Replies to Posting

Dear Colleagues:

I received the following emails regarding my correspondence with Dr. Dotson.



From: Lynne Henderson
Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 4:03 PM
To: velvel@mslaw.eduSubject:


Thank you for your e-mail exchange with Dr. Dotson.
Interesting that he used "Yankee" and "rebel" at the end--but he does have a point. I had a bias against Southerners rooted in the same reasons as you, and when I taught (briefly) at Florida State learned that my unconscious bias--that someone with a southern accent couldn't *possibly* be smart--to my eternal chagrin was wrong.

I left Florida State and went to Cleveland-Marshall, a warm and welcoming place--but Cleveland is a town that proves the point that Northerners were bigoted bastards too--not my colleagues, one of whom, James Wilson, is close to Chomsky BTW) Obviously the "southern strategy" worked for the far right, but Dr. Dotson is to be commended for pointing out that not all, maybe not most, southerners are beknighted idiots. Pity he had to slam us Volvo-driving, NY Times-reading, latte drinking types--er, "NY elitists" (funny, he left out the Left Coast, and SF, but pass that) in his e-mail. So much for civility. Nevertheless, the effort to reach out was there, and maybe we all can learn to be less snarky , less inclined to stereotype, and less likely to bash each other in the coming years. (Not likely, but hopefully) Southerners *do* "pride" themselves on their "manners," but one hopes that it opens a dialogue in any event.Lynne HendersonProf. Lynne HendersonBoyd School of Law--UNLV

From: Jones, Larry
Date: Wed 1/3/2007 4:03 PM
To: velvel@mslaw.edu

I too, enjoy your 'rantings' (although I would not personally classify your essays as such) and like Dr. Dotson, I also have noted
a decided anti-southern slant on occasion. However, Dr. Dotson's observation that your writings display "a tendency to belittle
the intellectual capacities of those who live south of the Mason-Dixon line and to paint the entire region with a broad brush
which clearly displays a lack of first-hand knowledge of the region and a good bit of historical inaccuracy" have not been refuted by your reply to Dr. Dotson and instead, have only been underscored and actually justify his earlier remarks. There is not enough time to begin to address the many inaccuracies, exaggerations and overlybroad generalizations contained in your reply. Your sentiments can be summed up quite well by your own words: "the fact that so much of the South was for so long racist, ignorant and backwards . . ." and is very indicative of your own prejudices. It saddens me to see someone of your obvious intelligence join in the current wave of 'South-bashing.' And as to the 'Civil Rights Revolution' which you apparently view with
some satisfaction, it was the last shot of the (un)Civil War and intended to finally place the South in complete submission to the northern interests. True, the motives of those in the South who resisted civil rights enlightenment may not have been pure, but neither were those who climbed onto the bandwagon. The issue was, and remains, whether or not the State, any State, has any sovereignty left against an ever -encroaching federal government. The fact you advocate the demise of the Electoral College, shows clearly what side you are on, and it's not on the side of the Constitution or the sovereignty demarcations and protections laid out in that document.


From: Boyle, Francis
Date: Wed 1/3/2007 2:54 PM
To: Dean Lawrence R. Velvel
Subject: RE: Prof. Boyle Says No to FSU

Personally, it was our vigorous defense from the outset that dissuaded those racist Texas prosecutors from going for the DP against her, which they continually threatened to do. Screw those racist SOBs in Texas and Florida. Fab.


-----Original Message-----
From: Boyle, Francis
Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 1:53 PM
To: Boyle, Francis; 'Dean Lawrence R. Velvel'
Subject: RE: Prof. Boyle Says No to FSU

And that Mexican migrant worker who killed her US citizen rapist/tormentor got 20 years in prison from a racist jury down in Texas. You can keep Texas too. Only fit for armadillos and bushes. Fab.



-----Original Message-----
From: Boyle, Francis
Sent: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 1:11 PM
To: Boyle, Francis; 'Dean Lawrence R. Velvel'
Subject: RE: Prof. Boyle Says No to FSU

They can peddle all that bullshit about the "New South" to my 2 dead pro bono African American clients in Florida who were tortured to death by Jebbie Bush:Amos King and Johnnie Robinson. RIP. Legal Lynching indeed.

Fab
Born, raised and living in the Land of Lincoln.




