Professor Shields's Mistaken View on Live Action

In an article that ran on Christianity Today yesterday, Professor Shields mentioned Live Action, a pro-life group that has some Claremont connections:

Jon Shields, professor of government at Claremont McKenna College and author of The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right, said, "Live Action is plucky, innovative, trying to get media attention …. They are interested in changing hearts and minds. Whether it's effective or not, that's harder to say."

If Live Action sounds familiar, it ought to: one-time-co-blogger here, David Daleiden CMC '10, works for Live Action in their efforts to investigate Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest provider of abortion.

I believe Shields is mistaken on several points:

The first is that Live Action is trying to change hearts and minds, while the second is that there is some doubt as to Live Action's efficacy. Their real mission is, as always, to identify and expose the corruption of Planned Parenthood. Lila Rose is found of saying, "They commit the crimes; we provide the convictions." In so doing, they have been very successful as the very article that Shields is quoted in makes mention of:

In recent years, Tennessee and California lawmakers ended contracts and grants with Planned Parenthood, and Indiana Planned Parenthood employees were fired after Live Action videos were released. In late February, Live Action released another undercover video in which a Planned Parenthood employee appears to violate Wisconsin law about mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse.

However one feels on the issue of life, you have to admire that record on what amounts to a shoe-string budget.

Jon Shields on Birthdays and Pro-Choicers

Jon Shields (CMC government professor) was quoted twice in Christianity Today. Here is one mention, in an article by Ted Olsen on Palm Sunday.

I think this would be a fun campaign. Encourage pro-choicers not to celebrate their birthdays, but the day when they achieve sentience. Remember, as we've been led to believe, a person isn't sentient until they are viable, whatever that means. On the plus side, this means I'll have to buy fewer birthday presents. Here's the Shields quotation:

"Most citizens—including millions of pro-choice ones—don't think birth marks our beginning," he says. "Some pro-choice scholars even think persons come to be after birth—yet presumably even Peter Singer celebrates his birthday. I think birthdays are important for another reason: we become fully visible and known at birth. This is true even for the mother who gets to really see and hold her baby for the first time. So, there is a way in which Jesus does enter the world at his birth even though he has been a person for nine months."

A Letter From Our Ever Effective Government

I confess to not really caring about TNC, but a few of my dearest readers do, and so here you have the email sent out by someone in ASCMC. At least now we know where some of our money goes -- to $20,000 in waste.

Dear CMC,

Welcome back from Spring Break! We hope that you got some R & R during the vacation. Back to reality, though... Recently, administrators in the Dean of Students office have canceled Thursday Night Clubs indefinitely. Why did DOS cancel TNC? For a lot of reasons. As you read in the last Party Inform, "This isn't because of one specific incident, but as DOS examines certain policy issues TNCs will unfortunately remain off the Calendar."

And here are the some of those reasons:

• We aren’t taking care of our campus: Story House charges caused over the course of the year have amounted to over $20,000 of damages. Story House charges are incurred when:
• Party hosts and attendees don’t clean up after the event and cups, cans, bottles, and other trash are left everywhere
• Things get crazy--broken window screens, furniture, and glass, bloody walls, hand prints, etc.
• Story House housekeepers clean things up for professors, prospective students, and visitors, often charging overtime for their work.
• Fights: TNC is actually a CMC-only event. When non-CMCers attend TNC (other 5Cers or off-campus), things tend to become unruly (AKA: people fight).

• TNC isn’t what it used to be: Once upon a time, TNC was a magical event for CMCers. Dorm presidents were responsible for creating an intimate event that facilitated small-scale social interaction. It was an opportunity for students to talk, dance, and relax from the workweek. Recently, however, things have changed. After the party ends, students congregate outside and campus safety isn't capable of keeping things safe with such a large, usually rowdy, group.

What does DOS want?

1. An elevated expectation of dorm presidents and their responsibilities when they throw an event

2. Better containment at events, so there isn't a large mob of people outside the designated area, or non-CMCers sneaking into the party

3. Facilitation of more efficient security with higher expectations for maintaining the events as CMC-only

4. Students (innocent bystanders, party guests, event host) taking the initiative to clean up after events and prevent dorm damages and holding one another accountable

5. All events not in private residents' rooms, like Beirut tournaments, with a large number of students (20-30+) to be registered with Jim Nauls in advance

What is ASCMC doing to try and save our Thursday nights?

ASCMC members have met with DOS and the DAC and SAC have submitted a proposal to the Dean of Students office. The proposal includes such measures as increased security, ensuring TNCs are CMC-only by enforcing CMC IDs, a greater variety of event locations, a focus on the quality of TNCs rather than the quantity of them, and incentive-based clean-up crews.

DOS wants changes or TNCs aren't going to happen anymore. We're hoping that these initiatives, although new and different, will allow CMCers to have our TNC-type events again and even improve the social culture of Thursday nights. Much of the proposal has been well received and DOS may grant one Thursday night event next week as a "trial run."

What can we do as a school?

• Register events.
• Take responsibility and clean up after ourselves.
• Listen to the RAs. They want to save Thursdays, too.

And now?

Our Dean of Students office believes us to be responsible adults. We all know we have a social life unique from any other school and it's important to take the necessary steps to preserve CMC's long-standing social traditions. Step back, put things into context, and understand that there is not going to be any significant change for the worst if everyone shows up and does their part.

Feel free to reply to this e-mail with any questions. Be sure to check the Forum and tomorrow's Party Inform, where more information will soon be available.

Sincerely,

ASCMC