Redstate

letters to editors of the various Michigan publications, especially those in proximity to CMU (since that's where they get many students). Midland Daily News (ourmidland.com), Saginaw News, Bay City Times (I cant' remember the Mt. Pleasant paper)? This is disgusting, and people should be made aware of exactly what's going on -- with THEIR money.

Serving someone is the equivalent poking them in the eye with a lit cigar. Given what they have been putting him through it must have been a very sweet moment. The reaction is as expected though. The organization is running on a combination of groupthink and how dare he.
______________________________
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777

Does anyone know how to get in touch with this student? I strongly recommend submitting this issue to FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education). Though they aren't a legal firm of any variety, what they -do- is publish the information and go directly to the administrations of these institutions.
http://www.thefire.org

in me however I see this issue the way I see marketing in sales. The way to make sure that justice is served is to penetrate the market in every which way. For this reason, every suggestion is a good one because the more avenues we all take the more we penetrate the market so to speak. Anyone who belongs to digg.com or any other file sharing service should submit this story and others. Red State can collectively gather enough votes so that it becomes a favorite on digg for instance. That would open it up to a whole new audience.

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor

The Provocateur

I sent to Voison. I hope that everyone not only emails and calls but shares what happens here.

Mr. Voison,

I am a mortgage broker and a part time blogger and I have recently begun to follow the case of Dennis Lennox. I will state in no uncertain terms that unless you drop this matter immediately you WILL make this case a mission for all bloggers like me. We will unite and make sure that you are punished far more severely than anything you can do to Dennis himself. I will make it my mission in life to track your career and expose any university that attempts to hire you.

This case is 2+2=4. We all know what you are doing and it is not only despicable and sociopathic but frankly UnAmerican. You are applying draconian standards to Lennox that you would never apply to any other student. The overwhelming majority of your freshman and sophomore student body is likely violating your student code against under age drinking with impugnity while you try and expel Lennox for distributing literature improperly. We all know what is going on and we all know these charges are nothing more than a ruse by a corrupt and sociopathic administration that is looking to eliminate a threat. We are watching you and you aren’t going to get away with it so drop it now and save yourself further embarrassment. Your career is on the line. That is no threat but a promise.

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor

The Provocateur

We have to have a couple of law enforcement types lurking about - after all, what good is it being the official internet organ for the VRWC if we don't have a couple of knuckle draggers available for interrogations and such ...

So, to them I pose the question, isn't the event captured on camera a crime? Can that woman slap, shove - even touch - the student and/or his camera like she did without opening herself up to criminal charges?

Just wondering ...

Blue

For more from The Muse, please visit Blue Collar Muse; and
The Voice of Liberty Podcast Network

I just received a response to my email from the President's office...

Dear Mr. Volpe:

Thank you for writing to the president to express your views. I am responding on the university’s behalf.

By Federal law, all CMU students are entitled to privacy in their relationships with the university. This puts the university at a distinct disadvantage when statements are made that are untrue. The university is limited in its ability to contradict those statements.

The university compares favorably with any higher education institution in its defense of the rights of all members of the community to express their opinions. The board and president have defended the rights of a wide variety of persons to express views and advocate their positions and will continue to defend these free speech rights.

The university has an Advocacy Policy that has been in place for many years. It describes where students and others may engage in advocacy activities. Students have very wide rights of advocacy outside on the campus. The policy does not allow hand-billing and many other advocacy activities inside university buildings, except in connection with university sponsored events or in specified locations. That policy is applicable to everyone. Violations of the policy are dealt with through the student discipline procedures and employee discipline processes.

The Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Disciplinary Procedures (Code) has a long-standing and fair process for listening to both sides when students are subject to the university’s discipline procedures. This process follows the best practices recommended for public universities and has withstood challenges in the past. The Code lists twelve possible sanctions that may be imposed for violation of university regulations, ranging from written reprimand to dismissal (for the most egregious violations). Students who decline to respond to charges are provided a hearing.

The university’s processes for investigations and student discipline offer the persons involved a full opportunity to tell their side of the story. When they refuse to do so, the university makes a decision based on the information it has before it. It cannot allow persons to prevent closure on anything simply by declining to participate in legitimate processes.

Mary Jane Flanagan

Secretary to the Board of Trustees and

Executive Assistant to the President

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor

The Provocateur

"Students on the left have rioted, thrown rocks at police and destroyed property and avoided serious trouble from campus officials."

