Conservative group slams A&M for liberal bias

[TexasTowelie]

A conservative student group from Texas A&M University said the school displayed its "far-left agenda" by hosting actor Danny Glover at a campus event.

The Texas Aggie Conservatives posted portions of Glover's comments about the Second Amendment, which he made during a breakfast to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 17. The event was organized by the Memorial Student Center Woodson Black Awareness Committee.

The conservative group later created an online petition slamming the university for inviting "radical leftist speakers" to speak at the annual MLK event. The petition accuses the university of funding liberal events and speakers and accusing professors of teaching liberal viewpoints.

The 66-year-old actor was responding to a question about activism when he touched on the Second Amendment. The student group took offense to comments the actor made about the genesis of the Second Amendment. He also spoke about racism in today's society, the Occupy Wall Street movement and global warming.

More at http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Conservative-group-slams-A-M-for-liberal-bias-4217627.php .

[redstatebluegirl]

1. They are kidding right?

Texas A&M is one of the most conservative universities in the country. They have a ton of race issues as well as issues related to women on that campus. I'm surprised Danny got off that campus without incident. That campus is FILLED with neocons!

[TexasTowelie]

2. The only A&M alum I am aware of on DU that can provide a clue is mbperrin.

However, I dug out my old copy of "The 101 Best Aggie Jokes" and didn't see any references as to whether it is a joke.

[mbperrin]

4. Truth is, the campus is more right-wing now than when I was there 71-75.

I was the president of the A&M Student Civil Liberties Union and wrote a weekly column for the Batt, the campus paper. A group of our friends formed the Cepheid Variable Science Fiction Committee, and they still sponsor the annual Aggiecon. My spouse was the chair of the Arts Committee, and they had a women's film series.

Diversity was nil then - the only black faces on campus were quite literally the athletes and university maintenance and housekeeping staff. Still not great, but better - the Corps has the first black commander in their history.

But Phil Gramm, one of my economics instructors was elected to the House, later to the Senate, and he proved to be wildly to the right; the Bush Library was located there and a road renamed for Bush as well. Robert Gates, later to be head of Defense, was a recent president of the campus, so there's another neo-con influence as well.

I still know a few of the staff, and they tell me this conservative group is the most knee-jerk kind of organization, refused any funding from Student Services fees, which means they do not have to disclose their numbers, names of members or their finances. They have been organizing to rig certain professors' student evaluations in an attempt to rid themselves of those they disapprove of. None of their officers or known members have any prominence on campus in any other capacity. They seem to be a tightly-knit little group of brownshirts.

Yes, the atmosphere there is overwhelmingly not only right-wing, but reactionary, much more so than even 40 years ago. I've already asked the administration there to look at the negative publicity this group is bringing to the school, because one way to rid yourself of a student organization is to dissolve their charter "in the best interest or perceived good of the University." Dr. Loftin was not this kind of nazi when he was a student there, much more centrist in nature, so perhaps we can do some good.

[TexasTowelie]

6. Thanks for your response since it would be presumptuous for me to reply.

I correctly guessed that the headline for the thread would get your attention.

I'm hopeful that the contacts with the administration will keep groups like the Texas Aggie Conservatives in check. Compared to the times you described in the 70's a great deal of progress has occurred. I did see more signs of diversity on campus since the last time I was near the campus than when a close friend was attending A&M about a decade ago.

I've had some fun with the Aggie jokes and coverage of Texas A&M (two of my BILs are alums), so I'll grant carte blanche if you want to share some Pirate jokes to poke fun at my alma mater. You'll have plenty of opportunities since Southwestern will play its first football game in over six decades this September. Thank goodness that we kick butt in lacrosse!

[mbperrin]

7. The figure I heard is that Aggie jokes are worth about $50 million in free publicity a year,

so keep on tellin' 'em!

Thanks for your dedication to Texas topics - it's much appreciated by me and many others, I know.

About all I can say about the first football in 6 decades is:

Gosh, welcome to the world of REAL sports! Lacrosse - that's some kinda French word, ain't it?

[TexasTowelie]

8. Zinger!

For the record, Southwestern played football against Texas A&M 18 times and only scored 13 points, but the Aggies did have the home-field advantage:

Sep 20, 1947 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 48 - 0
Sep 19, 1931 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 33 - 0
Sep 27, 1930 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 43 - 0
Sep 28, 1929 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 54 - 7
Sep 29, 1928 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 21 - 0
Oct 01, 1927 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 31 - 0
Oct 02, 1926 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 35 - 0
Oct 03, 1925 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 23 - 6
Oct 04, 1924 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 54 - 0
Oct 06, 1923 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 13 - 0
Oct 14, 1922 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 33 - 0
Nov 22, 1919 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 7 - 0
Nov 09, 1918 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 7 - 0
Oct 20, 1917 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 20 - 0
Sep 30, 1916 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 6 - 0
Oct 07, 1911 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 22 - 0
Nov 19, 1910 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 6 - 0
Nov 21, 1908 AT Texas A&M Southwestern University (W) 32 - 0

So we aren't known for having "manly" men. It hasn't changed much since then--the last time I was on campus I didn't see any possible linebackers for the team.

For the record, we did beat Texas the first time we played each other (11-9 in 1908) and one more time (14-7 in 1943) when we won the Sun Bowl that season.

[ROBROX]

3. THE GOP HAS MANY WHO ARE BAT SHIT CRAZY

These people give conservatives a BAD name. i know my short time in the south was a dark ride to the past. I am so glad to have escaped back to California. I think half this country is ready for a quick trip to the past and the other half of the country wants to be in the future where the good times happen.

Danny is so GREAT

[DhhD]

5. The History of the 2nd Amendment is neither Left of Right. It is history. I hope each person

reading this can spend a little time researching the TRUE history of the Second Amendment.

I believe that Texas A&M University stands on principles of truth when it comes to history. Politics is yet to come. History has already happened.

[TexasTowelie]

9. There was an article in "The Eagle" today about this story.

http://www.theeagle.com/news/a_m/article_3b6edaa3-28c1-5c6d-af8c-6dc602443782.html

Schroeder said the university's policies are stifling learning opportunities by not providing an open forum where "both sides" are represented.

"If we are going to have a Second Amendment debate, let's have it," Schroeder said. "But not under the pretense of an MLK breakfast."

According to a press release by TAC, the organization plans to bring to the university "a comparable" speaker to discuss conservative views of Second Amendment.

TAC's suggested speakers are Ted Nugent and Chuck Norris.