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I disagree with him. That does not mean I think this is a news story. I have no anger at anyone. I am saying "If" I were the dean and a bunch over reactionary idiots starting sending me emails because a member of my staff sent internal emails to the press about someone's personal opinion, I would fire them for wasting my time.
Good thing for the school you're not the boss because by firing someone for the reason you describe would open the school to a huge lawsuit for wrongful termination.
Just because he sent his personal opinion in an email does not prevent anyone who received the email from disclosing the contents, as long as it does not violate intellectual property rights, certain personal information as protected by law. In this case, no violation exists.
I also read that he seems to have a problem with the American flag that is displayed at the atrium @ Suffolk. I would love to quote it but it is a bit difficult doing so from my phone.
Good thing for the school you're not the boss because by firing someone for the reason you describe would open the school to a huge lawsuit for wrongful termination.
Just because he sent his personal opinion in an email does not prevent anyone who received the email from disclosing the contents, as long as it does not violate intellectual property rights, certain personal information as protected by law. In this case, no violation exists.
We have no idea as to what the schools policies on releasing information to the press is. There has to be a state law against wrongful termination. Do you know the state law for mass. on wrongful termination. I thought you guys were all about being able to fire anyone for any reason. Has that changed. Conservatives keep changing positions it is hard to keep up from second to second.
I also read that he seems to have a problem with the American flag that is displayed at the atrium @ Suffolk. I would love to quote it but it is a bit difficult doing so from my phone.
Here's the full email he send in response to being solicited by the school to donate to the military:
I think it is shameful that it is perceived as legitimate to solicit in an academic institution for support for men and women who have gone overseas to kill other human beings. I understand that there is a residual sympathy for service members, perhaps engendered by support for troops in World War II, or perhaps from when there was a draft and people with few resources to resist were involuntarily sent to battle. That sympathy is not particularly rational in today's world, however.
The United States may well be the most war prone country in the history of civilization. We have been at war two years out of three since the Cold War ended. We have 700 overseas military bases. What other country has any? In the last ten years we have squandered hundreds of billions of dollars in unnecessary foreign invasions. Those are dollars that could have been used for people who are losing their homes due to the economic collapse, for education, to repair our infrastructure, or for any of a thousand better purposes than making war. And of course those hundreds of billions of dollars have gone for death and destruction.
Perhaps some of my colleagues will consider this to be an inappropriate political statement. But of course the solicitation email was a political statement, although cast as support for student activities. The politics of that solicitation are that war is legitimate, perhaps inevitable, and that patriotic Americans should get behind our troops.
We need to be more mindful of what message we are sending as a school. Since Sept. 11 we have had perhaps the largest flag in New England hanging in our atrium. This is not a politically neutral act. Excessive patriotic zeal is a hallmark of national security states. It permits, indeed encourages, excesses in the name of national security, as we saw during the Bush administration, and which continue during the Obama administration.
Why do we continue to have this oversized flag in our lobby? Why are we sending support to the military instead of Americans who are losing their homes, malnourished, unable to get necessary medical care, and suffering from other consequences of poverty? As a university community, we should debate these questions, not remain on automatic pilot in support of the war agenda.
I also read that he seems to have a problem with the American flag that is displayed at the atrium @ Suffolk. I would love to quote it but it is a bit difficult doing so from my phone.
Again. Who cares. He is a constitutional law professor, if he was giving his opinion on his interpretation of the constitution and or its application, then I would say it is relevant. He is just giving his political views, which are no more important than yours.
Here's the full email he send in response to being solicited to donate to the military:
I think it is shameful that it is perceived as legitimate to solicit in an academic institution for support for men and women who have gone overseas to kill other human beings. I understand that there is a residual sympathy for service members, perhaps engendered by support for troops in World War II, or perhaps from when there was a draft and people with few resources to resist were involuntarily sent to battle. That sympathy is not particularly rational in today's world, however.
The United States may well be the most war prone country in the history of civilization. We have been at war two years out of three since the Cold War ended. We have 700 overseas military bases. What other country has any? In the last ten years we have squandered hundreds of billions of dollars in unnecessary foreign invasions. Those are dollars that could have been used for people who are losing their homes due to the economic collapse, for education, to repair our infrastructure, or for any of a thousand better purposes than making war. And of course those hundreds of billions of dollars have gone for death and destruction.
Perhaps some of my colleagues will consider this to be an inappropriate political statement. But of course the solicitation email was a political statement, although cast as support for student activities. The politics of that solicitation are that war is legitimate, perhaps inevitable, and that patriotic Americans should get behind our troops.
We need to be more mindful of what message we are sending as a school. Since Sept. 11 we have had perhaps the largest flag in New England hanging in our atrium. This is not a politically neutral act. Excessive patriotic zeal is a hallmark of national security states. It permits, indeed encourages, excesses in the name of national security, as we saw during the Bush administration, and which continue during the Obama administration.
Why do we continue to have this oversized flag in our lobby? Why are we sending support to the military instead of Americans who are losing their homes, malnourished, unable to get necessary medical care, and suffering from other consequences of poverty? As a university community, we should debate these questions, not remain on automatic pilot in support of the war agenda.
Sounds a lot different when it is put in context doesn't it.
Not to mention you get to see how Fox News completely changes the context of his statements to fit their bias. For instance the first sentence of the Fox News article:
"A Massachusetts law professor has created a campus firestorm with an email to colleagues that declares it would be 'shameful' to send care packages to U.S. troops 'who have gone overseas to kill other human beings.'"
That's not what he said - it's a total misrepresentation by Fox News. He said it's shameful that an academic institution would find it legitimate to solicit support for military members - something he contends is a political act and one that specifically advocates a destructive and wasteful agenda, a police state, and a culture of violence and death at the expense of acts that actually help people (note: his views, not necessarily mine).
We have no idea as to what the schools policies on releasing information to the press is. There has to be a state law against wrongful termination. Do you know the state law for mass. on wrongful termination. I thought you guys were all about being able to fire anyone for any reason. Has that changed. Conservatives keep changing positions it is hard to keep up from second to second.
Was not an Official employer issued statement/email, so permission was not an issue. Mass. Has wrongful termination laws.
As for the conservative changing their minds, can't answer you because I'm not one.
I'd rather send care packages to the juvenile delinquents down the block than to the uniformed assassins overseas.
How about we just ship those juvenile delinquents overseas with a rifle with one bullet and a canteen? No uniform needed other than their baggy jeans and do-rag! Solves that problem, eh?
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