Stripes letter: A liberal ‘apologizes’

[lebkuchen]

I — and my other second-rate colleagues on the faculty of University of Maryland University College — would like to apologize to the author of “Leftist ideas rule academia” (letter, July 2, http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=30122)
for our spreading of liberal doctrine in our classrooms.

We have been unbelievably inconsiderate in failing to take into consideration the havoc that having to consider alternative points of view creates in the conservative mind. Accordingly, these changes to the UMUC curriculum will be made:

As an English teacher, I take responsibility for promoting what we liberals smugly refer to as “literature,” with its tendency toward asking questions rather than supplying answers. To accommodate conservatives, questions will be mostly eliminated. Hamlet’s “To be or not to be, that is the question” will now be taught as “To be. Yep, that’s the answer.” Trashy liberal novels such as “Huckleberry Finn” will be replaced by “Aesop’s Fables” and “The Collected Writings of Bill O’Reilly.”

History. At no time will America be shown to have done anything morally questionable at any place or under any circumstances. Slavery never happened; or if it did, it was invented by the French.

Geography. Maps will show only the United States and those countries currently supporting us, such as Great Britain and Guam.

The sciences. As every good conservative knows, the universe was created on April 23, 6004 B.C. at 9:23 a.m. Central Standard Time by Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh. Everything was perfectly constructed and therefore there is no need for the liberal concept of “evilution.” Other liberal notions to be removed from the classroom will include gravity, the heliocentric solar system (the absurd idea that the Earth goes around the sun — a heresy for which liberal propagandists Galileo and Copernicus were rightly condemned - and the concept of the “round Earth.”

We hope this clears everything up, and, again, we’re really sorry for confusing everybody.

Peyton Glass
Harrogate, United Kingdom

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=30430


Here is German Professor Junker's speech, which angered some graduates at the UMUC commencement in Heidelberg last May.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=28966&archive=true

[converted_democrat]

1. LOL........n/t

[Jack Rabbit]

2. LOL

!!

[IndyOp]

3. The universe was created Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh

"As every good conservative knows, the universe was created on April 23, 6004 B.C. at 9:23 a.m. Central Standard Time by Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh."

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[SalmonChantedEvening]

10. The congealing of several large bodies of hot gas!!

By George, I think he's got it!!

:rofl: :spray:

[WCGreen]

16. Comparing Limballs t an eruption of Gas... Priceless

[Anarcho-Socialist]

4. Nominated... and kick

[KarenS]

5. !!!!!

:rofl:

[RPM]

6. Junkers speech was on point

i can see why a bunch of freepish military families would resent it - it calls bullshit on the lie of a value system and worldview that they have bought lock, stock, and two smoking barrels.

[acmejack]

12. Indeed it was

You think it messed with their minds? I wonder how the audience received it, stunned silence, low murmur angry muttering?

[lebkuchen]

15. I posted (some of) the audience response below

But here's the link.

http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=28922&archive=true

Junker's speech has stirred the Stripes letter-writing pot since the commencement--letters are both pro and con.

[kiki]

28. LOL...

"At first, I thought, 'I’m being overly sensitive.' Then I heard somebody in the back shouting ‘USA! USA!’ and I thought, ‘Maybe I’m not taking it wrong.’"

Good to know these people are open to a well-reasoned argument...

[lebkuchen]

29. ...and can think for themselves

and even draw their own conclusions~!

[Crankie Avalon]

31. Really representative of a certain type of American group-"think"...

"...But Golembe, who’s been with the University of Maryland Heidelberg program for the past 26 years, said Junker’s speech fell squarely within the tradition of college commencement speeches. There are basically two types, he said. One type is full of praise for graduates’ accomplishments.

That’s what Atwood had hoped to hear. “For graduation I want to hear feel-good stuff: ‘Way to go! You did great!’ ” she said."

What a mindset--if I can use the word "mind" so loosely.

They should have got Oprah or Tony Robbins (or Stuart Smalley) if they wanted a vapid pat-on-the-head/pep talk.

[Ripley]

7. Hah! That's Great!

Howard Dean should ask him permission to use that in a speech sometime!

