Nazi Loses Teaching Job

[Bhaisahab]

Fairleigh Dickinson University last week dismissed an adjunct professor who is a leader of the National Socialist Movement of the United States, also known as the American Nazi Party.

The university says that it dismissed Jacques Pluss for missing too many classes. He denies this and says that he lost his job because of his political views. Pluss has taught for several years in the history department at Fairleigh Dickinson and was previously a tenured professor of history at William Paterson.

In an interview Saturday, he said that he became active in Nazi politics only in the last year. He is identified on the party’s Web site as being in charge of the “Office of Information.”

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/04/nazi

[maddiejoan]

1. doodah doodah.

Nazi loses teaching job --oh doodah day.

[meganmonkey]

4. Great, now that's gonna be going through my head all day!!!

:rofl:

It's rather catchy!

[Tweed]

2. If he was fired for his political views, this is wrong

Professors should be allowed political freedom.

[rayofreason]

3. Agree...

But it seems that he was not fired for his views, but for missing too many classes, as reported. Moreover, we was not a tenured faculty member - he was an adjunct. Those folks can be cashiered for almost anything, but missing class is a big no-no, unlike for tenured professors who are expected to miss a class or two in order to attend conferences, or panel reviews, or other prestegious meetings (at least in research universities).

[Tweed]

5. Yeah there are two sides to every story

If he missed class, then yes, he should have been fired. I understand and agree with that part. I'm in college right now and if I had a professor that missed class often, it would be a rip off and I would get mad.

It is possible that he missed a class or two, they fired him for that but really they just didn't want a Nazi on campus. Iteresting news item, I'll believe the University over the professor.

[Griffy]

6. Disagree.. some "political" veiws are destructive to society..

If he is teaching that Hitler was a great "misunderstood" man. I dont think its a political veiw that your race is superior, and that other life is subhuman... Look at the Red Lake school shootings.. thats what hate and misunderstanding breeds with nazis.. it breeds violence and death! Nazis are scum, if he is proud of nazis and agree with them... I say treat him like he would treat Jews and gays if he was allowed. Dont let the smiles and smooth talk fool you, its like someone in the KKK, do you want them as teachers?

Its about hate and tolerance... if your "political" veiw doesnt allow for others, why should we tolerate them? We should focus on eliminating such groups thru information and outreach... not giving them equal time or acknowledge they have any valid points.

[Tweed]

8. All opinions should be heard and actively discussed

No matter how preposterous ideas seem to be, they should all be debated. Some of the most 'preposterous' ideas are now accepted scientific fact. Think of Gaileo's persecution for example.

If nothing else, all ideas should be aired out and debated so that people fully understand the pros and cons of everything. If a class on Nazism is taught, students can hear the arguments of both sides as opposed to a one sided Nazi argument somewhere later down the line.

[Krupskaya]

11. Some of the most "preposterous" ideas are now discarded, as well,

as they should be, including Naziism.

Just because it's an idea doesn't mean it's valid.

[Tweed]

14. And the same use to be said about the basis of modern science

If we used your thinking we would still think that the sun revolves around the Sun.

[Krupskaya]

16. You're right!

You're absolutely right! (Although I think you meant "earth revolves around the Sun," but whatever.)

That doesn't change the fact that Naziism is an evil, disgusting idea of how society works.

[Griffy]

22. YOUR WRONG .. we are not dismissing the "idea" ..

We fully understand Nazism and want it ban.. abolished.. held in contempt.. not considered any more as a concept worthy of praise. To use your analogy.. continuing to give credibility to Nazism is like giving consideration to the Earth is flat! ITS WRONG.. like Nazis are wrong for humanity, so.. I don't want them erased from history.. like I don't want people to forget that there was a time that every human on the planet thought it was a big flat slab of rock with crystal spheres pushed by angels! Nor do I want future generation to forget the horrible outcome of the ideals of Nazism.

People that opened our minds to science were free thinkers.... so if you used my thinking you would see that and not made such a silly comparison!

[Xithras]

9. According to the article, his students had no idea he was a Nazi

It describes them as "stunned" at the news, so apparently he didn't preach it in class.

As a faculty member on a college campus, I have to admit that this has me a little torn. On one hand, I despise Nazi's with a vengeance. On the other hand, if the guy had an objectionable political view but did NOT espouse it in public, then I feel that his termination for those political views would be wrong.

If one of my co-workers came to class wearing a swastika or white hood, I'd be one of the first people busting down the college presidents door demanding that he be fired. But if he kept it to himself and was terminated simply because of his beliefs...well, Orwell termed a perfect word for that sort of thing: thoughtcrime. If we're going to start attacking people for the way they think instead of the way they behave, then we're heading down the wrong road and becoming the very oppressive big brother we're trying to prevent.

