Protester seeks Daniels removal for Zinn emails

WEST LAFAYETTE - Purdue President Mitch Daniels says he never tried to quash academic freedom when he was governor of Indiana. He calls a report from the Associated Press unfair and erroneous others believe the story may not be quite so simple.

Daniels is taking some sharp criticism for emails he sent out in February 2010 that some have said smack of censorship. The emails concern the Howard Zinn book "A Peoples History of the United States." One of the emails reads, "Can someone assure me that it is not in use anywhere in Indiana? If it is, how do we get rid of it before more young people are force-fed a totally false version of our history?"

Daniels says his only concern was that the book not be used as a textbook for kids in grades K-12. He said when he found out it wasn't, he simply dropped the matter.

Now serving as the president of Purdue University, the charge of censorship is of particular concern. He told Eyewitness News if Professor Zinn were teaching at Purdue, he would have been free to write what he wanted, but says, "this does not infer an immunity from criticism if you write rot, as Howard Zinn did, and it certainly doesn't confer an entitlement to have that falsification of history taught to your young people in public K-12 schools."

Riiiiiight. It was all about K-12. I guess that's why the emails talked about the Indiana Commission for Higher Education and the curriculum for education students at IU.

ETA link: http://www.wthr.com/story/22867771/2013/07/17/protester-seeks-daniels-removal-for-zinn-emails