:rofl:

[ET Awful]

8. what we liberals smugly refer to as "literature"

:spray: :rofl:

BUAHAHAHAHAHA

[progressoid]

9. Excellent!!

Maps will show only the United States and those countries currently supporting us, such as Great Britain and Guam.

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. LOVE it!!

[IndyOp]

13. Wow, Junker's speech is really worth the read -

It was courageous of him to give it and decent of Stars & Stripes to publish it.

"Since January 2002, the historian of American-European and American-German relations has become a messenger of bad news. Let me, therefore, remind you of the most basic tradition in diplomacy: messengers should neither be beheaded nor hanged. I trust that I will be able to leave this room alive."

<http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=28966&archive=true>

[lebkuchen]

14. I especially liked this part of Herr Professor Junker's speech

On September 15, 2001 President Bush told his advisors in Camp David: "At some point, we may be the only ones left. That's okay with me. We are America". In the present Iraq, the U.S. is indeed almost the only one left.

I have a feeling there were a lot of demands (mine being one) that the reporter of the original article on the commencement, below, publish Junker's speech, and Stripes did belatedly provide it. Perhaps the reporter had needed time to get a copy from Herr Professor Junker.

Here's the reaction of some in the crowd:

http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=28922&archive=true

“He starting talking about 2002 State of the Union address, the axis of evil, you’re either with us or against us — and that’s when it started going downhill,” said Cheryl Atwood, a commissary technology specialist who received her Bachelor of Science degree at the May 29 ceremony.

“At first, I thought, “I’m being overly sensitive.’ Then I heard somebody in the back shouting ‘USA! USA!’ and I thought, ‘Maybe I’m not taking it wrong.’ Several people got up and left and people stood up waving, telling him to sit down.”

<cut>

Junker has subsequently received several e-mails and letters, some, especially from faculty, supporting him. One letter writer, though, called him a Nazi.

“It was below the belt,” Junker said. “I threw it immediately in the basket.”

<cut>

“I think in the best tradition of an academic, you tell facts and talk about reality,” he said. “I wanted to tell them because they’re not aware of what’s going on in Europe. I’m deeply concerned about it.”

<cut>

“There were some people saying something but I was so concentrated on my talk,” he said. “I looked into the faces and some nodded, so I got mixed signals.”

Afterward he knew. It wasn’t just the booing. One graduate came on stage, stopped and saluted the flag and then looked directly at Junker. “He gave me a very nasty look,” Junker said.
**************

Whoever stopped to salute the flag and give a nasty look is an action that reminds me so much of what I've read about 1933 Germany.

[IndyOp]

20. I'm not familiar with UMUC -

is it true that many/most of the graduates are US citizens who have been studying in Germany for 4 years? If they have been in Europe for 4 years and this sort of message was a surprise to them, how sad.

It must be still possible to live in the US community in Germany and not know what German citizens think about the past few nightmarish years. I have a friend who moved from base to base with her husband (including bases in Germany and Japan) decades ago. She said that she was a rarity in that she actually left the base, left the 'US zone' and interacted with as many people as she could. The military propaganda is constant.

:(

[lebkuchen]

21. University of Maryland has a contract w/overseas US military bases

Other universities have (had) the contract as well. I once took a class with Michigan State University. The professor was later banned from returning to the base due to students being upset with the open-minded ideas she had put forth on the subject of "equity in education." The base also outlawed any further MSU course descriptions containing the word "feminism." Pity. It was the best course I ever took.

You may appreciate this letter, also in today's Stripes. I consider it part and parcel of Bush's legacy to America.

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=30430

Story confirms stereotypes

I came across the article “Hooters planning to bust out with restaurant in Ramstein” (European edition, June 19, http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=29039&archive=true) in a paper that I fished out of my recycling bin. (I should have left it there.)

For those readers who don’t remember the opening sentence of that article — a product that should be used for studying purposes at journalism seminars — I quote: “Say ‘auf Wiedersehen’ to the image of the frumpy German barmaid with meaty fists serving beers you can barely pronounce. And get ready to say ‘How ya doing?’ to scores of women in low-cut tank tops and tight, orange shorts delivering mugs of ice-cold Budweiser.”

