“Blow up Republicans”: UNC (Wilmington) professor triggers firestorm with call for killing Republicans

(Natural News) Dan Johnson is an associate professor at the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences at University of North Carolina Wilmington with apparently equal interest in politics and polytechnics. He posted a short but clear message on Facebook: “Blow Up Republicans.” The detonation of people seems to be in vogue with professors this year. As will come as little surprise to many on this blog, I do not believe Johnson should face discipline for his violent political ideations. [Update: A university Trustee has now asked for an investigation by the university].
(Article by Jonathan Turley republished from JonathanTurley.org)
Campus Reform reports objections to the handling of the controversy by the school, which only stated that “[t]he university was made aware of the post and has appropriately addressed it.”  Johnson took down the posting.
Haylie Davis, a former student of Johnson’s, is quoted as objecting to the lack of more serious action and notes that the school would not be so circumspect “if the word ‘Republican’ was replaced with any other word. If the post stated ‘Blow up women,’ ‘Blow up homosexuals,’ ‘Blow up Catholics,’ etc.”
That is a good point.  We have discussed the sharply different treatment given statements by faculty depending on their political or social perspectives.
I have defended faculty who have made similarly disturbing comments denouncing policecalling for Republicans to suffer,  strangling police officerscelebrating the death of conservativescalling for the killing of Trump supporters, supporting the murder of conservative protesters and other outrageous statements. These comments were not protested as creating an “unsafe environment” and were largely ignored by universities. However, professors and students are routinely investigated, suspended, and sanctioned for countervailing views. There were also controversies at the University of California and Boston University, where there have been criticism of such a double standard, even in the face of criminal conduct. There was also such an incident at the University of London involving Bahar Mustafa as well as one involving a University of Pennsylvania professor. Some intolerant statements against students are deemed free speech while others are deemed hate speech or the basis for university action. There is a lack of consistency or uniformity in these actions which turn on the specific groups left aggrieved by out-of-school comments.  There is also a tolerance of faculty and students tearing down fliers and stopping the speech of conservatives.  Indeed, even faculty who assaulted pro-life advocates was supported by faculty and lionized for her activism.
As we have previously discussed (with an Oregon professor and a Rutgers professor), there remains an uncertain line in what language is protected for teachers in their private lives. A conservative North Carolina professor  faced calls for termination over controversial tweets and was pushed to retire. Dr. Mike Adams, a professor of sociology and criminology, had long been a lightning rod of controversy. In 2014, we discussed his prevailing in a lawsuit that alleged discrimination due to his conservative views.  He was then targeted again after an inflammatory tweet calling North Carolina a “slave state.”  That led to his being pressured to resign with a settlement. He then committed suicide
The efforts to fire professors who voice dissenting views on various issues including an effort to oust a leading economist from the University of Chicago as well as a leading linguistics professor at Harvard and a literature professor at Penn. Sites like Lawyers, Guns, and Money feature writers like Colorado Law Professor Paul Campus who call for the firing of those with opposing views (including myself).  Such campaigns have targeted teachers and students who contest the evidence of systemic racism in the use of lethal force by police or offer other opposing views in current debates over the pandemic, reparations, electoral fraud, or other issues.
It is not just universities. Almost on the one-year anniversary of its condemning its own publication of a column by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. (and forcing out its own editor), the New York Times published an academic columnist who previously defended the killing of conservative protesters. Over at the Washington Post this week, the newspaper promoted a columnist, Karen Attiah, who last summer caused an outrage after she tweeted “White women are lucky that we are just calling them Karens. And not calling for revenge.”
Despite the bias and hypocrisy shown by universities, I still would defend Johnson and his right to express such views on social media. Unfortunately, such hyperbolic and violent language is common today. While academics should be examples of greater tolerance and civility, the danger of such regulation is greater than the cost of such speech. Indeed, this week, the free speech community secured a significant victory in the ruling in  Mahonoy on out-of-school speech by a high school student.
The failure of many on the left to support diversity of viewpoints does not mean that the rest of us are relieved of our own obligation to support free speech. While many of us are repulsed by Professor Johnson’s dreams of blowing up Republicans, sanctions on such speech could easily become a nightmare for free speech.
Read more at: JonathanTurley.org

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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

5 Comments

  1. James Carpenter aka "Felix" July 5, 2021 at 16:49

    Were German soldiers amendable to ditching Nazi belief and practice? _Before_ they were routed and killed in numbers that ended hopes of any war victory?
    Did the Japanese finally throw in the towel _only_ after it became apparent that our new technology could leave their home islands a smoking ruin?
    If the current war is to end in our favor, the formula is _not_ that of Viet Nam or Iraq or Afghanistan.
    Killing people and breaking things is a time-tested formula and it hints at how we might find closure (victory) against the evil ones and their useful idiots.
    At present, the ROE are against us. In their hubris, our enemies will almost certainly justify, nay demand, a change in this. Will they then reap the whirlwind?

  2. Chris July 5, 2021 at 22:37

    Besides the Hypocracy…
    If these ARE the Schools of Alleged, Higher Learning…
    And they sure as hell seem to be.
    And the Parents keep sending the Crotch Gobblins.
    And the Idiots, Dolts and Traitors keep giving them Endowments etc…
    MF’rzzz, we gots Large trouble.
    This sorta crap IS gonna stick. OHhhhh it will. HISTORY!!!!
    I thought I was all set and my kids, after I am no more.
    I Was SO WRONG!!
    More Ammo, muuuuuch more ammo. So much more.
    This damn chicken IS going to come home to roost in a Very Big Way if it isn’t put down, damn soon.
    (I mean words, law, prosecution,loss of job)
    Insanity, every damn day.

  3. Anonymous July 6, 2021 at 01:21

    5

  4. Johnny Paratrooper July 6, 2021 at 08:06

    Not only are the campuses extremely hostile, but if you make ANY effort to stand up for yourself you are declared mentally unstable and in true soviet fashion you are required to take two batteries of psych evaluations and then repent you alleged sins for 4 hours to three different police officers.
    Which is why I hate Campus Reform and TPUSA. They tell you to stand up for yourself, and then leave you out to dry.
    Almost like both organizations are as fake as QAnon and Space Invaders. If we found out both groups were actually run by the enemy, I would not be surprised considering what I went through.
    Which was absolutely miserable. And Trump was still president at the time and had signed free speech executive orders for veterans on campus.
    Yeah… You have the freedom of speech you expose yourself and get into a hell of a lot of trouble.

  5. Anonymous July 6, 2021 at 08:24

    0.5

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