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| 9th Circuit Actually Makes A Wise Decision |
| 2010-05-21 |
| A court ruling in a case involving a college professor's racially charged e-mails says First Amendment rights mean people offended should delete the e-mails or engage the sender in debate, not "invoke the power of government to shut them up." A 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling Thursday doesn't outright end a lawsuit filed by Maricopa County Community College District employees. But it provides guidance to the trial judge. The suit against the Phoenix-based district contends it created a hostile work environment by permitting the e-mails. The district in 2007 began proceedings that could have led to Professor Walter Kehowski being fired, but a subsequent agreement restricted his e-mail privileges and allowed him to return to the classroom. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #2 Day of the Race? Shirley it was Memorial Day, and the Indy 500? |
| Posted by: Bobby 2010-05-21 06:26 |
| #1 Some of his "racially charged" e-mails, quoted in the decision: "KehowskiÂ’s first email had “Dia de la raza” as its subject line and asked, “Why is the district endorsing an explicitly racist event?” (Citations and emphasis omitted.) DÃa de la Raza translates as “Day of the Race” and is celebrated by some Hispanics instead of Columbus Day. KehowskiÂ’s next email, sent almost a week later, began, “YES! TodayÂ’s Columbus Day! ItÂ’s time to acknowledge and celebrate the superiority of Western Civilization.” Kehowski then offered excerpts from a variety of articles. One article quoted Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. as saying that “democracy, human rights and cultural freedom” are “European ideas.” Another promoted a theory that “Native Americans actually committed genocide against the original white-skinned inhabitants of North America.” (Emphasis omitted.) Yet another argued that “America did not become the mightiest nation on earth without distinct values and discrimination” and asserted that “[o]ur survival depends on discrimination.”" Somebody got their widdle feewings hurt. And of course we all know the only possible response if one's widdle feewings are hurt is to Loser. Nice that it's literally true this time. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-05-21 00:29 |