Amid student protests, some see erosion of free speech
Amid student protests, some see erosion of free speech
SAN FRANCISCO — A recent groundswell of protests on college campuses over race, sexual misconduct and other social issues has some civil libertarians worried that the prized principle of free speech could be sacrificed in the rush to address legitimate student grievances.
The potential conflict between the protection of civil rights and the constitution’s First Amendment guarantees was on display at the University of Missouri in Columbia last week when students, supported by the football team, forced the resignation of system president Tim Wolfe over racial incidents and other problems on campus that they felt he had failed to take seriously. While their campaign drew widespread support and inspired similar demonstrations at colleges across the country, it also prompted a backlash from critics who said some actions went too far.
A Missouri assistant professor supportive of the student protests blocked a student photographer from an area where demonstrators had set up a tent city, a move which infringed freedom of the press. The student protesters quickly reversed the media ban, saying the incident had been a “teachable moment” for them.
Also, university police encouraged students to report any “hateful and/or hurtful” speech they experienced for investigation, leaving the impression that any comment considered offensive could be a crime. Free speech advocates complained and police clarified that offensive language alone would not be treated as a hate crime.
Some academics and First Amendment experts said the incidents at Missouri showed a hyper-sensitivity that confused the difference between vigorous public debate and threats or harassment that constitute crimes.
Rare TB case shows difficulty diagnosing, treating children
WASHINGTON — When a 2-year-old returned sick from a visit to India, U.S. doctors suspected tuberculosis even though standard tests said no. It would take three months to confirm she had an extreme form of the disease — a saga that highlights the desperate need for better ways to fight TB in youngsters in countries that can’t afford such creative care.
Drug-resistant tuberculosis is a global health threat, and it’s particularly challenging for young children who are harder even to diagnose, much less treat.
Doctors at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center are reporting how they successfully treated one of the few tots ever diagnosed in the U.S. with the worst kind — extensively drug-resistant TB, or XDR-TB, that’s impervious to a list of medicines.
“This was so difficult, even when we had all these resources,” said Hopkins pediatric TB specialist Dr. Sanjay Jain, who co-authored the report being published Monday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The child now is 5 and healthy, but Jain calls the case “a wake-up call to the realities of TB.”
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that usually strikes the lungs, spreading through coughs and sneezes. A recent World Health Organization report says TB sickened nearly 10 million people worldwide in 2014, including 1 million children. That’s double earlier child estimates, reflecting some countries’ better counts. Many experts suspect the toll is still higher because children in hard-hit countries can die undiagnosed.
Syrian refugee policy takes focus in US 2016 politics
WASHINGTON — The bloody attacks in Paris are putting the Syrian refugee crisis at center stage in U.S. politics as migrants from that war-torn country surge toward the West and security concerns rise.
GOP presidential contender Marco Rubio on Sunday said the United States should no longer accept Syrian refugees because it’s impossible to know whether they have links to Islamic militants — an apparent shift from earlier statements in which he left open the prospects of migrants being admitted with proper vetting.
“It’s not that we don’t want to, it’s that we can’t,” Rubio said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “Because there’s no way to background check someone that’s coming from Syria. Who do you call and do a background check on them?”
The question of admitting Syrian refugees has for months been part of the national security discussion among 2016 candidates that cuts to the heart of the American identity as a refuge. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Sunday told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the U.S. should admit Syrian Christians, after proper vetting. Other Republican candidates have called for a ban on allowing Syrians into the U.S. All three Democratic presidential candidates have said they would admit Syrians but only after thorough background checks.
But Friday night’s mass killings in Paris, which left at least 129 people dead, offered evidence that may have backed up what many, including Rubio, had been warning: People with secret ties to Islamic militants could flow across borders as part of waves of refugees.
By wire sources