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To the editor:
The Pacific Legal Foundation handling John Haltigan’s lawsuit against UC Santa Cruz for " … alleged government overreach” by asking prospective applicants about their views on equity, inclusion and diversity is the height of hypocrisy.
Perhaps Mr. Haltigan actually applied to UCSC in order to make a stink in order to get lots of airtime on right-wing conservative media outlets, and to rile up already angry people who hate people who don’t look or act like them?
After all, he did go to a university in Miami, where books are banned and educators can’t teach anything that isn’t in line with a very narrow Christian, conservative viewpoint. Where educators, librarians and Disney characters fear for their lives and livelihoods.
Apparently in Mr. Haltigan’s and the Pacific Legal Foundation’s ideological viewpoint what is happening in Florida is not government overreach? Does Mr. Haltigan have his own agenda? After all, he has been a guest on the Fox News Radio podcast with Ben Domenech talking about the culture wars and academia. Mr. Domenech, who is the co-founder and publisher of The Federalist and co-founder of the RedState group blog. Even Supreme Court judges are asked questions about their thoughts and opinions on equity, inclusion and diversity.
After all, we do live in the United States of America, One Nation Under God, a God who loves us all, by the way, unconditionally.
Mr. Haltigan has no place applying for a position as an educator in a public institution if he cannot express how he feels (openly and transparently) about those with whom he will be instructing. I pray, yes I pray, that this thinly veiled, politically driven lawsuit that is an obvious attempt to mire UCSC and those named in the lawsuit in a costly lawsuit will not jeopardize our ability as a society to educate fairly.
Lisa Johnson
Santa Cruz