Should Foner and Gilmore be fired?

Submitted by Stephen Walton (United States), Dec 31, 2002 at 15:12

The question I've headed this comment with is the important one. Most of the comment so far here have been "right on's" for Dr. Pipes, and criticism of the ad hominem nature of Drs. Foner and Gilmore's response. I agree with the latter, though not the former. I have seen enough comments by my fellow faculty about such items as affirmative action and special programs to increase our graduation rate to know that college faculty are not nearly as monolithically Democrat as Pipes would have you believe. Mainly we believe in high standards, and most of our time is spent trying to encourage students to climb the mountain of literacy, not doing political indoctrination.

That said, the key question is being danced around: Do you think Foner and Gilmore should lose their jobs because of their comments? Do you think potential college faculty should be vetted for properly patriotic political views? If you do, then I'm afraid you deserve the "McCarthy-ite" label which Foner and Gilmore are trying to pin on you? If your answer to both questions is "no," then what is the point of these commentaries? If you simply disagree with Foner and Gilmore's views, then fine, disagree. But don't accuse the entire faculty of every university in the United States of disloyalty because a few outspoken professors disagree with the current Administration's policy on Iraq.

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