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Opinion
October 31, 2017
Unchecked and A need for balance in class unbalanced in D.C. Blaine Taylor Towson alumnus, Class of ‘72
This is in response to The Towerlight’s report by Bailey Hendricks Oct. 17, 2017, entitled “Ehrlich urges students to define their terms,” covering former GOP Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s most recent appearance on campus. I think it's great that he comes, and I trust that he'll continue. That having been said, I note that TU was and is a state-funded educational institution, and that the former governor's host these past two decades-plus has been TU professor Richard Vatz, a state employee paid by the state of Maryland. As a TU grad of 1972, former SGA senator and presidential candidate, former Towerlight reporter, press aide to the former governor's predecessor in Congress, Democratic candidate, voter, citizen and former member of the TU Alumni Board, I now pose the same question to professor Vatz as I have in the past. That is: has he ever invited either a sitting or former Democratic Governor of Maryland to speak to his classes? I
think not. [Editor’s Note: Vatz has invited former Democratic Governor of Maryland Martin O’Malley to speak to his classes, but O’Malley never could attend. Additonally, Vatz has hosted Democratic politicians such as Senator Jim Brochin and Delegate Stephen Lafferty.] As it happens, we now have three living same whom he could invite and who might, indeed, come. They are: Harry Hughes, Parris Glendening and Martin O'Malley. If any or all have turned him down, then it's a moot point, but if they have not, then I suggest that the premise of equal time, fair play and the teacher's responsibility to expose his classes to both sides of the gubernatorial office far outweighs any parochialism or even laziness on the professor's part. He has an obligation that he is simply arrogantly ignoring in his usual bullheaded way. The fact that he is also partially the semi-official, public face of TU on TV almost weekly also makes it incumbent upon him to embrace fairness and equal time. Surely he must see this, but maybe not. Then there is this mantra-like state-
ment of his own in the article that I find simply amazing as to his possibly true feelings on the matter, and I quote: "Vatz said that Ehrlich has been his guest in his class twice a year for about 24 years, and that he likes him because his political views are similar to his own." There you have it. Inasmuch as TU now has a sitting president who both openly and publicly embraces condoning not enforcing federal immigration laws on campus as part of some wooly "sanctuary" extra-legality status for illegal aliens resident here, I am bypassing her in regards to getting first a legal opinion on the actions of professor Vatz, and then legal redress of same. I am already on record as stating that she has earned being fired. She should go. Accordingly, I have sent via email this same missive to the State Attorney General at Annapolis for a legal opinion and possible legal action. If there is no legal case or redress, fine, but if so, I suggest that professor Vatz open his class to former Democratic Governors or retire, now. We either have fairness or we don't. Right now, we don't. The ball is in his court.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Marcus Dieterle/ The Towerlight Editor-in-Chief Marcus Dieterle and Associate News Editor Bailey Hendricks attended the Mid-Atlantic College Newspaper Conference Oct. 27-28 at the University of Virginia. The conference was hosted by U.Va.’s student-run newspaper, The Cavalier Daily. This was the first time the conference was held.
Trump’s attacks on the press and courts harm our democracy RYAN KIRBY Columnist
President Donald Trump has been attacking American institutions since he became a prominent advocate of the birther movement. As a candidate, Trump attacked Judge Gonzalo Curiel for his Hispanic heritage, claiming that his race made him unable to rule fairly on the Trump University case. He also began his attacks on the press by threatening to open up libel laws. As president, Trump has attacked independent watchdog organizations, the press and the courts. These institutions are fundamental to checking presidential power. The investigation into Trump's connections with Russia has provided a major threat to the current administration. Trump sought to control the investigation into his own actions by forcing James Comey, then director of the FBI, to pledge loyalty to him. When Comey refused, he was fired shortly after. As a result, the Department of Justice created an independent investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Trump's attacks did not end with the firing of Comey. Trump has criticized the investigation as a "witch hunt" and attacked the members of the investigation as politically motivated. Attacking the press has become almost a daily occurrence. The press are a vital part of American democracy because they serve to check government officials in every branch. The term "fake news" has become a common label for news that the president disagrees with. Anti-press rhetoric coming the Trump administration and the president himself has only increased as time has gone by. He has called journalists "liars," "sick people," and "the enemy of the American people" just to name a few.
The judicial system has also fallen into Trump's crosshairs. On day seven of his presidency, Trump issued his first version of the travel ban. When U.S. District Court Judge James Robart temporarily blocked the travel ban, Trump took to Twitter to express his frustration by calling Judge Robart a "so-called judge." When subsequent rulings were made about revised travel bans, Trump continued his assault by making claims that some of the judges were stopping him for strictly political reasons. So why does all of this matter? Under normal circumstances, any one of those actions would not be acceptable by members of either party. It is the responsibility of the legislative and judicial branch to check a president when they begin to attack American institutions. Republicans in Congress have shown no indication that they will adequately defend the institutions vital to American democracy. There are only a handful of Republicans who are willing to speak against the president, and even then they offer a weak condemnation. The Founding Fathers created a system of checks and balances designed to stop an incompetent president, but what they did not account for was the incredibly high level partisanship. Trump is potentially the perfect storm for a constitutional crisis. Republicans control every branch of the federal government and they show no signs of curbing Trump's behavior. If Republicans continue to sit idly by while this president attacks fundamental American institutions, faith in them will continue to fade. There used to be a time where members would challenge a sitting president of their own party in order to preserve checks and balances, but it appears the Republican Party is choosing party over country.