen or heard from her since.” “We, like most of the residents, live in Likely for its beauty and peacefulness. This is heartbreaking to see.” The couple didn’t pull any punches when discussing the company’s attitude toward safety during a press conference hosted by the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and featuring a Secwepemc First Nation representative as well. After complaining in writing to the Ministry of Energy and Mines about safety conditions at the mine, Chambers says he received a phone call “saying my services were no longer needed there.” Chambers described instances of being bullied by supervisors at the mine for insisting on safety standards that were not being properly implemented. It was an ongoing concern about the size of tailing pond and half the employees there knew there was a problem. This just shows you, as soon as you say something, you’re out of there.

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