Long's meddling with LSU's Law School in the 1930s almost cost the school its accreditation; Landry should be careful he doesn't inflict similar damage on the state's flagship university
Bob, FYI; the following is the content of an e-mail I sent to the LSU Board in early December 2024; prompted by a prior article you wrote:
"Dear Board Members,
It’s time for you to grow a spine and stand up to Governor Landry! You need to defend Professor Nicholas Bryner because I have yet to see any wrongdoing on his part that deserves any form of punishment that Governor Landry has called for.
Let us examine the governor’s post, shall we? He states, “This professor has defied the 76 million Americans who voted for @realDonaldTrump – to silence and belittle those in his class who voted for our next president. This is not the kind of behavior we want at @LSU and our universities.”
How has Professor Bryner defied the Americans who voted for Trump? His statement is directed to those who voted for Trump based on his policies even though they (claim to) dislike his personality. He tells them that it’s on them (their responsibility) to prove this (their claimed dislike of his personality) by the way they treat other people, including and especially those who did not vote for Trump. Professor Bryner’s statement includes his real concerns based on the concerns he has heard from various groups of law students, especially Black students, who feel uncomfortable and unwelcome at LSU.
Now let’s look at the key verbs in Governor Landry’s statement; defy, silence, and belittle.
The Oxford Dictionary definitions of ‘defy’ are: 1. Openly resist or refuse to obey, 2. Make an action or quality (of a thing) almost impossible, 3. Appear to be challenging someone to do or prove something. The third definition seems to be the one that applies to the governor’s statement. If so, isn’t that an important and essential thing that a college professor should be doing with regard to teaching his/her/their students? I would seriously question the competence of any college professor who does not do this! I would have strong doubts that his/her/their students were learning anything of value if they were not challenged to do or prove a large number of things! This would be especially troubling to me if these students are being educated to become our future attorneys.
Does Governor Landry really think that challenging students to do or prove something is silencing or belittling them? Maybe in MAGA world where anyone who challenges their opinions and beliefs is classified as an ‘enemy’ (or ‘enemy within’), the feeling of being silenced or belittled by a strong and smart challenger is a real threat to be suppressed and crushed. This is probably especially a true feeling when the challenger is a woman, non-white, much smarter than the challenged MAGA person, or combinations of these!
Mr. Landry also fails to recognize or conveniently omit the fact that about 75 million Americans voted for Vice President Kamala Harris and another 2 million voted for a candidate other than Trump. These people are just as American as those who voted for Trump. They have the same rights and the same responsibilities to speak out and accept and respond to challengers who disagree with or oppose them.
One key difference between the challenges faced by Trump supporters and those faced by Trump opponents is the latter having to endure violations to their fundamental rights, that include threats of violence and acts of violence in addition to be being bullied in the same way that Mr. Bryner has been. Another key difference is the latter group being expected to accept the results of the 2024 election while being repeatedly told that the free and fair 2020 election was illegitimate and stolen from Trump; a narrative that has never changed in MAGA world; and in its supporting right-wing media ecosystem.
It's not only the false and never-ending narrative about a stolen 2020 election, it’s all the other personality (character) flaws of Trump and his enablers and sycophants that accompany this narrative. Those who voted for Trump on the basis of his supposedly better policies while (and as justification for) accepting these flaws are getting more than a free pass when Professor Bryner simply challenges them to: 1. treat other fellow human beings who voted for Vice President Harris and other candidates not named Trump with respect and dignity; and 2. advocate for all other people who voted for Trump to do the same!
To further support my assertions in the above two paragraphs, let’s further examine some (a fraction) of the personality flaws that accompany the false narrative of the stolen 2020 election, which are as follows:
1. Trump’s campaign rhetoric repeated ad-nauseum about him being the retribution against any and all who now and have opposed him; whether politically or through the judiciary systems,
2. Trump being convicted on 34 counts by a unanimous jury decision on all counts and after far more due legal process (and ‘get out of jail free’ cards, unpunished contempt of court actions) than any other defendant in an American court of law has ever received,
3. The majority of former Senate-confirmed staff under Trump’s previous administration warning the American people about the dangers of Trump being re-elected; including highly respected senior members of our military labeling him as a fascist to the core,
4. Trump’s current nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, on record advocating for the retribution stated in item 1 above with the FBI being the government agency to lead in this effort,
5. Classified documents being stolen by Trump, his acts to prevent the recovery and safe storage of these documents, and his false assertion that the ‘Presidential Records Act’ gave him the authority to keep these documents,
6. Trump showing classified content of the documents mentioned above to people not authorized to view them,
7. Trump being held liable and fined for defamation and rape of a woman in a court of law,
8. At least 20 other women with credible accusations of rape against Trump,
9. Trump’s nephew credibly claiming that he (Donald Trump) advocated for allowing his son to die due to his disabilities and the associated high costs of his care,
10. Trump inciting a violent insurrection against the U.S. Congress while performing its Constitutional duty to count and certify electoral votes as well as being the central figure of this insurrection,
