Let's All Feel Bad for the Conservatives Now

Here is another article I ran across that just disturbed me. This time around it is actually the entire website that disturbs me, but for now I'll just worry about the article. And oddly enough it goes along with my diversity question. Oh, the dilemma of diversity.

Conservative Books Equate to 'Sexual Harassment' by Christopher Flickinger
Found at humanevents.com; April 2006
A “sexual harassment” investigation is ongoing at an Ohio college after the school’s librarian suggested that students read a few books from a conservative perspective.

According to the Alliance Defense Fund -- a legal alliance that aggressively defends religious liberty -- a librarian at Ohio State University at Mansfield has been slapped with a “sexual harassment” charge after he suggested that freshmen read four best-selling conservative books.

Scott Savage is a reference librarian at OSU Mansfield and a member of the school’s First Year Reading Experience Committee. After suggesting that students read “The Marketing of Evil” by David Kupelian, “The Professors” by David Horowitz, “Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis” by Bat Ye’or, and “It Takes a Family” by Sen. Rick Santorum, Savage was put under “investigation.”

The Alliance Defense Fund reports that three professors filed a complaint of discrimination and harassment against Savage because the list of books he suggested made them feel “unsafe.”

“Universities are one of the most hostile places for Christians and conservatives in America,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel David French, who heads ADF’s Center for Academic Freedom. “It is shameful that OSU would investigate a Christian librarian for simply recommending books that are at odds with the prevailing politics of the university.”

The Alliance Defense Fund sent a letter to school officials informing them of the librarian’s constitutional rights -- just in case they forgot. But, according to the ADF, the university is proceeding with its investigation saying it takes “any allegation of sexual harassment seriously.”

Even more troubling, this ridiculous “sexual harassment” claim was supported by the school’s entire faculty as they voted without dissent to file charges against Savage. Later they voted to allow the individual professors to file charges, according to the ADF.

“The OSU Mansfield faculty is attempting to label a librarian as a ‘sexual harasser’ because they disagree with his book suggestions,” said French. “It is astonishing that an entire faculty would vote to launch a sexual harassment investigation because a librarian offered book suggestions in a committee whose purpose was to solicit such suggestions.”

Curious as to which chapter of the Nazis Party was running this university, “the Dean” of Human Events U visited the school’s website and found the following statement on “diversity” -- “…we celebrate and learn from our diversity and we value individual differences. Academic freedom is defended within an environment of civility, tolerance,
and mutual respect.”

But, apparently, this policy doesn’t extend to conservatives.

I also found an incomplete list of the “Top Ten Reasons” why someone should attend OSU Mansfield. I say “incomplete” because while the school listed such attributes as “student tickets to OSU athletic events,” “housing on campus” and “convenient location with free parking,” the school didn’t mention its most attractive feature: vilifying conservatives.

Now, I understand that all points of view should be honored and respected, but pushing a conservative list of books just rubs me the wrong way, especially Horowitz's The Professors. The sexual harassment charge is the result of one of the books being anti-gay.

What really disturbs me is the poor poor pitiful conservatives tone of this article. It is a bit difficult to feel bad for the group that has been the majority for so many years. I'm definitely going to read those books the poor poor pitiful conservative librarian suggested though. I have an entire shelf for books with themes and morals that make me nauseous.