Dennis, if you're reading, next time throw rocks and destroy some property and stick it to the "man". That's how law abiding citizens make REAL change in this country.

"Two legs bad, four legs good."

And yes, it's a little too nice and sweet. However, I hope to appeal to their nicer side (and also, I want to show that those with our "noxious political and social beliefs" actually know how to comport themselves with something other than grunts-not that I'm saying we do, but that doesn't seem to be their thought process)

Sirs and Ma’ams,

As a fellow student, I am disturbed by the story coming from the campus of Central Michigan. It seems that, due to what can best be termed administrative issues of a minor nature, there is an expulsion hearing set for one Dennis Lennox. As best I understand, Mr. Lennox was distributing fliers in a manner which could be a violation of CMU’s regulations. (I say could be because I don’t have a copy of your campus’s regulations) When confronted by one Peter Koper, a faculty member at your university, he took said fliers from Prof. Koper, and refused to identify himself.

Certainly, this could be a violation. However, it is one which is minor at best. For example, I am sure your campus is no different from any other in that a high percentage of students under the age of 21 consume alcoholic beverages both on and off campus. However, there seems to have been no time in which your administration has pursued action on any possible incidents.

Furthermore, after watching video of an incident in which Humanities Dean Pamela Gates seemingly attacked Mr. Lennox, reading emails which were obtained and distributed through various news outlets, and watching your administration seemingly lose its control because of Mr. Lennox’s innocuous actions, it appears that there is a personal vendetta set against Mr. Lennox for his “noxious political and social beliefs” (Allegra Blake), which to Asst. Prof. Catherine Hicks might be reminiscent of the Virginia Tech shooter. It would appear to the outside observer that this student is being treated in a manner which is wholly inconsistent with the way any student, or for that matter any human being, should ever be treated.

College campuses should be a place where the mind is free to expand and explore, where people come to learn in a deeper fashion and form their own beliefs. Will they always conform with what their teachers think about an issue? Of course not. Should that be an issue? No. And never, I repeat never, should a college campus be a place where students feel a fear to either explore or express themselves. To make a college campus into an indoctrination center is to completely skew the entire notion of what higher education should be.

You have a chance tomorrow to rectify this, by dismissing the hearing and/or dropping all charges against Mr. Lennox. On campuses across the country, thousands of students with “noxious political and social beliefs” will watch, awaiting to see if free speech will win, or if there will be another campus that deems conservatives an unwelcome group. Hopefully, your administration will stand on the side of the First Amendment, and end this travesty.

We will wait and see.

Respectfully,

J. Nicholas Haynes
Former President, University of Missouri College Republicans
U.S. Navy, 1999-2005

Vote for the ulti-Mitt conservative. Romney '08!

DISCLAIMER: I am loosly affiliated as a volunteer for the Mitt Romney campaign. All viewpoints expressed are my own, not the campaign's.

I had read about Dennis awhile back and forgotten about it. I will send an email to the people listed immediately. What is wrong with these administrators? I mean, the ACLU is on his side! That's something, usually they stay away from conservative student issues. Please keep us updated on the outcome tomorrow.

Thanks again,

Gigi

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."
- Alexis de Tocqueville

everyone here. That is the best way to really stir the pot. Here is the one I just sent to Koper...

Professor Koper,

Please help me understand what is going on in your head. What exactly do you all hope to accomplish with this charade? You have local, state, and national media and everyone can see that you are trumping up charges so that one student that has become a threat can be eliminated. This matter won’t go away and the harsher you treat Lennox the worse it will be for all of you. We live in the age of Google, and your name and that of your colleagues will be attached to this incident. That means anyone can google you and find out that you participated in the systematic violation of a student’s rights because that student put too much pressure on you and your colleagues in the matter of the corrupt hiring of a fellow. That is the story and that is what people will remember. The longer this goes the worse it is for your reputation and that of your colleagues. If you all pursue this it will not only cost you your reputation but your job. The media, those like me, will see to it. This is an abuse of power and those that perpetrated it, don’t deserve to work, and that is what the media will demand. When you go for more work, you will be attached to it. Any potential employer can google your name and find out about this. Then, you will have to explain how you abused your power as a professor to silence a student. Maybe, that is looked favorably upon at CMU but not at most campuses. The stain of this will live with you and most schools won’t want that stain on their campus. Whatever you decide to do to Lennox it is minute to what will happen to you and your colleagues. Please end this now, not only for Dennis’ sake, but for yours.

