Posted on 04/03/2006 9:14:17 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob
Dear Chancellor John Bardo,
I have a bone to pick with you. So does the US Constitution. And so do those who believe that universities should be open communities, allowing a diverse views to be expressed – in academic language.
My public declaration of my candidacy for Congress from the 11th District here in Western Carolina was on 3 March. I’d contacted the Director of the Fine and Performing Arts Center at your university, Western Carolina, about using that Center for my first press conference. I offered to pay full rate for the use of the facilities.
I had several reasons for choosing WCU as the site. I wanted to showcase two excellent actors who attend WCU. I wanted many students to be there and take part. From my experience as a professor, I expected their questions to be more articulate and issue-oriented, than the press ones. I also know that WCU has a superlative TV and radio program and studios, which might also be involved.
But the Director of the Center bumped my request up to his boss. And his boss bumped it up to the University’s General Counsel, Richard Kucharski. I happened to be driving by your extensive campus when I got the word of that, so I came in to chat with Mr. Kucharski.
He told me WCU would not allow me to use its facilities. Yet, that very week the WCU website featured a fulsome story with a photo of you with the incumbent Congressman, Charles Taylor, smiling for the camera in a classroom with students. I pointed out that Mr. Taylor’s appearance on your campus was obviously intended to assist his run for a ninth term in Congress. Mr. Kucharski claimed that Taylor’s appearance and mine were somehow different, so Taylor’s was permissible but mine was not.
I suggested that when he did the research he promised on the matter, one case he’d find was Anderson v. Celebrezze, 1983. That was a Supreme Court case in which I played a key role. There, the Court ruled that state laws and institutions cannot discriminate among candidates for President, based on who they are and what they believe. It’s no big jump to conclude that discrimination by a public institution (WCU) between candidates for Congress (Armor and Taylor) is equally forbidden.
Mr. Kucharski also promised to send me a letter stating why WCU could legally keep me off its campus, while welcoming the incumbent with open arms, free access, a free photographer, and an article on its website. That letter never arrived. But I don’t forget First Amendment errors.
To the same effect, I understand from the blogosphere that you sent an e-mail to the faculty and staff of WCU just before the 2004 election, urging them to vote for Charles Taylor because “our jobs are at stake.” Please correct me if I’m wrong about that.
I understand where you are coming from. WCU seeks and gets big bucks from the federal government. For the last 16 years, Mr. Taylor has been the gatekeeper for those millions of dollars for various programs. Therefore, you want to benefit Taylor, and harm anyone running against him. Your motivation is crystal clear, but that does not excuse a gross violation of the First Amendment.
Plus, your actions demonstrate a failure to understand why universities exist. They seek to advance human knowledge by exploring the differences between competing ideas. I have a few competing ideas myself. Take a look at my website, for 100+ pages of those ideas. Here’s the address for your convenience. www.ArmorforCongress.com
You owe an apology to me and to the other two candidates running for Congress this year against Charles Taylor. You owe an apology to the First Amendment, for crushing it underfoot. You owe an apology to the WCU community, for denying them the opportunity to see this event and take part in it.
Without going into chapter and verse, this will probably be Mr. Taylor’s last year in Congress. One of us shut out by WCU, will become the new Congressman and gatekeeper of 11th District funds. You should apologize immediately, before the election results are known.
Otherwise, it looks like you’re just cozying up to whoever is the 11th District Congressman. A poem by e. e. cummings observed, “you would rather black the boots of / success than enquire whose soul dangles from his / watch-chain which would be embarrassing for both / parties”
Please assure me that is not a correct description of you, as the Chancellor of WCU.
Cordially,
John
About the Author: John Armor is candidate for Congress in the 11th District of North Carolina. John_Armor@aya.yale.edu
John / Billybob
BUMP!
That would be The Firth Amendment?
Is that in the Scottish Constitution?
Perhaps I'm misreading this. Is it the Oneth Amendment?
Might want to get that title fixth. :-)
If I lived in NC you'd have my vote.
I hope you plan to pursue this.
There are several WCU alums on the NC forum, myself included. You might want to post a link there as well.
Could you post a link to your campaign website?
Have you considered CC'ing this letter to Mike Adams? IMO, he'd likely do a column on it.