-----Original Message-----
From: msanews@msanews.mynet.net [mailto:msanews@msanews.mynet.net]
Sent: Tuesday, February 29, 2000 10:21 PM
To: msanews@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Prof. Boyle Says No to FSU

________________________________________________________________________
____
__ __________ _ _______ ______
/ / / __/ _ / / / __/ / / / __/
/ /_/ /\ \/ __ / / _/ / / /\ \
/_/ /_/___/_/ _/_/_/___/ __/__/___/

Support MSANEWS, a project of learning and enlightenment
"A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste"

[ see footer for contact and other pertinent information ] ________________________________________________________________________
____

Source: Direct Submission
Email: "Boyle, Francis"
To:
Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 10:26:59 -0600
Title: No to FSU: DP Heaven!

TEXT:

Dear Colleagues:
I could not help but comment. Yesterday I received a fax from FSU suggesting that I apply for a Distinguished Professorship in Human Rights.
I did not even read the flyer, just crumpled it up and threw it in the trash-can. Why would any reputable Professor of Human Rights Law want to teach down there in Death Penalty Heaven? With those nuts, cooks and neanderthals such as Jeb Bush, the racists and fascists in the FLA legislature, and Bush's own adviser talking about expediting
executions: "Just strap em in the gurney and let's rock and roll." These political elites down in Florida are sick, demented and disturbed. They need a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, not me.. Their entire debate over maintaining the electric chair was appalling, embarrassing, neolithic. Why would I want to move my wife and three sons down into such a violent, fascist and racist environment? It would disturb their mental health and the integrity of my family. I have a lawyer friend on the State Appellate Defender Capital Unit whom I have given some advice to from time to time. She tells me it is outrageous, demoralizing and depressing to work on capital cases in FLA. They can keep their racists and fascists in Tallahassee. I want nothing to do with them. And now they want to expedite executions to five years, knowing there are going to kill innocent people.
And many of them are Black Men. They just figured out a new way to kill Black Men and get away with it. If I were to teach down there, I would have to spend full time combating their racist and fascist DP system.
And
they say in FLA that they want to become just like Texas.

Well ditto for Texas where the other Bushie Brother presides. I was down there helping to defend a battered migrant woman worker from a 2d murder charge who killed her batterer at the time they executed the Tucker woman. Texas does not permit a battered woman defense or syndrome. The entire environment made me sick to my stomach. I would not want to to live and teach in Texas either, let alone raise my children there. It would be bad for their mental health and their physical well-being. Just two conveyor belts of death supervised by the Bushie brothers. Once again, Texas has figured out a new way to kill Black Men and get away with it.

The entire American South is moving in that direction:Florida, Texas, Georgia, Virginia, Alabama, etc. Back in the 1970s, they used to talk about the "New South" that had liberated themselves from the bonds of racism. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. But not anymore! To me it seems like the same Old South I used to watch on television and in the newspapers back in the 1950s: Violent, racist, brutal, cruel, inhuman, degrading--and proud of it! Just State sanctioned conveyor belts of death primarily for Black Men and so-called "White Trash." I'm certainly not going to work and live there with my family. I will treat the American South just like I do some other racist, fascist, violent, brutal State like the genocidal rump Yugoslavia when i have to prevent someone from being murdered by their Goons. I suggest you do too.

Francis A. Boyle Professor of Law, Board of Directors, Amnesty International USA (1988-92)


-------------------------------------------------------------
Private reply: "Boyle, Francis"
Public replies: forintlaw@law.wuacc.edu
To signoff, send message to: listserv@law.wuacc.edu
message merely says: unsubscribe forintlaw
Questions? Rebecca Alexander, zzalex@washburn.edu
Washburn's WashLawWEB, a comprehensive legal research site:
http://www.washlaw.edu/



________________________________________________________________________
______
__ __________ _ _______ ______
/ / / __/ _ / / / __/ / / / __/
/ /_/ /\ \/ __ / / _/ / / /\ \
/_/ /_/___/_/ _/_/_/___/ __/__/___/

Views expressed on MSANEWS do not necessarily represent those of the MSANEWS editors, the Ohio State University or any of our associated staff and "watchers". Further distribution of material featured on this list may be restricted. In all cases, please obtain the necessary permission of the authors or rightful owners before forwarding any material to or from this list. This service is meant for the exchange of analyses and news, for both academic and activist usage. We depend on your input. However, this is not a discussion list. Thank you.