Pharyngula--the wickedly funny science blog run by Minnesota biologist Paul Myers, a blog that I am happy to take some credit for promoting early on in its career (its traffic now dwarfs mine)--is under attack from the Catholic League, a quasi-fascistic group that--like its Islamic counterparts (which are more often in the news these days)--regularly tries to terrorize, threaten, and silence anyone and anything deemed offensive to its particular (and often peculiar) version of its religion, Catholicism; in this case, they apparently want Professor Myers fired for his speech. (We've been there before!)
What started it all was the Catholic League's crusade against a student at the University of Central Florida who absconded with the Eucharist during a Church service; this, in turn, led to death threats against the student! Professor Myers, correctly, came to the student's defense, but in the process really poked the bull in the eye by volunteering--in solidarity, I take it, with the student--to desecrate more Eucharists. This site has a set of links to coverage of the event. (Amusingly, it turns out that the infamous shill for Intelligent Design creationism, Francis Beckwith, has also chimed in, ostensibly opposing the witch hunt aimed at Myers, but really to confirm his reputation as "Miss Manners", a posture which is important for those who can't be taken seriously on the merits of their arguments.)
Professor Myers is obviously correct to draw the comparison between the Catholic League's response and Islamic fundamentalists. The issue here is not, however, one of "academic freedom" per se, but rather the First Amendment. What Bill Donohue of the Catholic League does not appear to understand is that the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits the state of Minnesota from punishing Professor Myers for his speech. (I know, it's a tricky concept.) In the United States, which is currently not a theocracy, Professor Myers does not have to be polite about Catholicism; he does not have to be respectful; he does not have to give a hoot about the sensibilities of Catholics or Mr. Donohue. The Catholic League is similarly free to criticize Professor Myers as harshly as they want, but in calling on his employer and the state legislature to punish him for his speech, Mr. Donohue and his group betray their basic affinity with all religiously motivated authoritarians, from the Texas Taliban to Osama bin Laden.
I assume that counsel will have already advised the University of Minnesota to do nothing about Professor Myers's protected speech. I'll post more if this witch hunt goes further.
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