Dear John,
This is our ivory tower and we'll run it any way we want too.
Now April 15th is coming up, shouldn't you be paying your taxes?
Sincerely,
BUMP TO THE TOP
I live in Wake County - can I vote for you?
Great letter.
From my experience as a professor, I expected [the students'] questions to be more articulate and issue-oriented, than the press ones
And:
One of us shut out by WCU, will become the new Congressman and gatekeeper of 11th District funds.
Heh heh! Go get 'em, BillyBob!
It's in his article --- http://www.ArmorforCongress.com
Excellant letter, John
Can you sue? Should you sue? Will you sue and if not, why not?
excellent. don't let 'em off the hook.
P.S. I have an early primary for Congress in the 11th District of North Carolina, 2 May, less than a month away. Please visit my website in the tagline, and help however you can.
Congressman Billybob
"Over the years, I watched WCU grow from a starter college in a field with some trailers for classrooms"
I don't think so, John. The school was chartered in 1889. The older parts of campus date to the early 20th century.
"In 1929, under a new charter authorizing the school to extend its work to the four-year level, the name Western Carolina Teachers College was adopted. Modifications in function and rapid growth climaxed in 1951 with the addition of the postgraduate year to the curriculum, and the granting of the Master of Arts in Education degree was authorized. Demands in the liberal arts, and for programs in other areas of learning, led to an expansion of its offerings and to a further change, in 1953, to the name Western Carolina College.
In 1967, the institution was designated a regional university by the North Carolina General Assembly and the name of the institution was changed to Western Carolina University.
In 1971, the state legislature reorganized higher education in North Carolina, and on July 1, 1972, Western Carolina University became a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina."
You may find some benefit from visiting http://www.wcu.edu
The next time you see him, please pass my admiration on to him, from one conservative academic to another.
Best of luck in your race for Congress. I'd vote for you, but I don't live in your district. (I hear that matters if you're not a Democrat.)
"It DID begin with trailers."
You're quite mistaken. Don't compound the gaffe.
Robertson Hall History
Robertson Residence Hall was dedicated on June 3, 1931 and named for Reuben B. Robertson. Mr. Robertson was influential on the Western Carolina College campus for more than 30 years. He held degrees from Yale University, North Carolina State College and Western Carolina College. Mr. Robertson also served on WCC's Board of Trustees.
http://housing.wcu.edu/rhalls.asp?qryhall=robertson
Ping. Unbeknownst to us, we attended college in a trailer park.
Question, for you with all due respect, in your campaign how do you plan to handle the inevitable charge that you write articles for and post on a "blog"(FR) that allows racist and bigoted commentary? It doesn't matter than hispanic bigotry isn't racism but that is how it's going to be played.
I know FR isn't a blog but a message board yet the vast populace can't tell the difference between the two.
I have made it quite clear for ten years now that I have "filed briefs in the Supreme Court," but I have NEVER said that I "argued cases before the Supreme Court." And when others have wrongly said that I've argued cases, I have promptly corrected them.
I have said that I have won cases there. For instance, my first win was in McCarthy v. Briscoe, September, 1976. But that was Emergency Relief. As I've posted before, the Court never hears any argument on requests for Emergency Relief. Your niece can confirm that.
If you talk to your niece, ask her about Bush v. Palm Beach Canvassing Board, December, 2000. That was the first SC case in which they posted all briefs on their website. Of the 14 briefs filed, only mine requested that the Court "vacate the Florida Supreme Court decision," and "do nothing else." That is exactly what the Court did, unanimously, in Round I of that case. She can confirm that, also. And, yes, Round I was for Emergency Relief, and there was no argument had on it.
I have not ignored your question. In fact, I have repeatedly answered the same question over the last ten years that I have been posting here.
If you or RebelBase want to ping me on some other question, I will promptly answer it. There is not time in the day to search all threads and answer all possible questions, especially on the majority of subjects here about which I have no specialized knowledge.
I don't know why you have a chip on your shoulder, but it's unbecoming.
John / Billybob
" I don't know why you have a chip on your shoulder, but it's unbecoming."
I hope you were not addressing me with that comment as I asked you an honest question, one which I would be asking you were I your opponent in an election. You're fair game for anything the opposition can throw at you and I'd hope you have a contingency for it.
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