Paul Krugman: American Thought Police (new column, on William Cronon)

[highplainsdem]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/28/opinion/28krugman.html?src=twrhp

American Thought Police
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: March 27, 2011

-snip-

The Cronon affair, then, is one more indicator of just how reflexively vindictive, how un-American, one of our two great political parties has become.

The demand for Mr. Cronon’s correspondence has obvious parallels with the ongoing smear campaign against climate science and climate scientists, which has lately relied heavily on supposedly damaging quotations found in e-mail records.

-snip-

Someone like Mr. Cronon can stand up to the pressure. But less eminent and established researchers won’t just become reluctant to act as concerned citizens, weighing in on current debates; they’ll be deterred from even doing research on topics that might get them in trouble.

What’s at stake here, in other words, is whether we’re going to have an open national discourse in which scholars feel free to go wherever the evidence takes them, and to contribute to public understanding. Republicans, in Wisconsin and elsewhere, are trying to shut that kind of discourse down. It’s up to the rest of us to see that they don’t succeed.

Krugman already did a blog post about this. I'm glad he decided to do a column as well.

[gristy]

1. I cannot fathom by what law Mr. Cronon could be compelled to turn over his private correspondence

Or, for that matter, the university could be compelled to turn over one of their professor's correspondence, state law regarding state officials notwithstanding.

But as Krugman notes, either way they chill the activities of left-of-center academia. Actually getting Cronon's emails would just be icing on the cake.

Very creepy.

[gkhouston]

2. I wonder if this will affect the April 5th election for the Wisconsin Supreme justice.

Every overreach perpetuated in Fitzwalkerstan probably nudges a few more from the "uncertain" to the "opposed" column.

[midnight]

3. People need to say no to these bullies.

[nashville_brook]

4. k and r

[pacalo]

5. K&R.

[mod mom]

6. ABSOLUTELY! As usual, on the mark! k&r

[malaise]

7. First they came for...

and then they came for me

EFUCKINGnough!!! The first amendment is not owned by ReTHUGS and Teabaggers.

Rec

sp.