A State Assembly committee approved a bill to safeguard free speech on Wisconsin college campuses on an 8-6 vote. Yep, Democrats are fighting it.
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Republican Rep. Travis Tranel, who represents UW-Platteville, told the committee he had heard from college students in his district that they’re afraid to express conservative views in class for fear the professor could dock their grades.
Sun Prairie Democrat Gary Hebl and Madison Democrat Terese Bereceau both cut him off, challenging him to prove his anecdote was true. Hebl accused Tranel of making things up without any evidence, comparing him to Joe McCarthy, the Wisconsin senator who claimed he had built a list of Communists within the federal government in the 1950s.
Tranel said he could think of three individuals who had told him they were afraid to speak out in class.
“I couldn’t even get my comments out today without being interrupted,” Tranel said.
Support Rep. Kremer’s Campus Free Speech Act.
UW’s Diversity Problem existed seven years ago, it exists today.
Inside the classroom the liberal hegemony is enforced with more subtle tools.
Jordan Smith’s sophomore journalism class in 2004 was assigned to read What Liberal Media? by lefty favorite Eric Alterman. Her professor disavowed any political bias even as he denigrated President Bush during that campaign season.“It is a shame the university is so blatantly biased toward liberal views,” says Stephen Duerst, a junior majoring in political science and history. He says he’s developed a survival sense about what will play and not play with his liberal professors.
Mikolajczak makes the same point: “I knew when to hold my tongue and when my comments would be welcome, which was infrequently.”
16 responses to “Assembly Democrats shut down conservative speaker”
Worth repeating…just like Wisconsin Public Radio, whose programming and content are not subject to citizen control. It is an unaccountable, state-monopoly, run by socialists.
This sounds like complete anecdotal BS from Travis Tranel. And if it is true, when did conservative students turn into such snowflakes? The ones I knew were in your face. Not buyin’ it. And you big government conservative crybabies want a state law?! Move along, no irony to see here…
As it happens I taught at UW-Platteville for several years before retiring recently and can testify that Mr. Tranel’s observations are all too accurate. When I visited campus for my job interview, I met informally with several colleagues from my department, who invited me to ask questions about the campus. So I asked them how they would characterize the student body. There were smirks and sniggers all around, followed by dismissive remarks about students’ propensity for such pastimes as deer hunting and off-roading followed by a catalogue of their overall cultural deficiencies. The most damning indictment came from someone who said with a resigned sigh that UW-Platteville was probably the only campus in the UW System where the Republicans outnumbered the Democrats. Then he added, “But don’t let that scare you off!”
I learned later that this same person was notorious for airing his left-wing political views in the classroom and taking a keen delight in bullying and hectoring any student who dared disagree. Talk about a hostile learning environment! If the atmosphere at a small rural campus like UW-Platteville is this egregiously biased with a faculty so smugly entrenched in their little left-wing echo chamber, imagine what it’s like behind the scenes at someplace like UW-Madison!
This just in….ABob detects no liberal bias in UW.
“It all looks like it’s right down the middle to me. Just like the media… and Hollywood. No bias there either.”
And ABob has never been wrong before.
You guys see liberal bias everywhere and think Fox IS “fair and balanced.” Thankgod you have Rush, Sean H., Bill O’Reilly (oops! guess not anymore), and Alex Jones to get the truth out, right? Because the (corporate-owned) main-stream media (i.e. trained professional journalists) are SO liberal…
Kathy Griffin worked for CNN, not Fox.
This just in…Splat makes stuff up. Who said anything about UW and liberal bias?
But because you brought it up…reality, higher education and critical thinking all have a liberal bias. I’ll leave the “truthiness” (look it up if you need to) to your side.
I’ll agree the Kathy Griffin photo was questionable. But she’s a comedian and has never posed as a journalist.
Dave, what happened with my “This just in…” comment?
I trashed it.
Why?
AnonyBob:
Just keep in mind that freedom of speech is a one way street near the Stately Manor. Don’t think for a minute that the squire actually believes it applies to everyone.
I don’t think I ever saw Crosby perform so I can’t be a judge of her talent (or lack of), but I did see the picture of skit in questionand thoght it was in poor taste at a minimum. However, did all you trumpeteers show the same revulsion to all the inappropriate things said and done to and about Obama? I think not.
ABob,
The Left has co-opted and perverted most of higher education, Hollywood, the Main Stream Media and the Washington DC establishment. Luckily there are technological alternatives. The Left has politicized everything and now, has lost everything. Your Long March has brought you to the wilderness and no one in your movement has a compass.
ABob, Kathy Griffin’s act was questionable? Wrong again. Way wrong. Imagine that head was Hillary’s or Obama’s. Now ask yourself why they never happened. Never.
Sorry Splat, I can’t set you straight on your misconceptions. The host is censoring me, again.
ABob that begs the question, “When could you?”