College Conservatives Still Under Attack

By Charles Mitchell
The Family Security Foundation

Mike Adams, Campus Heretic

In a recent column, I had this to say about conservative professors: “They’re not just outnumbered. They are also unwelcome. And they know it.”

As a consequence, I argued, conservative professors—which are extremely rare in the first place—can seem even scarcer than they are, because many of the few that exist keep their heads down. They hide their beliefs. Why? Because they know that that is much safer than speaking their minds.

Unfortunately, recent events have proven once again why that’s the case. Just ask Mike Adams, a tenured criminology professor at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.

Mike first made national headlines not long after 9/11, when he landed himself in some very hot water for daring to respond to a student’s e-mailed criticism of U.S. foreign policy. Upon receiving a Sept. 15, 2001 mass e-mail citing the “World Socialist Website” and charging that, among other things, “the US government has been engaged in a combination of occupation and imperialist warfare in the Middle East,” Mike did what the e-mail invited him to do—he forwarded it.

And he also included a note that is worth reproducing in full:

I will certainly forward this to others and I hope they will respond. My response will be brief as your “statement” is undeserving of serious consideration. Your claimed interest in promoting rational discussion is dishonest. It is an intentionally divisive diatribe. The Constitution protects your speech just as it has protected bigoted, unintelligent, and immature speech for many years. But, remember, when you exercise your rights you open yourself up to criticism that is protected by the same principles. I sincerely hope that your bad speech serves as a catalyst for better speech by others.

The student did not like that very much, and promptly threatened to sue. UNCW launched a chilling investigation of Mike, including prying into his e-mails.

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