David Horowitz responds here to a recent TPMCafe post of mine, a critique of his "Academic Bill of Rights." I generally post there when discussing his activities, for I know he reads it. However, I do know that Kossacks do find Horowitz amusing... er, interesting.
His defense in response to my comments can be summed up in the word he uses most often (even in response to a passage from Edward O. Wilson that I quoted): "Blather."
Oh, he also uses such insightful arguments as "No it doesn't." Another favorite line: "Every sentence above is false."
Once again, in responding to me, Horowitz makes the claim that college professors (law professors, quite specifically in this case):
MAKE OVER $100,000 A YEAR, FOR SIX HOURS A WEEK WORK, WITH A FOUR MONTHS PAID VACATION AND A LIFE-TIME JOB GUARANTEE [caps Horowitz's]
And, once again, Horowitz shows that he doesn't know the first thing about academic life.
That's the problem with Horowitz versus the universities: he doesn't know what he is talking about, and isn't interested in learning (no academic works only six hours a week, for example, or has "four months paid vacation" a year).
And that's the problem with his "Academic Bill of Rights"--it has nothing to do with the real needs of our universities.
Furthermore, Horowitz wants to insert this into university governance through the legislatures. No matter how much he may deny it, this means ceding further control over our universities to our legislatures. It would also mean the end of academic freedom. When legislative politics gain control of the classroom, academic freedom cannot exist, no matter what Horowitz might say.
If Horowitz really cared about reforming our universities, he would learn something about them (he is adamant that he knows enough already, but constantly shows his ignorance). He will not, for that is not his purpose. All he is interested in is control, in bringing one more American institution under right-wing dominance.
His response to my blog makes that all the more clear.
By the way: Soon, an article of mine discussing the "research" in Horowitz's new book will appear on
ePluribus Media Journal. I'll put an abstract and a link here on dKos so that anyone interested can find it.