When campus controversies go beyond heated debate

A couple of interesting items relating to the case of University of Kansas professor Paul Mirecki, who stepped down as chairman of KU’s religious studies department Wednesday after allegedly being beaten Monday by two men who cited his planned course labeling creationism and intelligent design as mythologies. He told the University Daily Kansan he’s received more than 2,000 e-mails — the “vast majority” supportive — since the controversy arose.
And KU professor Dennis Dailey, who was at the center of a similar firestorm a few years ago over his human sexuality class, told the UDK he received eight to 10 anonymous death threats at the time. “I wasn’t scared by the person who made all the fuss in the Legislature,” Dailey said, referring to Sen. Susan Wagle, R-Wichita. “I was scared of wackos who might strike out against me. I’m just thankful nothing happened.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman

7 Comments

  1. Steven E.
    Posted December 8, 2005 at 1:25 pm | Permalink

    There are materials related to Mirecki – pretty publicly available – that list his home address. I found myself wondering if that was a good idea. In fact, after posting this, I am going to contact the source of that information and ask them to consider taking it down.

  2. HARDTRUTH
    Posted December 8, 2005 at 3:42 pm | Permalink

    Shelly Shannon showed us how “non-violent” (sic) these extremists are. Fred Phelps also shows us a lot about their love.

  3. Galahad
    Posted December 8, 2005 at 3:45 pm | Permalink

    Right-wing media blowhards Rush, O’Reilley, Ann Coulter, and Michael Savage constantly demonize their political opponents as “treasonous,” “traitors,” “unAmerican,” “aiding terrorists,” etc. etc. and occasionally even encouraging violence.

    Then they are SHOCKED, SHOCKED when their listeners act on what they’ve been told.

  4. Joe Blow
    Posted December 9, 2005 at 6:00 am | Permalink

    Mirecki resigns a day after making these charges of this dastardly attack. Was he attacked, or was he trying to stir up even more anti-Christian bigotry? You make the call.

  5. CF
    Posted December 9, 2005 at 6:33 am | Permalink

    Joe Blow,

    I don’t know. You’re the bigot: what do you think?

  6. codie
    Posted December 9, 2005 at 5:24 pm | Permalink

    I doubt anything I read in the Eagle. IF he did get stopped and IF he was dumb enough to get out and confront them and IF he could still walk away I don’t believe it was in conjunction with this issue.

  7. Rage
    Posted December 9, 2005 at 9:35 pm | Permalink

    Good post, Galahad.

    I can recall right after 9-11, when a local idiot (whose name I remember, but will not post), wrote into the paper that we should “deport all Arabs.” And the Eagle, incredibly, printed it.

    It seems to me we’ve spent that last four years crawling out of a deep, dark tunnel.