At 18:30 22/11/98 -0500, you wrote: Anyway, here is a copy of the letter I sent. If the address was right, then it went to the right place. Professor Tana Hasart President, Clark College Dear Professor Hasart, I have learnt that there is an attempt to suppress the freedom of speech of a senior academic of your college, Professor Jim Craven, due to his unorthodox political views; as it appears from the below cited communication from Chuck Ramsey, Interim Vice President of Instruction. Professor Craven is well known in the international academic cerciles for being a good scholar and a man of high integrity. If freedom of speech is not secure in an academic institution, then where should we look for it? I think this sort of actions do not augur well for Western democracy. And definitely gives a bad name to your college. I hope you will intervene personally and restore Professor Craven's right to free speech without intimidation and harassment. Thank you. Sincerely, Dr. Ajit Sinha FROM: Chuck Ramsey, Interim Vice President of Instruction TO: Professor Jim Craven "We have received a complaint/expression of concern about your use of College e-mail. So that I may gather relevant information about the complaint, you are hereby directed to provide paper copies of all e-mails you have sent or received, using College e-mail or other electronic resources, that name or refer, directly or indirectly, to Kevin Annett. You are directed to provide paper copies of all these e-mails to the Office of Instruction no later than 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 24, 1998." ________________ >In the course of getting to know Jim Craven, I have been made privy to his >various battles in Indian country and academia. Jim is a Blackfoot Indian >who teaches economics at Clark College in Washington State. Lately fights >in these two worlds have become meshed in such a way as to threaten his >employment. These are the facts. > >Jim has been embroiled in various battles with the College administration >for a number of years, mainly revolving around issues like corruption, due >process, hiring and academic standards. Jim is not only an outspoken >radical, but has a blunt and uncompromising style. His tenure has protected >him, but he has become such a thorn in the side of the administration that >they are trying to fire him nonetheless. > >Part of the ammunition they are trying to use against him involves his role >in exposing a former cleric named Kevin Annett. As an expert witness in an >inquiry on residential schools in Canada (based on dubious credentials, as >it turned out), Annett used his access to testimony in order to promote his >career. The material on videotapes of horribly abused Canadian Indians >found their way into an article Annett wrote for some journal. The material >was used without the permission of the Indian victims and activists, who >are organized in a group called Circle of Justice. Annett was once a member >of the group but has been expelled for his high-handed behavior. > >Jim has been a forceful spokesman for the Circle of Justice people and has >written both private and public email making their case for returning the >tapes. Annett has now contacted Clark College and demand that they do >something about Jim, whose criticisms of Annett have made their mark. > >This is a communication that Jim just received from a Clark College >administrator: > >FROM: Chuck Ramsey, Interim Vice President of Instruction > >TO: Professor Jim Craven > >"We have received a complaint/expression of concern about your use of >College e-mail. So that I may gather relevant information about the >complaint, you are hereby directed to provide paper copies of all e-mails >you have sent or received, using College e-mail or other electronic >resources, that name or refer, directly or indirectly, to Kevin Annett. You >are directed to provide paper copies of all these e-mails to the Office of >Instruction no later than 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 24, 1998." > >Jim has asked me to contact people wide and far to send email to Clark >College to protest this violation of his political expression and right to >privacy. The school has no right to demand that he turn over his private >email. Jim is even conscientious enough to include the words "My Employer >has no association with my private/protected OPINION" at the end of all his >communications. > >Email supporting Jim's right to privacy should be sent to President Tana >Hasart ([EMAIL PROTECTED]). > > >Louis Proyect >(http://www.panix.com/~lnp3/marxism.html) > >
