Just DISAGREE With A Liberal And You're DIRTY

In today's Raleigh Noise and Disturber, sometimes known as The News and Observer, we learn that the John William Pope Foundation has been talking with the dean of CHASS (College of Humanities and Social Sciences) at North Carolina State University (3-9) about funding maybe some study abroad scholarships and French and German programs. Already the Pope Foundation has given $511,000 to NCSU for a lecture series that brings very distinguished speakers, including a Nobel-winning economist, to campus.

Leftist faculty have their panties in a knot over this. "I think it's a very dangerous step to take to even accept a penny of this money," said associate professor of history David Ambaras. Better yet, philosophy professor David Auerbach pronounced: "This is dirty money."

Why? Does the Pope Foundation sell drugs? extort money from consumers who don't owe it? run numbers rackets? fence stolen property? collaborate with Al-Quaeda?

Heck no! The terrible problem with the Pope Foundation is: it has a CONSERVATIVE OPINION.

And it thinks that private funding for higher education is preferable to public funding. So to put its money where its position papers are, the Pope Foundation contributes money to universities. But worst of all, the Pope Foundation thinks that maybe education should consist of less political correctness, and more ideas of Western Civilization that made us free and keep us free.

By the beard of Lenin, we can't have any of THAT nonsense around here, says the CHASS faculty. You expect this idiocy from Chapel Hill--and in fact, that's exactly what UNC-CH faculty said too, resulting in $2 million going not to education but to the FOOTBALL TEAM--but not from NC State.

Oh, wait--then again, I might. You see, I hold a BS in Philosophy from State, and during my undergrad days from 1984 to 1989 I well remember the feminist multicultural animal-rights atmosphere in which all points of view enjoyed tolerance and acceptance, except Republicans, low taxes, gun rights, military preparedness, and of course conservative Christianity. I well remember Dr. Auerbach, who taught me symbolic logic, into which politics can scarcely enter. However, logic should inform one's politics. Dr. Auerbach needs to practice what he teaches (logic) just as the Pope Foundation does (private funding).

Commendably, not all State faculty have been drinking this particular flavor of Kool-Aid. Ruth Gross, department head of foreign languages and literature, thinks that "some fruitful way" can be found to use the money for students' benefit, and has urged the faculty to be open-minded. Sadly, open-mindedness is not repeat NOT allowed in the education establishment. Raises, promotion, tenure, prestige, and social acceptance in today's academy depend only and entirely on unquestioning agreement with the ironclad socialist party line. College professors and convicted felons have something interesting in common: over 90% of them vote Democrat.

There's no use in imploring closed-minded and intolerant faculty to allow more than one opinion on campus, so I won't waste electrons on that. I will, instead, ask for some way to get diversity of thought and opinion into college faculty, maybe by affirmative action.