Too right, David French.
French, a Christian, focused, in this much-read opinion piece, on “an academic superpower in Christian America,” Liberty University (known to readers of this blog as Libertine University), and its fecalicious Falwellian fiefdom. French noted that, no sooner had the school overthrown the Falwell dynasty, than the Education Dept came after the place for lying about campus crimes, not to mention intimidating students who tried to report them.
Liberty mishandled claims of sex abuse and sex harassment on campus and used its strict code of conduct, the Liberty Way, against victims of sex abuse. If, for example, victims had been drinking or engaged in any other conduct prohibited by Liberty policies, those details in their sex abuse complaints could be used against them in school disciplinary proceedings.
Today we got word of the exact amount Libertine’s gonna have to pay to get out from under its sex/crime/omerta obsession: $14 mill. — “by far the largest [fine] ever levied under the Clery Act, a law that requires colleges and universities that receive federal funding to collect data on campus crime and notify students of threats.”
Of course all of it – Judas David French, the satanic federal government – is a plot against the righteous, and the captain of their soul, Donald Trump.
March 6th, 2024 at 3:27PM
I recall Brecht writing about religion just being a mask for political control in “Life of Galileo.” I don’t have it to hand but a character defends obedience since the peasants need something to keep their minds off their sad lot. Galileo shuts him down.
March 7th, 2024 at 8:20AM
Dmitry: I think that these days, with America’s Falwellians/Integralists/etc. often well off and powerful (esp. in Trump Times), Nietzsche’s slave morality thing feels obsolete. Even with secularism winning like crazy, this small group has managed to outlaw abortion in increasing numbers of states, and may well get their way on birth control, IVF, etc. They’re banning books quite effectively too.
March 7th, 2024 at 9:22AM
I am not too familiar with Nietzsche. It does now seem like the US has gone past some point of no return. The far-right has announced its intentions and has the backing of the high court. Regrettably this has global implications. The future, such as it is, looks totalitarian.
March 7th, 2024 at 11:13AM
I’m less pessimistic. I think Biden will win. But Trump is undeniably popular; and from Putin to Orban to Meloni things look bad. Poland has for the moment thrown off its authoritarians, and there are other heartening developments alongside the totalitarian drift. My thing is we simply have to keep fighting.
As for the court: For all its new conservatives, its decisions are sometimes sound. It’s not really a reactionary monolith. And the American majority is definitely finding ways around the court’s abortion decision. AND if Biden wins, it will in significant degree be because disgust with the court’s decision brings out the vote.
March 7th, 2024 at 3:44PM
Xi, Erdogan, and Modi as well.
You are closer to all of this and I hope you are right. It appears to me (and others) that Putin is driving your far-right’s bus. Even if they realized it, I don’t think they would change their votes. I think the 2020 elections were legitimately run and also that there will be concerted efforts by the Republicans to subvert this one by all available means.
Meanwhile, Ukraine hangs in the balance and Taiwan watches nervously.
March 13th, 2024 at 12:03PM
[…] two of them together! There’s so much – intellectually, morally, spiritually – for Liberty students to be proud […]