Libertarian Defends Professor Cronon (while blasting the hypocrisy of the Left)
By Jonathan Bean • Tuesday April 12, 2011 3:23 PM PDT • 2 Comments
Over at the leading libertarian magazine, Reason, writer Shikha Dalmia attacks conservatives for using FOIA laws to invade the privacy of historian William Cronon. At the same time, Dalmia defends Open Records laws while noting that groups may abuse their rights by going after individuals. On that score, the Left comes in for a tongue lashing for politicizing the process (and so much else in academia).
Frankly, I’m surprised that Professor Cronon was so clueless about the dangers of work email addresses. I’ve said it before (here, here, and here): your work email is state property and open to reading by your university or outsiders who file FOIA requests.
Bottom line: DO NOT USE YOUR .edu account for anything unrelated to work. Use another account.
Tags: Civil Liberties, Conservatism, Education, Personal Liberty 
Voltaire never said never that, but I like your site.
john barker | Apr 14, 2011 | Reply
But if activism is intrinsic to the scholarly mission, as many contend, isn’t a G-Mail account an unnecessary diversion? The simplicity of web-based e-mail may yet be too great a distraction from the noble cause.
David | Apr 15, 2011 | Reply