11. The false claim of a stolen 2020 election being the basis of the insurrection mentioned above.
Given what’s stated above, the Trump supporter treating all of his/her fellow human beings with respect and as equals; and advocating for their fellow Trump supporters to do the same; is the very least that needs to be done! Those of us, myself included, who did not vote for Trump have already done our part by accepting the 2024 election results and refraining from the same types of false accusations (still being) made by Trump supporters with regard to the 2020 election. Additionally, none of us (and none of the people we voted for) are calling for violence, none of us are making threats of harm and violence, and none of us are advocating the denial of rights against those who supported or voted for Trump and/or against Trump supporters/voters who do not accept, comply with, or respond in a satisfactory manner to our challenges! [The advocated denial of rights and threats of harm are exactly what Governor Landry is doing with regard to Professor Bryner!]
Everything I’ve stated above is strong evidence that Governor Landry is stuck in a worldview with selected people of a certain race, belief system, or set of conservative political viewpoints being more equal than (superior to) others! Legitimate challenges that impart critical and important life lessons are equated to silencing and belittling when the group on the receiving end is deemed superior to the ones on the giving end. This seems especially so when the ‘superior’ people feel uncomfortable and don’t want to have to deal with or take on the challenges; probably because the only responses they can come up with are more bullying, threats and intimidation.
And I haven’t said anything about the other troubling part of Governor Landry’s statement; which is it being a serious attempt to infringe First Amendment rights; something of ultra-high importance in all institutes of higher learning, especially law schools!
In summary do your job by defending Professor Bryner and all other LSU professors who are doing their jobs the way they’re supposed to be doing them! Stop cowering to a governor who is bullying you and who clearly does not understand the First Amendment (when it applies to those speaking in opposition to him and what he wants) and the need for healthy debates and legitimate political discourse covering a wide range of issues, including and especially the controversial ones, in our institutes of higher learning!
Thanks for this hard-hitting article, Bob! I think you made the right decision to leave LSU when you did, even at a significant cost. IMO, academics in the US are going to go through hell during the next four years. I'm lucky to be very retired.
Why do people blindly follow self-serving people suck as Landry and Trump? I don’t understand the draw. Neither of the two care a thing about me or mine.
Bob, FYI; the following is the content of an e-mail I sent to the LSU Board in early December 2024; prompted by a prior article you wrote:
"Dear Board Members,
It’s time for you to grow a spine and stand up to Governor Landry! You need to defend Professor Nicholas Bryner because I have yet to see any wrongdoing on his part that deserves any form of punishment that Governor Landry has called for.
Let us examine the governor’s post, shall we? He states, “This professor has defied the 76 million Americans who voted for @realDonaldTrump – to silence and belittle those in his class who voted for our next president. This is not the kind of behavior we want at @LSU and our universities.”
How has Professor Bryner defied the Americans who voted for Trump? His statement is directed to those who voted for Trump based on his policies even though they (claim to) dislike his personality. He tells them that it’s on them (their responsibility) to prove this (their claimed dislike of his personality) by the way they treat other people, including and especially those who did not vote for Trump. Professor Bryner’s statement includes his real concerns based on the concerns he has heard from various groups of law students, especially Black students, who feel uncomfortable and unwelcome at LSU.
Now let’s look at the key verbs in Governor Landry’s statement; defy, silence, and belittle.
The Oxford Dictionary definitions of ‘defy’ are: 1. Openly resist or refuse to obey, 2. Make an action or quality (of a thing) almost impossible, 3. Appear to be challenging someone to do or prove something. The third definition seems to be the one that applies to the governor’s statement. If so, isn’t that an important and essential thing that a college professor should be doing with regard to teaching his/her/their students? I would seriously question the competence of any college professor who does not do this! I would have strong doubts that his/her/their students were learning anything of value if they were not challenged to do or prove a large number of things! This would be especially troubling to me if these students are being educated to become our future attorneys.
Does Governor Landry really think that challenging students to do or prove something is silencing or belittling them? Maybe in MAGA world where anyone who challenges their opinions and beliefs is classified as an ‘enemy’ (or ‘enemy within’), the feeling of being silenced or belittled by a strong and smart challenger is a real threat to be suppressed and crushed. This is probably especially a true feeling when the challenger is a woman, non-white, much smarter than the challenged MAGA person, or combinations of these!
Mr. Landry also fails to recognize or conveniently omit the fact that about 75 million Americans voted for Vice President Kamala Harris and another 2 million voted for a candidate other than Trump. These people are just as American as those who voted for Trump. They have the same rights and the same responsibilities to speak out and accept and respond to challengers who disagree with or oppose them.
