Pushback: Students win $90K from University of Idaho for restricting their free speech
This college is still hostile to free speech.
Bring a gun to a knife fight: Three students who were punished last spring by the University of Idaho (UI) for daring to disagree publicly with an activist for the queer agenda have now won a $90K settlement as well as getting their records fully cleared.
As part of the settlement, university officials permanently rescinded the no-contact orders they had issued against Peter Perlot, Mark Miller, and Ryan Alexander, members of the Christian Legal Society chapter at the university, and Professor Richard Seamon, CLS’s faculty advisor, and paid $90,000.
I reported this case when it happened, noting that the university had essentially “decided that the only opinions that could be allowed were those that agreed with the queer political agenda, and acted unilaterally to punish these Christians for refusing to bow to that rule.” The university has now lost, and lost badly.
To get the full flavor of the oppressive, intolerant attitude of the queer advocates, you must read the actual lawuit complaint [pdf]. When the Christian students suggested they all get together to peacefully exchange views, the queer activists responded by running to the authorities to shut the Christians up. Worse, college authorities were only too happy to do so.
Will this victory bring free speech back to the University of Idaho? Based on this weasly statement from a college spokeswoman, that remains unclear:
“The settlement, for the U of I is a business decision and in the best interest of our students, the university and the state of Idaho,” she wrote. “Litigation costs money and time as well as creates the potential for ongoing trauma to students. The university is often disadvantaged in such a case as laws prevent us from sharing the full story. This case, for us, has always been about safe access to education, which is paramount.”
To translate: The university settled reluctantly, and will still do its darnedest to make life hell for anyone who dares say anything it doesn’t like, while protecting those who have opinions it does like. Since UI is a public college whose existence relies on the state’s legislature, it is therefore imperative that elected officials keep a close eye on what it does.
And if legislators drop the ball, looking the other way if UI administrators once again abuse their power, it is then imperative that these Christian students force the politicians to pick it up. Any victory for freedom is never final, especially when tyrants dominate the culture as they do today.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
This college is still hostile to free speech.
Bring a gun to a knife fight: Three students who were punished last spring by the University of Idaho (UI) for daring to disagree publicly with an activist for the queer agenda have now won a $90K settlement as well as getting their records fully cleared.
As part of the settlement, university officials permanently rescinded the no-contact orders they had issued against Peter Perlot, Mark Miller, and Ryan Alexander, members of the Christian Legal Society chapter at the university, and Professor Richard Seamon, CLS’s faculty advisor, and paid $90,000.
I reported this case when it happened, noting that the university had essentially “decided that the only opinions that could be allowed were those that agreed with the queer political agenda, and acted unilaterally to punish these Christians for refusing to bow to that rule.” The university has now lost, and lost badly.
To get the full flavor of the oppressive, intolerant attitude of the queer advocates, you must read the actual lawuit complaint [pdf]. When the Christian students suggested they all get together to peacefully exchange views, the queer activists responded by running to the authorities to shut the Christians up. Worse, college authorities were only too happy to do so.
Will this victory bring free speech back to the University of Idaho? Based on this weasly statement from a college spokeswoman, that remains unclear:
“The settlement, for the U of I is a business decision and in the best interest of our students, the university and the state of Idaho,” she wrote. “Litigation costs money and time as well as creates the potential for ongoing trauma to students. The university is often disadvantaged in such a case as laws prevent us from sharing the full story. This case, for us, has always been about safe access to education, which is paramount.”
To translate: The university settled reluctantly, and will still do its darnedest to make life hell for anyone who dares say anything it doesn’t like, while protecting those who have opinions it does like. Since UI is a public college whose existence relies on the state’s legislature, it is therefore imperative that elected officials keep a close eye on what it does.
And if legislators drop the ball, looking the other way if UI administrators once again abuse their power, it is then imperative that these Christian students force the politicians to pick it up. Any victory for freedom is never final, especially when tyrants dominate the culture as they do today.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
How do we fight political warfare in America?
Lawyers, Courts and Money.
But how far behind have we become in the war?
Bonus video: https://youtu.be/Jvqk8QaRZOI
In Idaho no less. Incredible.
I just spent an hour at the UI law school yesterday, talking to some students that were there studying for finals.
The school– teachers and administration are rabidly left wing. Students are terrified to disagree, because they know that if they are not kicked out, their lives will be hell for the remainder of their prison time at the college.
Just walking down the corridor you see rainbow flags on every instructor’s door. As one kid said, a white male, “Yah, everybody is welcome here but me.’
These Christian kids won, but as I was told, they are now persona non grata at the school: their lives will be made very difficult now.
Their new hire Jellum is particularly egregious in sermonizing left wing extremism from her pullpit. I’m sure the college will be doing their best to get rid of Professor Seamons. He is interesting in the fact that he is a classic liberal, yet stuck with these kids. I’m sure the college will make him pay.
So glad that place is in my rear view mirror. The last two deans are embroiled in legal controversy which has rocked the school and its pedogogy. The new dean is hard to read at this point in time.
Yep Cotour, these days Christians need a “Christian Legal Society chapter” at their universities.
Meanwhile the unsolved brutal stabbing murders of the four University of Idaho students a month ago has disappeared from the news cycle. It must have taken a turn into a direction that put liberals in a bad light. But at least the U of I students are safe from the influence of Christians.
They wonder why their enrollment has been dropping over the past years. You can’t blame Covid on that one!
As an alumni, I am ashamed at U of I’s behavior.