Sunflower Desert

Not just any professor. Mike Adams, one of the nation’s best professors. As usual, I found the story at One News Now, because they always have stories that interest me.

Ed Thomas and Jody Brown OneNewsNow.comApril 13, 2007

A professor at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington (UNCW) who alleges he was denied promotion and harassed by superiors at the school because of his religious and political beliefs has filed suit in federal court over the matter.

According to Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) attorneys who filed suit for Professor Mike Adams, he applied for merit promotion from associate to full professor in 2004 — but the interim chair of UNCW’s Sociology and Criminal Justice Department criticized Adams’ political preference and nationally syndicated column, and nothing on the application was furthered. According to ADF, the temporary department head’s criticism included a request that Adams modify his writing style to be less “caustic” and more “cerebral.”

In 2006, Adams applied again for promotion, but was turned down by the new department head and a committee of senior faculty members. In a press statement, ADF describes that new department head, Dr. Kimberly J. Cook, as “an outspoken atheist who openly criticized Christianity.”

Adams’ lawsuit alleges he was often the victim of attempts to silence his religiously-based viewpoints; subjected to multiple intrusive investigations based on false charges; and denied promotion because of his beliefs, which he says was evident in statements from various colleagues.

ADF senior legal counsel David French calls it “indefensible” for a university to refuse promotion to a “gifted and accomplished professor” simply because its representatives — whom he describes as “narrow-minded officials” — disagree with his religious and political views.

“In an institution of higher learning,” says French, “professors should be promoted based on the quality of their work — not discriminated against on the basis of their beliefs.” But by their actions, adds the ADF attorney, UNCW officials have in fact discriminated against Adams and violated his constitutional rights.

Adams v. Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina-Wilmington was filed on April 9 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Let me be very clear here. I adore Mike Adams. If you love Coulter’s wit, then you’ll love Mike. If you don’t care for Ann, then …. well …. you probably won’t care for Mike, who by the way is a huge Coulter fan. I’m very happy to see that Mike is finally taking it to the University of North Carolina. He certainly has the gumballs to get the job done.

UPDATE: Photo:

 See more photos here.