One key difference between the challenges faced by Trump supporters and those faced by Trump opponents is the latter having to endure violations to their fundamental rights, that include threats of violence and acts of violence in addition to be being bullied in the same way that Mr. Bryner has been. Another key difference is the latter group being expected to accept the results of the 2024 election while being repeatedly told that the free and fair 2020 election was illegitimate and stolen from Trump; a narrative that has never changed in MAGA world; and in its supporting right-wing media ecosystem.
It's not only the false and never-ending narrative about a stolen 2020 election, it’s all the other personality (character) flaws of Trump and his enablers and sycophants that accompany this narrative. Those who voted for Trump on the basis of his supposedly better policies while (and as justification for) accepting these flaws are getting more than a free pass when Professor Bryner simply challenges them to: 1. treat other fellow human beings who voted for Vice President Harris and other candidates not named Trump with respect and dignity; and 2. advocate for all other people who voted for Trump to do the same!
To further support my assertions in the above two paragraphs, let’s further examine some (a fraction) of the personality flaws that accompany the false narrative of the stolen 2020 election, which are as follows:
1. Trump’s campaign rhetoric repeated ad-nauseum about him being the retribution against any and all who now and have opposed him; whether politically or through the judiciary systems,
2. Trump being convicted on 34 counts by a unanimous jury decision on all counts and after far more due legal process (and ‘get out of jail free’ cards, unpunished contempt of court actions) than any other defendant in an American court of law has ever received,
3. The majority of former Senate-confirmed staff under Trump’s previous administration warning the American people about the dangers of Trump being re-elected; including highly respected senior members of our military labeling him as a fascist to the core,
4. Trump’s current nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, on record advocating for the retribution stated in item 1 above with the FBI being the government agency to lead in this effort,
5. Classified documents being stolen by Trump, his acts to prevent the recovery and safe storage of these documents, and his false assertion that the ‘Presidential Records Act’ gave him the authority to keep these documents,
6. Trump showing classified content of the documents mentioned above to people not authorized to view them,
7. Trump being held liable and fined for defamation and rape of a woman in a court of law,
8. At least 20 other women with credible accusations of rape against Trump,
9. Trump’s nephew credibly claiming that he (Donald Trump) advocated for allowing his son to die due to his disabilities and the associated high costs of his care,
10. Trump inciting a violent insurrection against the U.S. Congress while performing its Constitutional duty to count and certify electoral votes as well as being the central figure of this insurrection,
11. The false claim of a stolen 2020 election being the basis of the insurrection mentioned above.
Given what’s stated above, the Trump supporter treating all of his/her fellow human beings with respect and as equals; and advocating for their fellow Trump supporters to do the same; is the very least that needs to be done! Those of us, myself included, who did not vote for Trump have already done our part by accepting the 2024 election results and refraining from the same types of false accusations (still being) made by Trump supporters with regard to the 2020 election. Additionally, none of us (and none of the people we voted for) are calling for violence, none of us are making threats of harm and violence, and none of us are advocating the denial of rights against those who supported or voted for Trump and/or against Trump supporters/voters who do not accept, comply with, or respond in a satisfactory manner to our challenges! [The advocated denial of rights and threats of harm are exactly what Governor Landry is doing with regard to Professor Bryner!]
Everything I’ve stated above is strong evidence that Governor Landry is stuck in a worldview with selected people of a certain race, belief system, or set of conservative political viewpoints being more equal than (superior to) others! Legitimate challenges that impart critical and important life lessons are equated to silencing and belittling when the group on the receiving end is deemed superior to the ones on the giving end. This seems especially so when the ‘superior’ people feel uncomfortable and don’t want to have to deal with or take on the challenges; probably because the only responses they can come up with are more bullying, threats and intimidation.
And I haven’t said anything about the other troubling part of Governor Landry’s statement; which is it being a serious attempt to infringe First Amendment rights; something of ultra-high importance in all institutes of higher learning, especially law schools!
In summary do your job by defending Professor Bryner and all other LSU professors who are doing their jobs the way they’re supposed to be doing them! Stop cowering to a governor who is bullying you and who clearly does not understand the First Amendment (when it applies to those speaking in opposition to him and what he wants) and the need for healthy debates and legitimate political discourse covering a wide range of issues, including and especially the controversial ones, in our institutes of higher learning!
Sincerely,
Laurence de Quay, Ph.D., P.E.
Resident of Slidell, LA"
Wow. That's one great letter. Did you get any response?
Thanks for this hard-hitting article, Bob! I think you made the right decision to leave LSU when you did, even at a significant cost. IMO, academics in the US are going to go through hell during the next four years. I'm lucky to be very retired.
Why do people blindly follow self-serving people suck as Landry and Trump? I don’t understand the draw. Neither of the two care a thing about me or mine.