[Peace-discuss] Fwd: ASA STATEMENT ON INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM IN A TIME OF WAR

[Alfred Kagan]

From Susan Davis, approved by the American Studies Association.  Note 
that the statement calls for the repeal of the USA Patriot Act.

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>Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2003 09:21:04 -0600
>To: akagan at uiuc.edu
>From: Susan Davis <sgdavis at uiuc.edu>
>Subject: Fwd: ASA STATEMENT ON INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM IN A TIME OF WAR
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>>Date: Fri, 7 Feb 2003 07:26:41 -0500
>>Reply-To: ASADIR-L at georgetown.edu
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>>From: "pp001366" <pp001366 at mindspring.com>
>>To: "ASADIR LIST" <ASADIR-L at listproc.georgetown.edu>
>>Subject: ASA STATEMENT ON INTELLECTUAL FREEDOM IN A TIME OF WAR
>>X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2720.3000
>>
>>Intellectual Freedom in a Time of War
>>
>>As teachers and scholars of American culture and history we are 
>>deeply concerned about the storm of attacks on intellectual freedom 
>>and the ebb of open public debate, in the name of patriotism and a 
>>war on terror.
>>
>>Free and frank intellectual inquiry is under assault by overt 
>>legislative acts and by a chilling effect of secrecy and 
>>intimidation in the government, media and on college campuses. This 
>>atmosphere hinders our ability to fulfill our role as educators: to 
>>promote public debate, conduct scholarly research, and most 
>>importantly, teach our students to think freely and critically and 
>>to explore diverse perspectives. Democracy is predicated on the 
>>right to question our government and leaders openly and to express 
>>dissent without fear. We are told, in fact, that our nation is 
>>ready to go to war to protect this precious freedom. The threat of 
>>war should not restrict public debate, as it often has in our 
>>nation's past. Vigorous debate and the widest possible discussion 
>>are crucial to the health of our democracy.
>>
>>We would like to draw attention to the following developments since 
>>September 11, 2001:
>>
>>*The FBI and INS are asking universities and colleges to monitor 
>>and provide information about students from countries outside the 
>>U.S. This creates a climate of intimidation and suspicion inimical 
>>to free participation and exchange of ideas. Government contracts 
>>for scientific research now specify that international students be 
>>excluded from funded projects. Such conditions discourage 
>>international students from participating in our long tradition of 
>>international academic exchange crucial to the development of U.S. 
>>higher education. We applaud those universities that turn down 
>>these contracts and challenge the legality of FBI collaboration, 
>>and we encourage all administrations to follow suit. Denying equal 
>>rights and due process to foreign students creates an atmosphere of 
>>suspicion and fear for all of our students and drastically limits 
>>their intellectual universe
>>
>>*The justice department's new limits on the Freedom of Information 
>>Act jeopardizes our rights as scholars and citizens to have access 
>>to government information. For scholars seeking to understand our 
>>nation's history, this law has been profoundly important in 
>>providing documents from all branches of government. These 
>>documents have shed especially important light on the history of 
>>movements for social change and American intervention abroad, 
>>histories which can better help us understand our own times. Access 
>>to documents also helps citizens make informed decisions about 
>>current policy and keeps government accountable. The FOIA was 
>>intended to reverse what now seems an alarming trend toward 
>>unprecedented government secrecy. It is imperative today that 
>>scholars and journalists in all fields have the widest possible 
>>access to information generated by our own government.
>>
>>
>>*The USA Patriot Act severely limits our most important tasks as 
>>scholars and teachers. Books and CD-ROMs are being removed from 
>>Federal depository libraries, and web sites are being closed for 
>>presumed terrorist ties. The ability of librarians to do their work 
>>is threatened by federal agencies that demand they turn over patron 
>>records. The rights of library users and book buyers are at risk 
>>when federal agencies can request these records, and our right to 
>>privacy-even to our own thoughts-is at risk when the government can 
>>monitor what we read. We urge the repeal of this act, which 
>>threatens to erode the foundation of intellectual freedom.
>>
>>*University administrations are under pressure to silence faculty 
>>and researchers who take unpopular political positions. 
>>Organizations such as Campus Watch publish lists of faculty and 
>>students critical of US foreign policy, especially vis-à-vis 
>>Israel. They represent a broad trend among conservative 
>>commentators, who call for the censorship of faculty dissent and 
>>equate criticism of the government with being anti-American and 
>>anti-patriotic. We call on colleges and universities to resist 
>>external pressure to curtail academic freedom and to stop aiding 
>>federal agencies in the surveillance of teachers and scholars with 
>>scholarly or familial ties to other countries
>>
>>History teaches us that we must reflect on who the 'we' of the 
>>American polity is and who the 'enemy' is, especially in a time of 
>>war when lives are at stake at home and abroad. As students of 
>>American history and culture, we hear disturbing echoes of World 
>>War I and the McCarthy era, when the government imprisoned its 
>>critics, and institutions of higher learning dismissed antiwar or 
>>"subversive" professors. The presumption that foreign students and 
>>teachers and Americans of Arab, Muslim, and South Asian descent are 
>>either 'terrorists' or 'the enemy' evokes shameful memories of the 
>>deportation of political dissidents during WW I, and the internment 
>>of Americans of Japanese descent during WWII. The intimidation of 
>>political dissidents and those perceived as foreign threatens the 
>>right of free speech for all and debases our American traditions of 
>>civil liberty, tolerance and inclusion.
>>
>>To avoid repeating that ignominious history, we urge our 
>>colleagues, university administrations and elected representatives 
>>to repeal those policies, laws, and acts of censorship that 
>>endanger intellectual freedom. We affirm our commitment to 
>>classrooms where ideas are exchanged freely; to libraries where 
>>scholars can work free from intimidation for their political 
>>beliefs; to laboratories where students and teachers are free from 
>>suspicion because of their ethnic affiliations; and to campuses 
>>open to the widest range of opinions. Intellectual freedom - the 
>>freedom to ask questions, to uncover facts, to speak independently 
>>without fear - is the foundation of our democracy and remains of 
>>critical importance, especially in a time of crisis.


-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu