University of South Carolina administrators refuse to teach the Constitution as required by state stature because they find it “inconvenient.”
The law is such an inconvenient thing: University of South Carolina administrators refuse to teach the Constitution, as required by state stature, because they find it “inconvenient.”
State statutes maintain that all students at a South Carolina public school must spend a certain amount of time studying the Constitution and the Federalist Papers. Failure to abide by the statute is grounds for the removal of the head of the public institution–in this case, President Pastides. “Willful neglect or failure on the part of any public school superintendent, principal or teacher or the president, teacher or other officer of any high school, normal school, university or college to observe and carry out the requirements [of the statute] shall be sufficient cause for the dismissal or removal of such person from his position,” according to South Carolina law.
The USC administrators say the statute is inconvenient to enforce, however, since it would disrupt the university’s current course requirements.
It might inconvenient, and the law itself might be foolish, but it isn’t up the administrators to decide this. They should be fired.
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
The law is such an inconvenient thing: University of South Carolina administrators refuse to teach the Constitution, as required by state stature, because they find it “inconvenient.”
State statutes maintain that all students at a South Carolina public school must spend a certain amount of time studying the Constitution and the Federalist Papers. Failure to abide by the statute is grounds for the removal of the head of the public institution–in this case, President Pastides. “Willful neglect or failure on the part of any public school superintendent, principal or teacher or the president, teacher or other officer of any high school, normal school, university or college to observe and carry out the requirements [of the statute] shall be sufficient cause for the dismissal or removal of such person from his position,” according to South Carolina law.
The USC administrators say the statute is inconvenient to enforce, however, since it would disrupt the university’s current course requirements.
It might inconvenient, and the law itself might be foolish, but it isn’t up the administrators to decide this. They should be fired.
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
Total control will be accomplished when the people come to believe what their government tells them because they have no proper reference point related to their naturally born rights to “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Teaching the concepts contained within the Constitution is not in keeping with the new paradigm that our government has determined is necessary to create. Its part of the slow boil principle.
Be outraged America.
What? Do these administrators think that they posses a pen and a telephone?
Bob:
In the post above you state:
It might inconvenient, and the law itself might be foolish, but it isn’t up the administrators to decide this. They should be fired.
While in a February 13th post about Connecticut gun owners failing to register their weapons you wrote:
When the law has contempt for freedom, then the only answer is contempt for the law.
link
I would appreciate it if you could elaborate on how, in your mind, these two situations are different.
More specifically: when (if ever) do you think it is OK for citizens to disregard or break the law?
Patrick,
I really like how you catch this stuff. The question is spectacularly good. Unfortunately, I am about to leave for two weeks on a trip to Israel. This question deserves a long answer. If I get inspired on the plane I might write it up for you.
What I can say immediately is that both circumstances demonstrate how badly written laws promote contempt for the law. Sometimes that contempt might be justified, but the contempt itself is a bad thing, generated by the misuse of the legislative power.
More to come.
As a USC grad, (the real USC, not the faux one in LA), I would have no issue with the firing of Pastides. This law is vague and easy to comply with. Just set up a booth in the Russell Center (student union) and hand out brochures on the Constitution, Federalist papers, whatever. Have a speaker give a colloquim on this, or a related topic, which will be attended by a few graduate students abpnd one or two people who wandered in by mistake. It’s what the other state colleges do, and it seems to satisfy the requirement.
There is no proof any of the fire arm owners are breaking the law.
They could have privately sold the weapons.
Or they could have reconfigured them to comply with the new laws definition of an illegal weapon.
The instructors are just outright ignoring the law and doing it out in the open with little to no excuse.
More than likely because no one has ever been prosecuted for something like this ans feel free to do as they please until someone goes to jail over it.
Send one to jail and the rest will either teach the material or try to change the law.
Thanks Bob, looking forward to hearing more of your thoughts on this.