Opinion: In today’s pages: Chemerinsky speaks up, Petraeus on Britney
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As the Erwin Chemerinsky saga continues, the man himself writes in:
Tenure has many costs, but it exists so that academics will feel free to express themselves without fear of reprisal. It is based on the idea that everyone benefits from the free exchange of ideas. Without academic freedom, the reality is that many faculty members would be chilled and timid in expressing their views, and the discussion that is essential for the advancement of thought would be lost....My concern is that the message from this episode, especially for my more junior colleagues who may aspire to be deans someday or, for that matter, judges, is that if you speak out -- liberal or conservative -- you may lose your chance at a position that you really want.That’s why I decided to answer questions about what happened and to accept the invitation to write this article. [UC Irvine] Chancellor [Michael] Drake initially asked that I simply say that we had mutually agreed to end my prospective deanship. I refused and said that all I wanted was that the truth be told.
Drake offers his side of the story. Columnist Rosa Brooks says that the Iraq war and the debate around it should make it clear why Americans lead the world in medical narcotics use. And columnist Joel Stein offers a no-nonsense assessment of career comeback benchmarks achieved by Britney Spears.
The editorial board thinks it’s time for democracy to come to D.C., in the form of a House seat. The board also argues that, after the switch from analog television, newly opened spectrum ‘white space’ should be used wisely rather than left empty. Finally, the board laments that Sacramento failed at redistricting again.
Readers respond to the Chemerinsky hiring and un-hiring. A former student, Anthony Sbardellati of Los Angeles, writes, ‘I can attest that Chemerinsky never forced his political views on anyone in the classroom and always presented all sides of the constitutional issues he taught in an evenhanded manner.’