Posts with the tag Young America's Foundation

LGBT Studies and the End of America

Vincent — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:00:50 EST

The Young America’s Foundation (YAF) is at it again: This time they're attacking the Student Senate at George Washington University (GWU) for creating an LGBT studies minor with university legislation.

Travis Korson, president of the GWU chapter of YAF, writes:

The act, named the “Expanding Economic Opportunities Act”, claims that “the absence of an LGBT Studies Minor at The George Washington University has been detrimental to students.”

Korson blames “political correctness” for what has become a pillar in a post-secondary education: inclusion. Against the backdrop of the tired argument of higher educations’ “liberal agenda,” Korson ultimately says that an LGBT studies minor is useless for lacking a “clear practical career application,” while conveniently ignoring conservative idealogues like Ann Coulter and Bill O’Reilly who both studied history – a degree of equally questionable utility as an LGBT studies minor.

But this isn’t even about figuring out “what degree is better.” Korson is making an assumption about the purpose of education. Yes, college is essential for putting Americans to work. But college is also about fulfilling our own intellectual curiosities, and uncovering various social and scientific patterns…or did Korson forget what it’s like to think as an individual?

Korson should be reminded that there is a long tradition of people of color, women, and queer people who’ve become politicized through programs like this. Barbara Smith and Gloria Anzaldua, some of the original architects behind African American studies and Chicana/o studies, produced scholarship that asked the kinds of questions that shifted the dialogue on race, feminism, and domestic violence that had clear connections to policy areas like health care, prison reform, and reproductive justice. You can’t challenge the “perceived gap” among LGBT communities if there’s no space in which to ask those questions.

Besides, who wouldn’t want to learn about the glitter-filled fabulousness that LGBT people bring to America?

Conservative Group Endorses Domestic Violence

Kay — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 15:58:34 EST

Today Young America's Foundation sent an email to its list with what one might argue is a poor choice of words. The subject line read: "(Campus Leader) Batter the Left: Here's how!"'

Unless YAF is using "batter" in the sense of baking, it seems like this is a tasteless way of attacking the left. Stay classy, YAF.

Sarah Palin: Giving Her Away

Kay — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:47:35 EST

The Young America's Foundation's "Conservative Marketplace" has a FREE poster of Sarah Palin. (Other bargain-basement items include a copy of Wit and Wisdom of Conservatism for 18 cents and a copy of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution for a quarter.)

Apparently they didn't get the message that she's no longer popular, even among conservatives. Yesterday TPM reported that a new CBS poll shows only 41 percent of self-identified conservatives want her to run for President in 2012 and 50 percent said they didn't want her to run.

Berlin Wall Roughly Equal to Obama Policies, YAF Says

Kay — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:43:23 EDT

It seems the organization we here at Campus Progress love to hate, the Young America's Foundation, is planning a day of action on "America's campuses" (it's not clear if this, like most corporate contests, excludes Guam and Peutro Rico) on which they encourage students to build and then tear down fake Berlin Walls.

It seems they're doing this to "rally against Obama's efforts to encroach on individual freedom." Think they're taking the communism comparison a little too seriously?

Click here to see the full-size image.

A Conservative Guide to Economics

Kay — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:47:35 EDT

Young America's Foundation, like many other groups on the right, is taking up the moniker of freedom as a veil for opposing progressive economic reforms. The organization is holding an event at their Reagan Ranch home on the "road to freedom: selling your freedom to government in the era of Obama." They're billing seven old white dudes to teach you about economics. Sounds riveting.

You could watch it all live on U Stream tomorrow, but -- well -- we're guessing you'd rather not. But you won't miss anything. I went ahead and wrote CliffsNotes for the lectures tomorrow:

Lecture: Rabbi Daniel Lapin, President, Toward Tradition, "Restoring America's Respect for the Morality of the Free-Market"
CliffsNotes: Seriously, guys. It wasn't free market that destroyed the world economy. It's because the market wasn't free enough.

Lecture: John Fund, Editorial Board Member with the Wall Street Journal, "Reaganomics vs. Obamanomics"
CliffsNotes: Reaganomics are better.

