Patricia Kullberg hosts this episode of the Old Mole, which includes the following segments:
Defending Tom Alter: Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse fired tenured Professor Tom Alter for engaging in protected political speech as a private citizen, in a move that the Committee to Defend Tom Alter has described as a direct assault on academic freedom and the First Amendment and academic freedom rights to freedom of speech, association, and of assembly. In this segment, Frann Michel talks with Bill Mullen, Emeritus Professor of American Studies at Purdue University and chair of the Committee to Defend Tom Alter, a coalition of faculty, students, staff, union members, and community supporters dedicated to protecting academic freedom and free speech rights. They discuss what's happened so far, what's distinctive as well as representative about this case, how supporters of free speech and academic freedom have organized in response, and what concerned listeners can do.
Criminalizing Dissent: Donald Trump’s executive order branding antifa as a terrorist organization was never intended to quash political violence, but rather to criminalize dissent. Long time public interest attorney at City University of New York, Chaumtoli Huq, argues that Trump’s EO is a time-honored authoritarian tactic to crush political opposition and that our best defense is not legal challenges, but rather grassroots defense of our communities. Our Well Red Read, Patricia Kullberg, reads excerpts from her article, published October 3 at Huq Ithttps://substack.com/@huqit. The article, “Authoritarian Strategy: Criminalizing Dissent and Protest” can also be read on Portside.
Justice for Gaza: Global activists, led by representatives of over 150 Palestinian civil society organizations, have called on the United Nations General Assembly to use their unique powers to sanction Israel and to circumvent the U.S. veto in the Security Council, as well as to mandate concrete measures for accountability. In their Left & the Law segment, Jan Haaken and Mike Snedeker talk about the International Court of Justice and other bodies within the UN and the question of whether the legal and political landscape has shifted for Israel to continue with its genocide in Gaza. They provide an update on the Trump so-called peace plan and what activists are describing as the Justice Plan for Palestine through the United Nations.