McCarthyism comes to Harvard

[The Green Barbarian]

Alan Dershowitz: McCarthyism comes to Harvard -- Why this should alarm us all

When I was a college student, lawyers who represented Communists would be fired from academic positions. In parts of the South, lawyers who represented civil rights activists were fired. In some areas of the country lawyers who represented men accused of sodomy or women seeking abortions would be fired. Now Harvard College joins this Hall of Shame by firing Professor Ron Sullivan and his wife, Stephanie Robinson from their positions as Co-Deans of Winthrop House because Sullivan decided to represent a man accused of rape. The defendant is the highly controversial Harvey Weinstein, who is presumed innocent and has not yet been tried.

Many troubling arguments have been offered in defense of the decision not to renew Sullivan’s role as Dean of Winthrop house. The most common – and dangerous – is that students feel “unsafe” around a lawyer who is representing Weinstein.

Feeling “unsafe” is the new mantra for the new McCarthyism. It is a totally phony argument not deserving of any serious consideration. Any student who feels unsafe in the presence of two distinguished lawyers doesn’t belong at a university. They should leave and not force the firing of the professor. The “unsafe argument” could be made against a dean who is gay, Black, Muslim, Jewish, Republican or libertarian. No credence should be given to the argument, especially since the students apparently did not feel “unsafe” when Sullivan was representing a convicted double murderer.

HARVARD WON'T RENEW WEINSTEIN LAWYER AS STUDENT HOUSE DEAN

A second argument is that Sullivan has been absent too often because of his defense of Weinstein. That, too, is phony. If Sullivan was prosecuting instead of defending Weinstein, these same hypocritical students would applaud him.

Harvard College should be ashamed of itself for giving into irrational, bigoted, unprincipled and dangerous arguments instead of using Sullivan’s representation of Weinstein as an educational moment to teach student both the benefit of the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution as well as tolerance for differing views.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/alan-de ... -weinstein

[Queen K]

I would resent the "unsafe" argument being made on my behalf. Like as if someone else decided I was "unsafe" expressed being unsafe and felt unsafe.

Unsafe.

The new unprovable "feels" word to cover whatever someone else wants to use as a blanket statement for a large group of competent people.

[Ranger66]

"Any student who feels unsafe in the presence of two distinguished lawyers doesn’t belong at a university"


Everyone is entitled to be presumed innocence until proven otherwise and entitled to a defence by a capable lawyer. A failure to support this by Harvard is a huge step backwards and a total contempt of how their legal system works. A sad day indeed.