[Buddha-l] A ltter concerning toleration

Wed Jun 1 10:00:31 MDT 2005

Apparently most of you left on this list have some problem reading. I only
sent that letter because Hayes refused to post my replies. He is the one who
is restricting academic freedom. Anyway your opinions matter little. It's
the people who pay the tuition who count and I suspect once they find out
what Hayes has been posting (I'll see to that) they'll do what they want.
Unless of course you don't think parents and others who pay tuition should
have any say about what is taught to them and their kids. Most of you
probably think only radical leftwing academics deserve freedom to express
themselves. 

-----Original Message-----
From: buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com
[mailto:buddha-l-bounces at mailman.swcp.com] On Behalf Of Eric Nelson
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 11:28 AM
To: Buddhist discussion forum
Subject: Re: [Buddha-l] A ltter concerning toleration

This rhetoric of "reporting people" for their views reflects two current
campaigns to "purify" academia of so-called "antipatriotic"
and "leftist" elements -- the one against tenure, for which Ward Churchill
is the poster child, and the so called "academic bill of rights" up for
approval in a number of states that would disallow professors from
expressing any views that can be considered "controversial" or "biased".  I
have not yet heard of any bills to purify listservs.
What ever happened to the idea that the US is an open and pluralistic
society in which individuals can express and realize themselves in multiple
ways?
Eric

On 6/1/05, curt <curt at cola.iges.org> wrote:
> Joanna has put her finger on it nicely. Steven Lane or anyone else can 
> have as low an opinion of Richard Hayes or me or Mother Theresa as 
> they like - but to mount a campaign, even a ludicrous one, to get 
> someone fired because you don't like what they say is loathsome in the
extreme.
> And it definitely fits in a much wider pattern. Whether he is "on 
> someone's payroll" or not, he is definitely marching to a particular
drummer.
> - Curt
> 
> jkirk wrote:
> 
> >These are indeed interesting times.
> >This attempt to get you fired is astounding.  I wonder if he's on 
> >anyone's payroll.
> >Perhaps your university will convene a faculty Un-American Activities 
> >Committee?
> >Joanna
> >============================================
> >
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Richard Hayes" <rhayes at unm.edu>
> >To: <buddha-l at mailman.swcp.com>
> >Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2005 5:27 AM
> >Subject: [Buddha-l] A ltter concerning toleration
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >>Denizens of buddha-l,
> >>
> >>The following letter has been sent to the chair of my department. 
> >>Perhaps others of you would like to join our friend in discussing my 
> >>qualifications. Otherwise, enjoy the letter as an interesting sign 
> >>of our times.
> >>
> >>Cordinally (and moderately) yours,
> >>Richard Hayes
> >>
> >>\begin{letter}
> >>Mr../Prof Goodman,
> >>
> >>    My name is Mr. Lane and I am a member of of list called 
> >>Buddha-L. I am writing about the outrageous behavior of Richard 
> >>Hayes. He constantly posts rabidly anti-American posts, 
> >>anti-Christian and if you believe Dan Lusthaus anti-Jewish. He has 
> >>called Dan Lusthaus a war mongering pinhead. His anti-Americanism is 
> >>not loyal opposition but outright treason. He blamed the U.S. for 
> >>Sept 11 justifying the attacks as the result justifiable anger. He 
> >>has said it is the U.S. that is the cause of all the trouble in the 
> >>world "as we are the oppressors". He seemed to anticipate happily 
> >>the fall of the U.S. yet we never hear a peep out of him about the 
> >>evils that occur in the P.R.C or the Islamic counties.
> >>
> >>    Mr.. Hayes constantly belittles Buddhist sutras he does not 
> >>agree with (the Lotus Sutra) and feels it is O.K.
> >>He has ridiculed the Hua-Yen and T'ien T'ai which many people feel 
> >>are the highest level of Buddhist thought. Mr.
> >>Hayes feels it is totally appropriate to slander any religious 
> >>doctrine he does not agree with or understand but when somebody 
> >>posts something contrary to his beliefs he either blocks it or 
> >>responds with a personal attack.
> >>
> >>    Mr. Hayes is a translator but fancies himself a Buddhist 
> >>scholar. From what I have seen he has yet to understand one Mahayana 
> >>doctrine which in and of itself is no crime, however given the 
> >>Mahayana and its non-dualist doctrines are religious beliefs of 
> >>millions I do not not see any difference between his mocking 
> >>non-dualism and anybody slandering Christianity. Judaism or Islam. 
> >>Mr.
> >>Hayes has no clue of the difference between monism and non-dualism 
> >>but I understand that you will be letting him teach a course on 
> >>Hui-Neng and the Platform Sutra, is that true? If so you might as 
> >>well let him teach a course in quantum mechanics as his 
> >>understanding of the two is about the same. (Incidentally Hayes went 
> >>through a whole tirade about relating quantum mechanics and Buddhism 
> >>only later to admit he knows nothing about QM at all). This of 
> >>course is classic Hayes M.O. try and ridicule anything he is 
> >>incapable of understanding. Yes I have personally attacked him on 
> >>Buddha-L as he has attacked me. Apparently he thinks the latter is 
> >>fine but not the former.
> >>
> >>   Mr. Hayes is a self professed former Communist (I have grave 
> >>doubts about the former part - I believe in one of his recent 
> >>e-mails he described himself as a Marxist Quaker). I don't believe 
> >>Communists or former Communists should be teaching young people in 
> >>this country any more than I would accept a Nazi or former Nazi 
> >>teaching teaching them. After all we are talking about a party that 
> >>has slaughtered over 100 million people in the twentieth century. I 
> >>wonder who his role model is Stalin, Mao or Pol Pot.
> >>
> >>     Despite all of this I still would not be writing about Hayes if 
> >>he believed in free speech but of course what (former) Communist 
> >>does. To that end I am asking for the names of all of your superiors 
> >>in the university, the state government and any persons important in 
> >>private funding of the university so that I may forward them his 
> >>outrageous e-mails. I think we should see if these people agree with 
> >>my opinion that (former) Communists should not be teaching young 
> >>people. Mr. Hayes will of course deny all of the above but remind 
> >>him that I have all Buddha-L e-mails going back to 1998 backed up in 
> >>three different places.
> >>
> >>  Sincerely yours,
> >>  Mr. Lane
> >>\end{letter}
> >>_______________________________________________
> >>buddha-l mailing list
> >>buddha-l at mailman.swcp.com
> >>http://mailman.swcp.com/mailman/listinfo/buddha-l
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
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> >
> >
> >
> >
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--
Eric Sean Nelson
http://faculty.uml.edu/enelson/index.html

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