Kansas professor Mirecki beaten up

[afleitch]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/06/tech/main1099028.shtml

'A Kansas professor whose planned course on creationism and intelligent design was canceled after he sent e-mails deriding Christian conservatives was taken to the hospital Monday following what he said was a beating.'

'University of Kansas religious studies professor Paul Mirecki told the Lawrence Journal-World that two men who beat him were making references to the class that was to be offered for the first time this coming spring.'

Sen. Kay O'Connor, a Mirecki critic, said there is no excuse for someone physically assaulting the professor - regardless of their politics.

"I have zero tolerance for thugs," she said. "There is never an excuse to behave in such a manner. This was just thugs. They used a flimsy excuse, if they had one, to behave as thugs. They can talk about the ID (intelligent design) course if they want to, but that's not an excuse."

Almost reminds you of Iran doesn't it. If you don't accept 'intelligent design' they try and beat it into you.

[Joe Republic]

I told you there'd be pitchforks and flaming torches.  This was merely the first step.

[MODU]

It sucks to be him.

[opebo]

It sucks to be him.

Freedom Fighters are always taking a risk, MODU, and are always going to be outnumbered by the Horrible People.

[MODU]

It sucks to be him.

Freedom Fighters are always taking a risk, MODU, and are always going to be outnumbered by the Horrible People.

hahaha . . . "Freedom Fighters" being only in your own view.  Now while I wouldn't call him a "Horrible Person," he was an idiot for what he had e-mailed.  And while I don't support beating people up because they don't share your view on a topic, I do think this is mildly amusing.

[opebo]

It sucks to be him.

Freedom Fighters are always taking a risk, MODU, and are always going to be outnumbered by the Horrible People.

hahaha . . . "Freedom Fighters" being only in your own view.  Now while I wouldn't call him a "Horrible Person," he was an idiot for what he had e-mailed.  And while I don't support beating people up because they don't share your view on a topic, I do think this is mildly amusing.

Of course you would, as you are a fascist.  I for one am a supporter of free speech, and particularly the right to expose the religious for what they are.

[Blue Rectangle]

It sucks to be him.

Freedom Fighters are always taking a risk, MODU, and are always going to be outnumbered by the Horrible People.

hahaha . . . "Freedom Fighters" being only in your own view.  Now while I wouldn't call him a "Horrible Person," he was an idiot for what he had e-mailed.  And while I don't support beating people up because they don't share your view on a topic, I do think this is mildly amusing.

Of course you would, as you are a fascist.  I for one am a supporter of free speech, and particularly the right to expose the religious for what they are.

Right, you support the right of those who agree with you to practice free speech.  The others get thrown to the lions...

[J-Mann]

It was pretty evident that this was going to happen.  It wasn't right that he got assaulted for this, but the dumbsh**t should have known better.

Kansas is a wonderful place to exercise your freedom of speech if you're willing to deal with the consequences.  I imagine he'll consider his next hastily-written, hateful (and that's all it was -- full of hate for people he disagreed with) e-mail a lot more carefully.

[KillerPollo]

It sucks to be him.

Freedom Fighters are always taking a risk, MODU, and are always going to be outnumbered by the Horrible People.

hahaha . . . "Freedom Fighters" being only in your own view.  Now while I wouldn't call him a "Horrible Person," he was an idiot for what he had e-mailed.  And while I don't support beating people up because they don't share your view on a topic, I do think this is mildly amusing.

Of course you would, as you are a fascist.  I for one am a supporter of free speech, and particularly the right to expose the religious for what they are.

STFU u g4y a7h3i57!!!

[minionofmidas]

It sucks to be him.

Freedom Fighters are always taking a risk, MODU, and are always going to be outnumbered by the Horrible People.

hahaha . . . "Freedom Fighters" being only in your own view.  Now while I wouldn't call him a "Horrible Person," he was an idiot for what he had e-mailed.  And while I don't support beating people up because they don't share your view on a topic, I do think this is mildly amusing.

Of course you would, as you are a fascist.  I for one am a supporter of free speech, and particularly the right to expose the religious for what they are.

Right, you support the right of those who agree with you to practice free speech.  The others get thrown to the lions...

You are allowed to speak to the Lions, you know.

[Storebought]

I guess you could say: Mirecki wrote a check his ass couldn't cash.

But it is still a sorry incident because now the atheists, ironically, have a modern martyr in the cause of their 'freedom'

[opebo]

It was pretty evident that this was going to happen.  It wasn't right that he got assaulted for this, but the dumbsh**t should have known better.

Kansas is a wonderful place to exercise your freedom of speech if you're willing to deal with the consequences.  I imagine he'll consider his next hastily-written, hateful (and that's all it was -- full of hate for people he disagreed with) e-mail a lot more carefully.

I guess you could say: Mirecki wrote a check his ass couldn't cash.

J-Mann and Storebought think free speech should be dependent upon ones power!

[J-Mann]

It was pretty evident that this was going to happen.  It wasn't right that he got assaulted for this, but the dumbsh**t should have known better.

Kansas is a wonderful place to exercise your freedom of speech if you're willing to deal with the consequences.  I imagine he'll consider his next hastily-written, hateful (and that's all it was -- full of hate for people he disagreed with) e-mail a lot more carefully.

I guess you could say: Mirecki wrote a check his ass couldn't cash.

