[ RadSafe ] USA's First Amendment Protects Free Speech Rights of UNC Epidemiologist (and all of us)

[easlavin at aol.com]

No.
1. The Fourteenth Amendment made the First Amendment the law of the land. Thus, the First Amendment applies to every government in the United States, including public schools, colleges and universities.  University rank and tenure procedures also protect faculty free speech rights.
2.  Our Founding Fathers knew what they were doing.  So did the authors of the Fourteenth Amendment. Our  First Amendment protects students, teachers and professors.  It bans retaliation for First Amendment protected activity. It bans violations of the Establishment Clause. It is enforceable in federal and state courts.  
3. The First Amendment lives in our lives and hearts. It protects scientific free speech by public University professors, among others.  The First Amendment requires "breathing space."
4. Suggesting (in an international radiation protection forum, even IF perhaps arguably in jest) that UNC retaliate for First Amendment protected activity is unAmerican. It invites lawbreaking, invites McCarthy-stye blacklisting, is uncivil, uncool, unkind and is an ad hominem, improper argument. It is "in your face," provocative and does not respect the need of our First Amendment for "breathing space." It chills free speech rights and discourages scientific inquiry and debate.  
5. It may also constitute "tortious interference with contractual relations," which is a tort. 
6. We need more free speech, not less. The search for truth demands it. Liberty demands it. The scientific method demands it. Example: the U.S. nuclear weapons cleanup would probably have been much faster and much cheaper if nuclear workers' free speech rights had been protected and not neglected. 
7. Roger, please try to stick to factual arguments.  Please try tolerance.
Happy New Year, Radsafers!
Cheers,
Ed Slavin
 
 
===========
First Amendment starts with 'Congress shall make no law(s)...'.  If Congress, or 
other legislative body didn't make a law, then no free speech rights would be 
violated.

Brent Rogers

Brevity alert: Sent from my iPad

On 30/12/2013, at 5:40, Ed Slavin <easlavin at aol.com> wrote:

> Sounds like an incitement to violate scientist's First Amendment rights at 
UNC.  
> Ed Slavin
> 
> 
> On Dec 29, 2013, at 1:00 PM:
>> 
>>  1. Epidemiologist back from Fukushima: ?We?re talking about a
>>     sacrifice zone and millions of people live in this area? ?
>>     Exceeds allowable radiation dose for nuclear workers 40
>>     kilometers from Fukushima plant (VIDEO) (Roger Helbig)
>> 
>> 
>> The University should sanction this professor for knowingly lying
>> about what he has seen.  As I recall, he claims to be expert on
>> Chernobyl as well.  Perhaps I am wrong.
>> 
>> Roger Helbig
>> 


===========
First Amendment starts with 'Congress shall make no law(s)...'.  If Congress, or 
other legislative body didn't make a law, then no free speech rights would be 
violated.

Brent Rogers

Brevity alert: Sent from my iPad

On 30/12/2013, at 5:40, Ed Slavin <easlavin at aol.com> wrote:

> Sounds like an incitement to violate scientist's First Amendment rights at 
UNC.  
> Ed Slavin
> 
> 
> On Dec 29, 2013, at 1:00 PM:
>> 
>>  1. Epidemiologist back from Fukushima: ?We?re talking about a
>>     sacrifice zone and millions of people live in this area? ?
>>     Exceeds allowable radiation dose for nuclear workers 40
>>     kilometers from Fukushima plant (VIDEO) (Roger Helbig)
>> 
>> 
>> The University should sanction this professor for knowingly lying
>> about what he has seen.  As I recall, he claims to be expert on
>> Chernobyl as well.  Perhaps I am wrong.
>> 
>> Roger Helbig
>>