Lecture: Tibor Machan Ph.D., Professor, Chapman University, "Liberty: Pessimistic and Optimistic Assessments"
CliffsNotes: Sure the economy is going to hell, but let's be optimistic. The rich will still be rich.

Lecture: Reagan Ranch Roundtable: John Fund, Editor, Wall Street Journal, "A Visitors Guide to an Alien Planet: Washington, D.C."
CliffsNotes: Did you know that Washington is full of lobbyists? Also we upped our cool factor by referencing science fiction. Get it?

Lecture: Kirby Wilbur, Foundation Director and Seattle Talk Show Host, "Ronnie and Me"
CliffsNotes: In case we didn't already mention it and you didn't get it from the fact that we're hosting this event on Ronald Reagan's sacred ranch, we just wanted to reiterate that Ronald Reagan was awesome.

Lecture: Lawrence Reed, President, Foundation for Economic Education, "Great Myths of the Great Depression"
CliffsNotes: The Great Depression didn't exist. Even if it did, FDR totally wasn't the one that fixed it.

Lecture: Ivan Pongracic, Professor, Hillsdale College, "The Lessons of the Great Recession: The Limits of Knowledge in Economics and The Case for De-politicization of the Economy"
CliffsNotes: Conservative, free market economics are the only real economics.

Hey YAF: Who is confident, and who is threatened?

halperindavid — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 11:08:46 EDT

A C-SPAN clip from this week’s Young America’s Foundation conference came to my attention. YAF VP Patrick Coyle gave a speech claiming, astonishingly, that progressives are intent on stifling the speech of conservatives, and he specifically mentioned Campus Progress. If progressives, Coyle asked, are “so truly confident of their domination of the college campus, they would not try to stop speakers. They would say that we should go ahead and bring in their one conservative speaker… but they are so threatened.” Coyle continued by noting that Campus Progress is seeking “to train a new generation of so-called progressive leaders. Each year they hold a conference much like this one, and they have also started a campus lecture program to bring in even more liberal speakers to college campuses.” Coyle said that conservative students should go to progressive events and speak out.

Patrick, get real. Who is confident, and who is threatened?

Campus Progress invites conservative speakers to speak at our events -- like TownHall’s Amanda Carpenter, who appeared at our annual conference this summer, and Trent Lott, who spoke at one of our campus events this year with Tom Daschle. We invite conservatives to be interviewed on our website, like David Horowitz. Our interns cornered Ben Stein and convinced him to make a promo video for us. All these conservatives were gracious and interested in genuine debate on important issues. We admit young conservatives to our national conference as attendees, and we admit reporters from conservative publications like National Review to cover our conference. We have repeatedly denounced actions by people on the progressive side to shout down conservative campus speakers, throw pies in their faces, or otherwise interfere with honest, open debate.

Meanwhile, what has YAF done? The very YAF conference at which Patrick Coyle was speaking has repeatedly shut out Campus Progress-affiliated young people as attendees and journalists. This year they refused to admit our intern Chenwei Zhang, even after Amanda Carpenter herself called YAF, cited her positive experience at the Campus Progress conference, and urged YAF to be open minded. In 2006, when pressed after excluding a CampusProgress.org reporter, Julie Siegel, YAF said it would not admit a reporter from The Nation, whose contributors since 1865 have included Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, John Steinbeck, and Franklin Roosevelt. YAF also ejected a reporter from the venerable Washington Monthly for the crime of also posting on the CampusProgress.org blog.

Patrick, do you actually believe what you are saying? Have you checked in with your colleagues Mr. Custer, Mr. Mattera , and Mr. Robinson, who have repeatedly barred Campus Progress from the doors of your events?

Who is confident, and who is threatened? Mr. Coyle also repeated the same tired argument conservatives have trotted out since we launched, that Campus Progress is unnecessary, because colleges themselves are the progressive organizing institutions: “What I think the leaders of Campus Progress are forgetting is that if you think about it, there is no reason for them to exist…. Typically, the counterpart to Young America's Foundation is usually the college itself.”

