Kudos this week go to Texas A&M professor John Fike. Fike parted company with the Texas A&M chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT), citing his shame over the group's latest attack on Texas A&M faculty. The Houston Chronicle quotes Fike as saying, "I . . . told them that if I was ever ashamed of them, that was it for me. I am now ashamed beyond words."
The group had been circulating a flyer condemning four Texas A&M faculty members. The professors ran afoul of the group when they signed a petition condemning the demonization of Bill Ayers, professor of education at the University of Illinois. The flyer said, in part, "The A&M student body, former students, and Bryan-College Station community should be very concerned about A&M professors supporting a radical like Ayers. These professors need to explain this endorsement." (YCT)
The professors, along with some 4100 of their colleagues endorsed the petition, which objects to attacks on Ayers because such attacks threaten the spirit of inquiry necessary to education in a free society (Support Bill Ayers). While YCT provides a link to the petition on its web site, the author of the flyer seems not to have read the petition that the offending faculty endorsed, or worse, simply ignored the information it contained.
The YCT web site is a cornucopia of anti-liberal propaganda. It features embedded YouTube video of Chris Cuomo interviewing Bill Ayers for Good Morning America. The video is a perfect example of attack journalism. Cuomo clearly has his mind made up that his guest is withholding the truth. His questions never take Ayers' answers at face value. A second video features a Larry Grathwohl making unsubstantiated accusations about terrible things Ayers and his co-conspirators in the 1960s are supposed to have planned to do.
As an organization, YCT makes local headlines regularly. Its most recent stint on the evening news came on Halloween, when the group organized a demonstration on campus that involved throwing eggs at a picture of then-candidate for president Barack Obama. Several who found the display offensive egged the YCT, who were less than amused. In the past, the group has harassed professors whose views they found "too liberal" by posting their names and course offerings in a "Hall of Shame."
The organization once protested the appearance of Senator Ted Kennedy on the A&M campus. Such protest of a champion of public education at a public university is both ironic and a testament to free speech. Another event many were relieved to have missed was the "Affirmative Action Bake Sale" where prices were decreased for minority buyers and increased for whites.
While it would be extreme and unconstitutional to suggest that the group be disbanded, members might want to take a good look at the negative publicity it has generated over the last few years. Both liberals and conservatives have criticized YCT for its rabid anti-liberalism that often borders on hate speech.
Dr. Fike's resignation brings hope, however, that neoconservative vilification of all things liberal may be going out of style. In typical form, the president of YCT claimed that the organization planned to dismiss Fike anyway, saying he was not a Republican, and had supported Barack Obama for president.
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Comments: 61
Glad to hear he has disassociated himself from them.
Over the years, I've heard many stories about the Young Republicans that were just unbelievably horrible. I sometimes wonder if the party doesn't use them to do their dirty work so they can blame it on the kids if they get caught.
I think Felix might be one of those Young Republicans who never grows up.
I wish there were more Republicans like Professor Fike.
I didn't understand the article.
I doubt that. It would be nice but the neoconservatives...the ultra conservatives are living in an alternate reality. The create their own rationalizations and live outside of the boundaries of ration and logic. For them, Dr Fike's resignation was just ridding the organization of someone who shouldn't have been there in the first place..."the president of YCT claimed that the organization planned to dismiss Fike anyway".
I'm more concerned at the moment about hearing Obama today in a news conference say "as I have before in this campaign"...
I HOPE he realizes that the campaign is over, and that paying off Hilarity is ALL it cost him.
There used to be.
That would not be conservative, in the true sense of the word......
All of that pseudo-christian nazi-fascisti "purer-than-thou" stuff we've heard a millian times over from various racial-cultural-religio-national supremacists who then go on genocidal rampages.....That's not conservative, that's radical.
The great thing about this election was the great re-centering of the nation that has occurred.
The worshippers of Dear Leader Bush II always claimed to represent the "mainstream", despite all the voices that claimed this could not be so.
Felix R.
Since Mr. Fike disagreed with what the YTC were and had been doing and resigned because he felt they had gone too far makes him now so radical that he might join the Weatherman Underground? But the YTC were and are not radical enough for you "Felix R."?
For one thing there is no "Weathermen Underground" these days or did you not know?
I do not care if the extremists are religious or political in nature they bare watching. All you have to do is look at history to see examples of the extremists who took over countries and what damage they did to the world and their fellow man. It is not the words a man speaks but his actions that shout to the heavens what he is and what he is made of. Unfortunately some can't even speak much less think beyond their small world of hate and prejudice. If you disagree with them then you are wrong because they can't be wrong just listen to Rush Limbuger he knows the truth...NOT!
Sorry, Ann but ignorance upsets me when all it takes is to use what little mind they have to see the truth in something but they can't as they let someone who knows next to nothing do their thinking for them.
:O\
It all started with Nixon's Southern Strategy in 1968 to woo the "States Rights" vote (racists) and it has snowballed from there.
The Republican base is too small to support a national party.
//Ayers is a known terrorist who tried to bomb the pentagon. Let's be nice to him, and overlook all the evils of Acorn, the liberal base that helped get a socialist elected. This man did what he thought was right, but that doesn't make the others wrong. Blind sided thinking until it bites you in the ass. Where is the outrage over Acorn// Well, the "blind sided thinking" part was correct. Ayers did not try to bomb the pentagon. The Weather Underground had plans to do so (along with other targets), but never acted on them. And, what does ACORN have to do with any of this? You are using "kitchen-sink" tactics to defeat an opponent; tactics which have been soundly rejected!
//Hmmm. I guess freedom of speech only applies to liberals. I keep forgetting that. // Get real, Dan. The article clearly stated that this group had the right to believe, and to say, whatever they want. But it is incumbent upon them to use their right to free speach responsibly. If the YCT has gone so far that their advisor quits, it's time to dial back the rhetoric -- or at least consider it!
Georgia????
let us hope that this group advisor .... who apparently was unable to advise the group against the course of action they were decided upon ..... has a greater impact by example ........ although, it would appear that the group is so far into ostrich territory that they can't bother to see what kind of an example their former advisor might have set for them ........
this is ridiculous .... hate is not a good thing .... it gets us nowhere ..... it is divisive and destructive ........... doesn't anyone remember the old saying? .... you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar .... ???? .... using intimidation tactics only gets fear and resentment ... not friends and cooperation ......
In the minds of idiots who can't or won't read the truth?
And he was employed by Annenburg - the same group that finances Laura Bush's library education program.
Felix R., Nov 24, 2008, 5:55pm EST ''
A totally demented reply.
I just wanted to say I am finally going through what is now under 7,400 pieces of gather new mail that is in my inbox on here. So with that in mind I have finally come to a piece of mail that was addressed to me in regards this article submission you have created to share with the gather community. Thank you for taking the time and sharing your piece with us here at gather. :o)
And as well Merry Christmas... and Happy Holidays... :o)