Letters: Chinese-style takeover of Ohio's universities, colleges must be stopped
Republican extremists playing like communist
Despite their supposed animus toward all things Chinese, the irony of the Republican State Legislature’s attempt to control higher education in Ohio with Senate Bill 83 is that it is right out the Chinese government’s playbook.
State control of higher education is the very essence of anti-democratic, authoritarian government.
The Communist party in China carefully imposes state control of universities, including the use of student spies, to make sure learning environments are scrubbed clean of dissent and to impose the dominant political party’s views.
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This tactic of course aims to silence and intimidate professors and shut down free speech. It’s a tactic advocated and promoted by far-right groups in the United States like Turning Point USA, founded by extremist Charlie Kirk, who have developed websites like Professor Watchlist, that aim to identify and intimidate professors who think critically and express views unpopular to conservatives.
As a freedom-loving American, one who believes especially in the freedom of speech, I oppose the Chinese-style takeover of our universities by extremist Republican state legislators.
Faculty and students should be able to freely express their views without fear of intimidation or retaliation by the state. That may be what happens in China, but not here.
Kevin Griffith, Columbus
We must protect our rights from extremists
We all want the freedom to make decisions that affect our lives and improve our communities. Since 1912, Ohio voters have used ballot initiatives to exercise that freedom.
Now, lobbyists, special interests, and extremist politicians in the Ohio Statehouse want to take this power away from citizens.
House Joint Resolution 1 (Feb. 18 "Tax cuts, school choice top GOP's agenda") is a blatant political power grab in an attempt to secure more power and control for themselves and less power for voters to decide on the issues that matter the most.
We must protect our ballot initiative process and make it easier for citizens to have their voices heard and make real change in their communities, instead of putting up roadblocks that silence voters.
We must come together and call on our legislators to oppose the resolution.
There is no problem in this state with illegal voting. This is just another attempt to make voting harder for Ohioans. Politicians who only want to make things harder are not representing Ohio voters and should be replaced.
Ron Morrison, Columbus
More:How to submit a letter to the editor for The Columbus Dispatch
Jack missed the mark
Re "Rapist's case shows how court shouldn't work" March 16: I am aghast that my learned friend and colleague attorney Jack D’Aurora accused our venerable Ohio Supreme Court justices of being political in deciding the that an innocent child who was raped and had significant personal damages from the rape was entitled to necessary compensation.
D’Aurora: Ohio 'reform' law gives break to child rapist who abused girl 34 times at sleepover
Courts all the time narrow and tailor their decisions to carve out necessary exceptions to statutory rules to make sure justice is accomplished.
Michael Oser: I was born a Buckeye screaming with joy. Don't want to die one screaming in pain
This is not judges playing politics but applying equitable principles to compelling factual circumstances. This is called wise judicial decision making not politics. Jack is on target most of the time but this time he missed his mark.
Michael Oser, Columbus
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Letters: We must protect our rights from Ohio extremists
