Are college professors too liberal?

I am writing this in response to an article published by The Chronicle, October 19th, 2006. The article makes claims that U.S. college professors wax too liberal, and that this, they say, is bad, not just for our education system, but for the country at large. Assuming that this is the case, is this necessarily a bad thing? Aren't college professors citizens endowed with the right to vote their conscious like every other American?

But, before we broach those questions, I'd like to address some issues I have with The Chronicle's claims:

The statistics The Chronicle uses:

1: Professors are three times as likely to call themselves "liberal" as "conservative." In the 2004 presidential election, 72 percent of those surveyed voted for John Kerry.

Why should it matter who a Professor is voting for? Wouldn't discriminating against Professors who voted one way or the other be a violation of the 14th amendment to the Constitution?

2: Almost one-third of professors cite the United States as among the top two greatest threats to international stability -- more than cited Iran, China, or Iraq.

Even I was drawn into the sensationalism of the article, and missed this one. Since when dose one-third constitute a majority? And yes, we are the ones responsible for the instability in Iraq: we are, after all the Nation that is currently occupying their country.

3: Fifty-four percent of professors say U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East is partially responsible for the growth of Islamic militancy.

That means that forty-six percent of professors say the opposite. The numbers are almost split 50/50. And again, we are occupying their territory, a sovereign nation; how are we not partially to blame for them not being happy that we are there. (And notice the wording: it says PARTIALLY, not FULLY.)

4: Sixty-four percent say the government's powers under the USA Patriot Act should be weakened.

Isn't this just saying that sixty-four percent value the liberties granted to us by the Bill of Rights? Shouldn't we be more worried about the thirty-six that don't?

College should be a place where ideas are shared openly, and freely. A place where students should be taught to think critically, and for themselves. So long as college professors continue to be living, human beings, they will come with some sort of bias attached. History is written from the subjective vision of whoever sits behind the pen; such is the human folly. What we should be more concerned about is not who has what bias, but that they are teaching students not to be afraid to have an opinion for themselves. In a word, ideas should not be feared. And that is what Stop Partisan is about. It is not about sitting on the fence, for fence sittings sake, it is about the free exchange of different ideas and opinions. And that should be held above all others as our most precious Liberty as American citizens; and indeed, as citizens of the world.

Cody Hobbs