Seminar Pushes the Limits on Free Speech

* Why did the Orange County community explode into a frenzy of activity and protests aimed at the South Orange County Community College District and its board of trustees, about a seminar on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, to be taught by the board’s president, Steven J. Frogue? (Aug. 21)

The community reaction was directly linked to the content of the proposed course. Amazingly enough, it did not include the Warren Commission report, other aspects of the case that have come to light over the last 34 years, and mainstream theories based in fact to illuminate the debate and discussion. To the contrary, it would have been a forum for the promulgation of unvarnished anti-Semitism.

This community appreciates freedom of speech and welcomes open dialogue. At the same time, it does not believe its community college’s board should condone a platform for their board president to bring anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists to a state-sponsored institution of higher education.

We share that view; when the Anti-Defamation League learned that Frogue, whose own bizarre beliefs have polarized Orange County in the recent past, had invited these questionable speakers, and that they were to be compensated for their participation, we felt it was imperative to speak up and let the chancellor and administrators know who these “experts” were and what Frogue has publicly said about the JFK assassination.

Frogue’s choice of “experts” for the seminar reads like a who’s who of anti-Semitic and Holocaust-denying conspiracy theorists.

All reasonable people should wonder how any of the seven members of the board of trustees approved this course. Moreover, Chancellor Robert A. Lombardi has continued to defend the school’s decision on the grounds of free speech even after the class was canceled.

Classes are rejected all the time because they are not educationally sound. Would South Orange County Community College trustees authorize a course that argued against the fact of slavery, for one example? Not likely.

Racists and hate-mongers often seek credibility by showcasing their rhetoric at public institutions such as college campuses.

While it appears that Frogue has bowed to public pressure and moved the class off the college campus, the officials of the college have yet to make a statement that the campus will not be used as a platform for extremists and anti-Semites.

Shame on South Orange County Community College District and its board of trustees.

JOYCE GREENSPAN,

Regional Director,

Anti-Defamation League

of Orange County/Long Beach

* When Steven J. Frogue announced that his seminar on the JFK assassination would be moved off campus, that ended the controversy for many. It must not.

The trustees of the district and the chancellor owe their students and the community more. They should consider ways to remove Frogue from the presidency and reexamine assumptions about how an academic community tackles hatred masquerading in academic garb.

Frogue has been an embarrassment to the people of this community for many years. Students taking his history class at Foothill High School in 1995 accused him of racist comments, including calling his Asian students “yellow people” and Mexicans “brown people.”

They said he denied the Holocaust, claiming that Jews made it up and it was more like 60 people than 6 million who were killed. He denied the charges, said his students misquoted him. Nonetheless, he said that the Institute for Historical Review had “raised questions” about the Holocaust, and perhaps it should “enter the debate.”

The institute has been the key promoter of Holocaust denial in this country. Historical associations and history departments around the country have rejected the institute’s theories as garbage.

Frogue’s desire to teach a seminar on the JFK assassination should have been denounced by the district leadership once it was known that two of the speakers he had invited were associated with the tabloid Spotlight.

Spotlight is the organ of the Liberty Lobby, arguably America’s most significant anti-Semitic and racist organization. Frogue admits reading Spotlight, but is apparently troubled by neither its Holocaust denial nor its advertisements for white supremacist organizations.

The Times quotes Frogue as saying that the Anti-Defamation League was behind the Kennedy assassination. Frogue denies saying this, too. Seeing Jews behind great historical events is a commonplace for Spotlight, which also claimed that Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh was “in close, and probably sustained longtime contact with” an ADL agent.

Some of the district’s trustees denounced Frogue’s intended seminar, and should be commended. But others, and the district’s chancellor, have been mischaracterizing this controversy as one over “free speech” or the willingness of a campus to entertain “special interests,” comparing the proposed seminar to a course on California wines.

Certainly Frogue has a right to his own beliefs. But he was not speaking privately any more than when Leonard Jeffries, then chairman of City College of New York’s black studies department, spouted anti-Semitism and racism at a 1991 lecture.

Jeffries, his right to teach protected by tenure, nonetheless was stripped of his leadership position by the City University board of trustees. University board members used their own 1st Amendment rights to denounce Jeffries’ statements and took action regarding his chairmanship because they did not want their institution to be represented by someone who spouts hatred.

Frogue is not a professor. He is not protected by tenure. The district leadership should do all it can to make sure that the community knows that it is not condoning Frogue’s promotion of bigoted theories by bigoted people and organizations. To do any less will tarnish the institution’s reputation for being able to discern between credible debate and hatred.

RICHARD GOLLIS, President,

Orange County Chapter

American Jewish Committee

* The bigotry is coming from the silly Aug. 22 editorial that seemingly calls for an end to freedom of speech if the speech is found offensive to some group because of the “anti-Semitic overtones.” Overtones? Overtones?!

The editorial then tells us that the Anti-Defamation League is a “civil rights group” (sure it is), and then in case we didn’t read that, repeats it again. The fact is that the ADL is well known for spying on citizens and for exerting just the type of pressure against free speech welcomed by The Times.

The Times may have forgotten this, but in a free society, virtually all ideas that stop short of calling for violence or which are clearly defamatory may be expressed. If the ideas are nutty, they’ll be dismissed as that. If they have merit they may find converts. One wonders if it is in this latter category that The Times finds a problem.

What is the ADL and its mouthpiece The Times trying to hide, will be the question in some circles.

The best place for ideas, nutty or not, is right out in front of us where we can shine the light of truth on them.

One hopes that The Times, which is a much-improved newspaper over just a few years ago, will clean up its editorial board of small-minded people who put out these high school newspaper type of editorials.

H. MILLARD

Costa Mesa

* Let the nincompoops in charge of the South Orange County Community College District do as they will. If the 1st Amendment means anything it means this: It kicks in precisely at that point when someone’s ideas are hard to bear.

Speech either is truly free or it isn’t. It is not about preaching to the choir.

HERB GUTHMANN

Orange

* The Times is to be commended for the prompt and excellent reporting on the latest outrage committed by the majority of the board of trustees of the South Orange County Community College District, concerning the sponsorship by the district of a course to be taught by Steven Frogue, president of the board.

However, this is just the latest of the many unwise, arrogant and in some cases illegal acts taken by the board majority, mostly, but not entirely, during the summer months when many faculty, students and the public are away.

These actions include the appointment of an interim president at Irvine Valley College and the reorganization and reassignment of faculty at both colleges.

These actions have caused extensive distrust on both campuses and have gone a long way to destroying the two excellent colleges in the district.

JUDITH ODLUM

Irvine