Hijacking the language

David Horowitz, who has made it his life's mission to root out all vestiges of liberalism from American universities, posted an article in FrontPageMagazine.com today. His attack is focused on the University of California at Santa Cruz, for vioilating the “Standing Orders of the Regents,” (passed in September 2005) which states that "political indoctrination and partisan interest" are outside the purview of college curriculum. Horowitz primary evidence that UC Santa Cruz is in violation of this policy is the following statement: “The UCSC faculty offers courses related to social justice -- including broad structural and social changes and community based organizing...”

Silly me, I thought that "social justice" was one of the most broadly based American concept imaginable, with roots in the Declaration of Independence ["all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness"] and the Constitution of the United States ["We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,"]. Seems to me that both of these documents (specifically the passages above) indicate that the concern of our founding fathers was in justice within our social life, or social justice.

I think David Horowitz's article says far more about the partisan, conservative political agenda that he wishes to promote, than it does about partisan politics as USSC.