This sentence sends two messages: It indicates that women working in a German Gasthaus are fat, old-fashioned and physically unattractive. They use words in a language Americans can’t understand and the beer isn’t cold enough.

On the other hand, American barmaids do just the right thing: They speak the only language the average soldier understands, serve the only beer a true American drinks and they have just what it takes to send Superman into a sexual frenzy by showing him lots of wiggling skin and meat.

The portrait that reporter Steve Mraz painted confirms the stereotype of the primitive, uneducated “ugly American,” which, unfortunately, has gained ground in Europe. Your “Mr. America” has no interest in European culture and languages, judges women by physical standards he could never reach himself, spends his assignment to Germany on base, in military housing or on organized shopping tours and yearns for the only world he knows and understands, the USA.

Stars and Stripes is read by German and other European citizens. It doesn’t do the American military community any favor to print articles that reinforce anti-American prejudice.

I think it is time the reporter does himself and Germany a favor: Go back to the United States.

Cornelia M. Peters
Büchenbeuren, Germany

[Hav]

24. .

Yeah really, who are the Nazis here?? How dare he try to explain the European positions and feelings to Americans who know it so much better because of their talking points?
Didn't it took place in Heidelberg, Germany? And they know no better to deal with the speech than shouting USA!USA! and saluting the flag or callung him a Nazi? What's next? Answering opposition with Heil Bush? Retards...

[Squatch]

19. Yes it is. VERY good speech...

and courageous, given the audience.

[Sparkman]

23. The expanded viewpoint of the U.S. governments' global impact-valid.

I find many here at DU, less than inclusive for Junker's Euro-centricism. So maybe we can learn from intelectuals, instead of flame them out of their lairs. SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER. Bullseye Junker!

[mr blur]

17. Now THAT'S sarcasm! (nt)

[Kire]

18. Junker's a liar, too

as soon as he said "From a geo-political perspective..." I knew it was going to be a long speech

[Sparkman]

25. Whew! I thought you were dumping on Junker, like a U.S. nationalist might.

Thanks,you have done enough research (reading?) to recognize Junkers' legitimacy as an intellect, despite his non-American credentials and his liberal statements.

[Kire]

34. actually, I didn't do enough research

I thought he was a 'pub. People, libs or pubs, just shoudn't start sentences with "from a geo-political perspective".

:banghead:

[lebkuchen]

27. Aside from tailgate parties and hazing pranks during pledge week

America tends not to stand on ceremony too much, as is done in Europe and particularly, Asia. Likewise, credentialed people, "masters" as they are known in Japan, are not held in high esteem in the US either, educators being the prime example--even though Jesus was one.

[Straight Shooter]

22. "Slavery never happened; if it did, it was invented by the French."

Priceless satire. :rofl:

[noiretextatique]

26. good speech...and junker is hardly a wild-eyed radical

it's the truth of his words that bothered the americans in that audience. as junker said in his speech: he's just the messenger.
americans don't want to hear about being disliked, mistrusted, and disrespected because of the actions of bush, inc. funny that some started cheering "USA, USA, USA," as if the history junker related could be whitewashed by that mantra, more appropriate for the olympics than as a response to a speech you don't like. perhaps shouting "USA, USA, USA" does block "bad" ideas from entering certain areas in the brain :eyes:

[meganmonkey]

30. LMAO

I just read this out loud to my folks who are visiting and we were all in hysterics

:rofl:

[bobbieinok]

32. for those confused, as I was, about link to letter...letter is at

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=125&article=30430

[Chichiri]

33. CLASSIC.

Keep this handy.

[northzax]

35. so here's the best part

this guy retired from the army, went into a career in academia, then a career in finance, retired from that and entered the Reserves? and he's a staff sergeant? really? he went from being a professor to an NCO, he claims he resigned his commission, and is on his third career, so he'sa 50 year old staff sgt? 60? they really wouldn't give him his bars back? (now, UMUC advertises on the Metro for professors, many are mid-career professionals who teach on the side. You need a terminal degree, however.) So this chap is the only PhD economist who couldn't get back into OCS?

oookaay...