[Griffy]

20. I hear your point.. but fox veiwers dont think its propaganda..

not knowing can be worse, like Daily show vs. fox news .. and the state funded "news" reports...is it ok that we didn't know the bias of the producers/writers?

Now.. as for THIS case.. I dont believe I'm close enough to the information to judge, but am for teaching and promoting peace and tolerance. That does not include tolerance of evil. I am tired of letting the villians go as if they go back to there homes and repent, they dont.. they go home and plan revenge, and we are living that today.

So.. I find myself in a similar dilemma since I dont want a society that attacks people for what the think. So what do we do with someone that says they are thinking of killing... ?

[LiberteToujours]

7. And to think of all the teachers I've called Nazis over the years

If only they had lost their teaching jobs as well!

[Zorra]

10. What is it with nazis and the University of Chicago?

Do they have courses in fascist leadership training there or something? Is this an odd coincidence? Check out some other fascists that went to, or taught at, the University of Chicago:

"In an interview, Pluss stressed his academic credentials (a University of Chicago Ph.D. in medieval history)"
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2005/04/04/nazi

Paul Wolfowitz
University of Chicago: Ph.D. in Political Science (1972)
http://rightweb.irc-online.org/ind/wolfowitz/wolfowitz.php

Profile: Leo Strauss,
Fascist Godfather of the Neo-Cons
In a June 17, 1996 article by Richard Lacayo, Time magazine named the late University of Chicago philosopher Leo Strauss (1899-1973) as one of the most influential and powerful figures in Washington, D.C
http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2003/3011profile_strauss.html

Others who attended/taught:

Allan Bloom
Leon Kass
Abram Shulsky
John Ashcroft
Ahmed Chalabi
William J. Bennett
Gary Schmitt
Zalmay Khalilzad
Gary Edson
John Podhoretz
James C. Ho

[LibertyLover]

12. Proud U of C Grad here

Hey, not all graduates of the University of Chicago (AB Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture, 1975) are like that. Some of us are proud to be graduates of Chicago and liberals.

[Zorra]

15. Yeah, Sy Hersh went to University of Chicago also. But seriously, is

there some attraction to the U of Chicago for neocon-fascists, besides the fact that Leo Strauss taught there?

Did Strauss leave some kind of academic fascist legacy there or something?

I'm just curious due to the fact that an inordinate number of famous fascists seem to have attended the U of Chicago.

[LibertyLover]

23. Strauss and the University of Chicago

Unfortunately, I think he did. For all that I am a proud alum of U of C, I can't ignore Strauss and his ilk. I will be honest and say that given my degree concentration, I spent most of my time at the Oriental Institute. We had a few conservative professors, but most were pretty liberal (except for that incident in the spring of 1975 when the OI's intramural softball team wanted to name themselves the Herihors, after Herihor, a high priest of Amun who made himself pharaoh - the nearest English equivalent pronunciation of the name is "hairy whore" but the name means roughly "Horus is with me" - we had professors coming out of the woodwork that nobody knew were still alive to protest the lack of dignity, so we changed it to the Falcons). Luckily I never had to deal with Strauss and his minions.

[Maestro]

13. The fact that John Asshat

and Bill, I love my gambling, Bennett both taught is extremely terrifying. If what this guy was teaching was immoral or hateful, then perhaps he should have been fired. If it was for missing too many classes, sure, he should be fired. If it was for the mere fact, he was a Nazi, no, however gross that may sound.

[Cocoa]

18. U of C is the intellectual home of the neocons

that's for sure.

But the original post in this thread was about an actual Nazi.

[keroro gunsou]

19. Illinois Nazis...

I hate Illinois Nazis....

[bitchkitty]

17. A Nazi teaching history -

kind of like a Satanist teaching religion.

My heart does not go out to this man.

[Ian David]

25. A Nazi college professor could be fun

Just think of all the jokes and caricatures the students could make at his expense.

When I was a kid, all we had was an alcoholic professor and "The Psyche Dyke," which are both pretty lame compared to "Professor Hitler."

The entertainment value alone would be worth keeping the guy around so the kids could have fun at his expense.

Ve have vays of making you study for ver midterms...

Imagine running into him at the caffetrira: "The trays are to the left, and the ovens are over there, professor."

"I'm sorry I'm late for class, professor. We really need a strong leader who can make the trains run on time."

[KamaAina]

21. Any openings on the White House staff?

or perhaps the plum Pentagon position just vacated by Wolfowitz? :sarcasm:

[AlCzervik]

24. Whaaa?? Where is David Horowitz?? isn't he yelling and screaming

about this??