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Hat tip to US Constitutional Law Professor Jonathan Turley. News story at CNN Political Ticker: here.
(excerpt)
The Price of Liberty: University Bans Democratic Student Organization on Morality Grounds by Jonathan Turley / May 23, 2009
The late Rev. Jerry Falwell always insisted that he spoke for “the moral majority.” However, it appears that his university, Liberty University, is equally interested in silencing what they consider to be the “immoral minority.” The school this week shutdown the the Liberty University College Democrats as inimical to their moral mission. The Republican Student organization was retained.
Club president Brian Diaz was told that his club would have to shutdown in the name of good morals. If he continued his corrupting influence, he was told that he could be expelled…
Filed under: News, progressive politics, US Politics Tagged: | Brian Diaz, college life, Jonathan Turley, Liberty University, religion, student activities
I just scanned a slew of comments on a similar post to this – 173 in all until the post was shut to further comment. In my opinion, the disinformation, guilt by association, straw man argument, ad hominem, hypocrisy, and downright venom of many varieties was breathtaking.
Liberty U banned a political group for ostensible moral or religious reasons. Presumably if the banned party had been the Green Party or Libertarian, the reaction generally would presumably have been relatively ho-hum, but the target was the Party in Power, the Democratic Party. And the most popular party of the day.
The moral grounding of Liberty U’s decision in this case comes with unmistakable partisan political strings attached, however unintentional the political side MAY have been for the officials (though this of course may be questioned).
Broadening my point, I think the polarization and degree of anger in the post comments I read are symptomatic of a larger trend — even a global one.
Following the theory of mass psychology and economic fractals (the latter of which especially I do not pretend to grasp) associated with Kondratiev, Elliot, Prechter, and so on, I think we are headed toward various kinds of conflicts, wars, cultural revolutions, and blame games. Peace may come later, but not until the mass of humanity has fully vented its terrible and largely irrational wrath.
My uncle gives an old war story of a fellow soldier, normally sober and reserved, who bashed a captive over the head repeatedly with a shovel. My uncle thought his compatriot temporarily insane. War can drive those berserk moments. Or soccer events.
Though I think the problem more deeply rooted in our nature.
The prophets of the Bible used to speak of a coming Day of the Lord — actually various “Days,” periods when things would get unusually unpleasant for a time. I think we are due for another. I can only hope I am wrong. May God save us from ourselves.
I approached the issue from a marketing perspective in the article http://ezinearticles.com/?Positioning-For-the-Market-Based-on-a-Social-Trend-Model&id=1798974 or for a similar illustration of social mood, though different topic, see http://bestaffiliatefamily.com/blog/social-mood-illustrated/.
I hear Asian Indians are returning to their country from the US. Brighter economic prospects there. Maybe safer too.