THE DISCRIMINATION OF A CUBAN AMERICAN

by Agustin Blazquez with the collaboration of Jaums Sutton

The U.S. and the forces of freedom and democracy won the Cold War over the dark forces of totalitarian communism but they are loosing the cultural war on unexpected fronts.

The University of California at Berkeley, is offering a course titled "The Politics and Poetics of Palestinian Resistance," taught by Snehal Shingavi.

According to the article A Safe Harbor for Hate published on May 13 at www.Salon.com, author Rory Miller says that Shingavi is "in fact, the spokesman or leader of many different left-wing causes and extremist groups."

Shingavi’s "base of operations is as the Berkeley leader of the International Socialist Organization (ISO)." This organization "advocates violent revolution in the United States." Miller also says that since the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, the American public has been "increasingly aware of the oppressive presence of the academic left."

This academic leftist war is being waged against the American people from the ivory towers of the educational centers in the U.S. These institutions are being subverted by an unruly group of unrepentant and intolerant Marxist professors that are resisting the reality that their political philosophy has been a failure in the practice everywhere in our world and has caused the deaths of 100 million people.

In spite of the facts, these professors, who are in a self-preserving entrenchment in academic circles in the U.S. have become a mighty roadblock of the diversity of ideas and opinions and are imposing their monolithic dogma upon a new generation of Americans.

This Marxist dogma is the opposite of what the Founding Fathers had in mind for the people of the United States when they gave us the Constitution and our Constitutional Republic. It is precisely because of the Constitution that this country became the best and most prosperous country in modern history. It is freedom, not tyranny that made it all possible.

However these professors are guided by a perverted form of anti-Americanism. It is evident when you study their double standard and realize that their preferences are for political systems that stiffen freedom and democracy, while oppressing and enslaving the people.

A sample of this political intolerance and discrimination is the case of Juan J. Lopez, a professor with Cuban American roots. His footing makes Lopez, Assistant Professor of Political Science and Latin American Studies Department of Political Science at The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) knowledgeable about the reality of the Castro regime in Cuba.

But the reality in his book contradicts what the academic circles want to teach the new generations. Therefore, once he was up for tenure on April, a witch hunt was organized against him. The reason was that he wrote a book – that he was required to write.

His manuscript portrays the Castro regime as it is, which is not in the interest of these academics. A vote was held and the recommendation was to deny his tenure at UIC.

One of the persons voting against professor Lopez was the Head of the Political Science Department, Professor Lynn Ragsdale. She had just started in her position, coming from the University of Arizona. And her appointment had been strongly opposed by about half of the members of the faculty in the department at UIC.

Ironically, professor Lopez had been one of her supporters in the process of hiring her. He thinks that once she saw the way the wind was blowing in the department regarding his tenure, and possibly after consulting with the Dean, she decided to go against him.

Although Ragsdale told him that she had read his book about Cuba before making her decision, he does not think she did. And when he asked her what she had found wrong with the book, she mentioned the same criticism that an external reviewer had made in his/her letter.

The criticism that Ragsdale has mentioned shows a grossly inaccurate reading of his arguments. Professor Lopez thinks that it is quite possible that some of the reviewers might have disliked his political positions in the book and sought to contrive attacks on his scholarship to undermine his tenure case.

The final decision was in the hands of Chancellor Sylvia Manning. And that was the cliffhanger where my previous article published by NewsMax about Lopez’s case ended in March 2002.

For background information, you can find my article, Victim of Academia’s Double Standard, at: http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/3/26/125132.shtml

On May 15, I received a note from professor Lopez with the final verdict of Chancellor Manning. According to professor Lopez, she disregarded the massive evidence in his favor and decided to go along with Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Stanley Fish and the others who wanted to fire him from the university.

Professor Lopez appealed to Chancellor Manning with an extensive letter including a lot of supporting documentation attesting the excellent quality of his book about Cuba. Other professors who read his book sent letters of support for him and his academic work. But to no avail, Chancellor Manning ignored all the letters in his favor.

The decision also saves the University the extreme embarrassment of being associated with a book that is unfavorable to Castro and the left wing. Once it is published, however, their scheme may just backfire and provide free notoriety for the book that is so good it got a Professor fired.

Professor Lopez says, "Our enemies are implacable."

Indeed he is right, while they open their doors to radical socialists and communists, the doors are closed to the defenders of freedom and democracy. And our individual freedoms in America will eventually be the casualty of this academic intolerance, manipulation of information and censorship.

END

Anybody wishing to express his or her opinions to the university, contact:

Agustin Blazquez is producer/director of the documentaries: COVERING CUBA, COVERING CUBA 2: The New Generation, and the upcoming COVERING CUBA 3: Elian

And author with Carlos Wotzkow of the book COVERING AND DISCOVERING

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