Operation: Bruin Smear Hits a Snag

Just an update to this post from a few days ago, about this offensive attempt to smear UCLA professors by a group calling itself the "Bruin Alumni Association." Basically, a few rabidly right-wing former Bruins got together and offered students $100 to go to classes and report on any suspicious, liberal activity on the part of professors. They even put up some profiles of professors who were most guilty of...well, of having opinions contrary to those of the Bruin Alumni Association.

Which, like the Dead Rabbits, is outlawed in the Five Points.

But Gangs of New York references aside, this update comes courtesy of Words Have Power. After this disgraceful public display, California State Senator Bill Morrow has withdrawn from the Advisory Board of the group, and the $100 offer to students for information has been withdrawn. (Students are still encouraged to spy on Democratic professors on a voluntary basis).

The only question that remains is...Did Bill Morrow even know what the Bruin Alumni Association stood for when he agreed to join their Board of Advisors? There are only two options - the guy randomly agrees to sign on to any kind of hastily thrown-together right-wing organization without even being sure what they stand for OR he's a wuss who's afraid to admit what he really thinks publicly for fear of negative publicity. I mean, if he thinks liberal professors should be harrassed, spied on or even sanctioned for speaking their mind to their students, he ought to say so. And if he doesn't think that, what was he doing in this group in the first place?