Dear President Destler:
I am writing to thank you for supporting the free speech
rights of Lawrence Torcello in the face of an organized smear campaign against
him, and to urge you to issue an even stronger statement in support of your
faculty member.
In particular, I urge you to issue a statement affirming
that Professor Torcello's essay is being completely misrepresented by his
attackers. He did not in any way call for the imprisonment of individuals who
deny the existence of global climate change. His criticism was leveled against
those who organize and fund media campaigns promoting ideas about the climate
that are harmful and false. Harmful and false statements are already a
regulated category of speech, as when the law prevents people from advertising
dangerous quack medicine or bans hate speech. Professor Torchello's proposal is
thus well within the bounds of normal, reasonable political discourse.
Universities are contractually obligated to protect the
academic freedom, including the free speech rights, of their professors. Please
honor this obligation to its fullest by publicly showing your complete support
of Lawrence Torcello.
Sincerely,
J. Robert Loftis
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Lorain County Community College
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