We’ve addressed that argument before. If there was no need for Campus Progress to exist, why do thousands of young people attend our events, participate in our campaigns, contribute to or visit our websites, apply for our action grants and publication grants? We’re not necessary? Yes, Patrick, it is the market working – supply and demand.

Campus Progress and our partner organizations are growing and gaining influence because young people are smart, engaged, and progressive. Working together – progressive groups and young people – we are getting things done: like making college more affordable, preventing efforts by conservatives to regulate the free speech of students and professors, moving campuses and communities toward clean energy, keeping the pressure on to halt genocide in Sudan, working for a stable outcome in Iraq, seeking to end government interference with freedom to marry.

YAF’s budget is seven times that of Campus Progress, but heaven knows how you are spending all that money. My guess is big fees to your speakers and consultants. If I were a donor or board member of YAF, I would start to wonder what the staff was actually getting done to make a difference.

Who is confident and who is threatened? We invite conservative voices, your ideas, and your participation. We want debate and dialogue. You lock the doors and keep us out, all the while muttering about George Soros and announcing, against all evidence, that Campus Progress has no reason to exist. You aren’t fooling anyone. And your movement is in shambles.

Young America's Foundation 0 - 1 Students Against War

Tommaso — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:35:41 EDT

Their patriotism is whole hearted:

Since the earliest days of this administration, Young America’s Foundation has been reaching out to encourage strict enforcement of the Solomon amendment, in order to improve opportunities for students to serve their country and to force an accounting of institutions hostile to our military.

The Solomon amendment is the reason why schools and universities throughout the nation are forced to violate their non-discrimination policies at job fairs by allowing branches of the military to participate. Blockading military tables at job fairs has nothing to do with blocking opportunities for students to serve. It is about ending discriminatory 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policies, it is about changing a system that deceives young people into going to war, and it is about protesting an unfair and illegal war.

Students responsible for "Hate Muslims? So Do We" posters confess

Zach Marks — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 18:07:06 EDT

The students who canvassed GW’s campus with anti-Muslim posters Monday sent a letter to the GW Hatchet today admitting their role in the controversy.

We’d all realized that the posters were a satirical shot at Campus Progress’ archenemy, the Young America’s Foundation, which is sponsoring Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week at 140 campuses around the country from October 22-26, including GW where Campus Progress’ other archenemy David Horowitz will be speaking. But at least now we know who the students responsible for the posters were. One was Adam Kokesh, “a graduate student and Iraq War veteran, [who] gained celebrity over the past year because of his vocal opposition to the war.”

Kokesh and six other students wrote in an e-mail to the Hatchet:

"It is to our great dismay that the student body and the media missed the clear, if subtle, message of our flier: the hyperbolic nature of the flier was aimed at exposing Islamophobic racism.

There’s still a great debate raging on Jenny Odegard’s original blog post on this Monday about whether this satire is funny, whether racism is ever funny, and shitting on Paris Hilton.

Old White Men and Plastic Middle-Aged Women = MUST HAVE!

Jim D — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 11:53:07 EDT

The title, of course, only applies if you're a member of Young America's Fascists...er, Foundation, the group of young people who individually probably have more sex dreams about Ronald Reagan than Nancy and Rush Limbaugh combined (Amusingly, YAF bought Reagan's ranch, the oxymoronically named "Rancho del Cielo," or Ranch in the Sky; lucky members get to spend time in an intense training there). In their attempts to put the ugliest face possible on their call for "intellectual diversity" (i.e. Ann Coulter in the classroom), YAF is offering a free poster with the speakers who they want you to know they have. This means, of course, all their best men, and the few women who can actually make it onto their lecture team (the group includes 4 out of the 10 women listed in their speakers section, and a far lower percentage of the men). In other free stuff news, YAF is also offering its 2007-2008 "Conservative Campus Battleplan." We here at Campus Progress need some new bathroom reading anyway, so we'll probably pick it up - last year's version's "facts" aren't as funny the 100th time.