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Calls for reprisals



So far I've restrained myself from responding on-list to posts I
agree and disagree with.  So I apologize in advance for chiming in
now.

Arguing about the politics surrounding the 9/11 attack is indeed
off-topic for this list, but I am shocked to see calls for the
"turning in" and/or punishment of those who did express unpopular
opinions on this list.

Thank goodness the days of loyalty oaths are over and that holding
the "correct" opinion of the moment, or worse, being forcibly
silenced, are not conditions for continued employment.

Many on this list work in universities which, by definition, are
about intellectual freedom: the right to explore, hold, and express a
variety of views.  Do we really wish to live a world with
disciplinary actions, firings, witchhunts, and blacklists for
expressing the "wrong" thoughts?

As a civil servant, writer, and librarian, I am frightened that my
colleagues are calling for reprisals towards those whose views
trouble you.  It goes against the ethical code of the librarian
profession (and presumably the archival profession as well) and it is
un-American to the core.  It adds to the horror that I am already
feeling.

This is a dark time indeed.


=====
*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:*'``'*:-.,_,.-:**:-,
"...every modern technology, from television to computers,
was invented by men & women whose education was conducted
almost exclusively with pen, paper, and book."
  --Neil Postman
Cynthia Van Ness, MLS, email: bettybarcode@yahoo.com
Shameless self-promotion: http://cynthia.is-online.net

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