Dissent on Campus

The President of San Diego State University had information that led him to believe that not only was there drug activity on his campus, but that the drug activity was on a scale that was beyond the ability of his campus police to deal with and might even press the limits of the San Diego police forces. Out of an abundance of concern for his students, he asked the US DEA to investigate and, sure enough, a major drug bust was the result.

I can appreciate that not everyone would agree with the president’s action, especially not the drug users on campus, but I would rather expect his faculty to support him. Especially in light of the outcome which illustrated that he was pretty much correct in his concerns.

Not so much according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, (emphasis mine)

Carole Kennedy, a political science professor and head of SDSU's faculty union, said she was dismayed by the level of drug activity on campus. But Kennedy said she also was disturbed that the university's president “unilaterally allowed” undercover federal agents to gather intelligence from student organizations.

It sets a bad precedent, Kennedy said.

“Now it's drugs,” she said. “Maybe next time it's about political dissent. . . . What happens when you have students talking about federal income tax policy, saying they're not going to pay their taxes? Are they going to bring in IRS agents?”

What is this woman’s point, and what does she think he should have done?

Does she really think that the university's president’s unwillingness to tolerate illegal drug activity on his campus is indicative of an unwillingness to tolerate political dissent? Does she see any relationship whatever between illegal drugs and legal political dissent? Or even illegal expression of legal dissent?

Does she think that as an expression of his espousal of political dissent the university's president should permit illegal drug use to flourish on campus?

If this is the caliber of what we have teaching political science in our universities, then it is small wonder that politics is so bollixed in this nation. I would not want this woman teaching my dog how to take a dump on the grass.

She probably taught the people in Clinton’s campaign staff.