J-Mann and Storebought think free speech should be dependent upon ones power!

No, I think you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.  He could have easily started a class debating the merits of intelligent design without inciting hatred against him.  He's stupid for making that mistake, and it wasn't all that hard to predict a beating was coming to him.

[opebo]

No, I think you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.  He could have easily started a class debating the merits of intelligent design without inciting hatred against him.  He's stupid for making that mistake, and it wasn't all that hard to predict a beating was coming to him.

And yet, the preachers of these cults spew hate about various members of society, from homosexuals to atheists, and they never get beaten up.

[Storebought]

No, I think you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.  He could have easily started a class debating the merits of intelligent design without inciting hatred against him.  He's stupid for making that mistake, and it wasn't all that hard to predict a beating was coming to him.

And yet, the preachers of these cults spew hate about various members of society, from homosexuals to atheists, and they never get beaten up.

Yeah, because preachers have such an easy go at proselytization in places like San Francisco and West Hollywood

[J-Mann]

No, I think you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.  He could have easily started a class debating the merits of intelligent design without inciting hatred against him.  He's stupid for making that mistake, and it wasn't all that hard to predict a beating was coming to him.

And yet, the preachers of these cults spew hate about various members of society, from homosexuals to atheists, and they never get beaten up.

Not necessarily true -- I've personally thrown a rock at Fred Phelps, though I had discretion enough to do it from a crowd so I couldn't be picked out (he was a regular protester at my university).  His "preachers" have gotten roughed up a time or two.

Anyway, the point is to exercise discretion when advocating change or challenging the majority.  Case in point: you --

Thaksin is no joke - rapidly destroying freedoms in one of the few free countries that has ever existed.  Over the last month one of his Thai Rak Thai minions - the mayor of Pattaya - has directed the police to drive the freelancers from the beach promenade. 

I was here for this act of injustice.. probably the most horrific thing I have ever seen.  Sure, I grew up in an unfree land, but I never had to witness liberty being crushed (it was crushed before I was born). 

A friend asked me, when I related the tragic tale, 'what did you do?'  I told her - 'I bore witness'.

You vehemently disagree with Thaksin and the forces of social control, but when this event happened, what did you do?  You didn't fight for the freelancers or shout at those who chased them away.  You just watched.

Which is smart.  Jumping into the middle of the fray would have gotten you an ass-kicking, at the very least -- likely something worse.  Rather, you exercise discretion in the way that you combat views you don't agree with by relating the story and hoping that news of the oppression spreads.  See what I'm getting at?  This professor started his assault not as a quiet revolution, but by getting right in the fundamentalists' faces -- and he paid the likely price for it.

[opebo]

No, I think you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.  He could have easily started a class debating the merits of intelligent design without inciting hatred against him.  He's stupid for making that mistake, and it wasn't all that hard to predict a beating was coming to him.

And yet, the preachers of these cults spew hate about various members of society, from homosexuals to atheists, and they never get beaten up.

Yeah, because preachers have such an easy go at proselytization in places like San Francisco and West Hollywood

They're in no danger there..  unlike Freedom Fighters in Kansas.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

I do think this is mildly amusing.

You think terrorism by the American Taliban is funny?

[??????????]

I applaud the actions of those that did this! Good Riddance!

[opebo]

I applaud the actions of those that did this! Good Riddance!

The guy isn't dead, States.  I know in the South you'ld've lynched him but in Kansas the Brownshirts just beat them.

[MODU]

I do think this is mildly amusing.

You think terrorism by the American Taliban is funny?

Nice spin son.  *pats you on the head*  No go outside and play in the snow.

[opebo]

I do think this is mildly amusing.

You think terrorism by the American Taliban is funny?

Nice spin son.  *pats you on the head*  No go outside and play in the snow.

Bandit's characterization was a reasonable one, MODU.

[MODU]

I do think this is mildly amusing.

You think terrorism by the American Taliban is funny?

Nice spin son.  *pats you on the head*  No go outside and play in the snow.

Bandit's characterization was a reasonable one, MODU.

No, not really.  Lindh was a US citizen fighting on the side of the enemy.  Mirecki sent out a memo turning what could have been an interesting course discussion into a flame against Christianity.  Two totally different situations.

[opebo]

I do think this is mildly amusing.

You think terrorism by the American Taliban is funny?

Nice spin son.  *pats you on the head*  No go outside and play in the snow.

Bandit's characterization was a reasonable one, MODU.

No, not really.  Lindh was a US citizen fighting on the side of the enemy.  Mirecki sent out a memo turning what could have been an interesting course discussion into a flame against Christianity.  Two totally different situations.

No, no, I don't think he was referring to Lindh!  I think he was referring to the religious in the US as the 'American Taliban'.

[MODU]

I do think this is mildly amusing.

You think terrorism by the American Taliban is funny?

Nice spin son.  *pats you on the head*  No go outside and play in the snow.

Bandit's characterization was a reasonable one, MODU.

No, not really.  Lindh was a US citizen fighting on the side of the enemy.  Mirecki sent out a memo turning what could have been an interesting course discussion into a flame against Christianity.  Two totally different situations.

No, no, I don't think he was referring to Lindh!  I think he was referring to the religious in the US as the 'American Taliban'.

Then he needs to restate the question, since the American Taliban is the nickname/media name of John Walker Lindh.