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor

The Provocateur

The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the - Web Reconnaissance for 01/29/2008 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.

My letter was only a paragraph long, but strong and to the point. It's important that the admin. at CMU know that Dennis Lennox isn't alone. They want to isolate him, we need to show we have his back. I have a liberal poly sci professor where I'm going to school, and I'm the only person in class that responds to his attacks on the Bush administration and conservative economic policy. I actually thing that this site should feature issues relating to the liberal indoctrination of the students at most universities across the nation. Responses to liberal lies, student rights, etc.

Freedom and religion endure together, or perish alone. --Mitt Romney

Dennis Lennox IS a member of the Young Americans for Freedom, as noted by both F.I.R.E. and Spartan Spectator. In fact, he's a past president of the CMU chapter.

As Charles Bird noted back in October, Conservatives should reject these "conservatives", namely Kyle Bristow of the aforementioned Spartan Spectator. According to Charles Bird and Charles Johnson of LGF, the MSU YAF knowingly invited a bigoted Holocaust denier to speak on campus at MSU. Both Charleses have more incriminating information on the linked pages.

How can we reconcile this -- a RedState editor calling for us to dissociate from a group, followed three months later by a frontpage article calling for support of a member of this very group? I'm all for defending Lennox on free speech principles, but let's not call him a conservative in one place while trying to disown his organization from the conservative movement in another place.
-
NARF

Well, Dr. Koper didn't appreciate my call. I am just crushed! He disclosed some Family and Privacy Act that he says prohibits him from discussing issues of a student with a 3rd party, which seems legit on the surface. The ensuing click on the other end of the line made his point rather clearly. I was hoping for a pleasant, "thank you for expressing your opinion!"

***********************************
And statesmen at her council met
Who knew the seasons when to take
Occasion by the hand, and make
The bounds of freedom wider yet
- Tennyson, _To the Queen_

Give me a break. This isn't about Young Americans for Freedom which happens to be the oldest conservative youth group in the country. Blaming one YAF chapter for the antics of others would be like associating a fraternity with a chapter at another school whose members might have sexually assaulted someone.

Yep, it's now official. The GOP really is the Stupid Party.

How or why our voters would reward a candidate who has done more to bring the party to it's present condition than anyone else is beyond the grasp of anything logical or remotely intelligent.

You know the Democrats are in their smoky rooms with their media pals laughing it up and slapping each other on the backs. They are saying "GOOD, OLE, ROPE-A-DOPE REPUBLICANS. WE KNEW WE COULD COUNT ON THEM!"

We've checked the list and counted it twice, thrice, four times and hundreds more of each way and time Senator McCain has betrayed the trust of conservatives and put his own political agenda over the ones who sent him to Washington.

So sad, Republicans. So sad, so senseless and so stupid.

Guess I will be doing some early Christmas shopping come November 2008, but I won't be voting. It will be the first time in my life I have not supported a candidate for national office.

Hats off to all the supporters of the little general from Arizona. You most likely will get your wish for a bilingual nation where immigration laws are neither enforced or taken seriously. You also get your wish of another Supreme Court justice most likely in the mode of John Paul Stephens. If you are a business person who supports McCain, expect more laws passed the regulate the nation's companies.

This is sad. Truly the worst night I can remember in politics. For the GOP faithful to pick the candidate most clamored for by the MSM and Democrats shows just have massively stupid and easily led our voters have become.

But don't mind me. You all run along now and be the good sheep you are and follow your leader over the ledge.

It will likely get me banned but it deserves to be posted. I WILL NEVER, EVER VOTE FOR THAT SON OF A BITCH!

"(6:10 a.m. update: Providence has intervened, closing CMU until noon. It is unclear when, or if, the expulsion hearing will be rescheduled.)"

http://petersreport.blogspot.com/2008/01/petersgate-day-175.html

Wrecked my car and waited in the ditch for an hour and a half for the Tow truck last night. Grrrr.

I hope Dennis appreciates that I pretty literally wound up taking one for the team. ;)

--Nick
www.RightMichigan.com