Professor Katz’s declaration

Do you recall the anti-George W. Bush petition that generated scads of mock signatories such as Hugh G. Reckshun? James Taranto delighted in chronicling the signatures daily in his online Best of the Web column for the Wall Street Journal. More recently, The Open Letter from Yale Law Students, Alumni, and Educators Regarding Brett Kavanaugh attracted one such signatory: “Charles U Farley, YLS ‘04.” Now, Charles Glasser observed, that’s a lawyer’s lawyer.

This week Paul Mirengoff spotted at least one such signatory to the Stalinist letter by Princeton faculty righteously demanding an end to academic freedom. Perhaps Professor Reckshun is available to add his name to the list.

One Princeton professor who has declined to join that disgraceful lineup is Joshua Katz, Cotsen Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Classics. Professor Katz dissents from his colleagues running with the Stalinist herd. At Quillette Katz has posted “A declaration of independence by a Princeton professor.” In attaching his name to the declaration like American heroes of old, Professor Katz has risked his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor. Let us tip our hat to him.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses