This week brought about a hideous public-relations embarrassment for the University of Oregon. New media blew a relatively obscure story about the university into an all-out image war that exposed the overt bias and direct deception that has become operative norms at the “Berkeley of the North.”
One week ago today, Peter Baker was hauled before the administration and told that he would no longer be allowed to have a “Support the Troops” yellow magnetic ribbon attached to the university maintenance vehicle he drives on campus to carry out his duties. Evidently some employee had reported the ribbon, and it offended him.
The employee – the tolerant soul that he is – made clear that the only solution to the offense was the immediate removal of the magnetic ribbon. According to my sources, the ribbon had actually been attached to the vehicle for at least of four months.
One can only imagine Baker being brought into a cold dark room, seated under a lone light bulb hanging from the ceiling and asked heated questions like “did he vote for Bush,” “carry a Bible,” “love his country” or, horror of horrors, “actually serve in the U.S. military.”
By Friday night, the ribbons were gone.
On Sunday, “Campaign Oregon” was heartily advocated for by top university brass at meetings in Eugene and Portland. The purpose was to raise a portion of the $600 million that the university wanted to seek for the “progressive, visionary, future” that lay in front of it. Captain’s Quarters turned up evidence that the big donors in the campaign to that point had been large donors to the Oregon Democratic Party, as well. On Sunday, ABC on channel 9 out of Eugene had produced a single piece on the campus worker and the plight of his magnetic ribbons. The outcry in Oregon seemed muted. Call it “Blue State Allergies.”
On Monday the blogs took over. I was the first to post it, but quickly Captain’s Quarters and Michelle Malkin pinged me on it. Cheese & Cracker’s Jordan Golson contributed a captured screen flash animation that bragged of the university’s “diverse” approach. (Diversity in their minds seems to be welcoming everyone who agrees with them.)
What followed was a blog flood that got echoed on both my radio show, Hugh Hewitt’s and Lars Larson. The Instapundit even weighed in on the legal aspects – and in the full interest of disclosure, he didn’t see any Firstst Amendment issues attached. But bloggers of all stripes, small to large, kept pushing the story forward. WizBANG, the readers of Little Green Footballs, BlogsForBush, GOPBloggers, MyPetJawa, Outside the Beltway, and others commented and linked and smaller blogs followed their lead.
On Tuesday, reports were made public about the University’s odd timing of banning the ribbons and the donor development effort. The university also refused to allow Pete Baker access to speak with the media concerning his side of the story.
On Wednesday, the university decided to finally address the issue publicly. Up until then, they had only made a form-letter like statement available via their website and in an e-mail response to the now continual flow of outrage that was being registered from across the nation.
Later, they confessed that they had received “300 e-mail.” (I have in my possession proof that disputes this number as I received more than 300 carbon copies of e-mail that listeners-readers sent just from my blog.)
The university also admitted the situation had created a public-relations problem (as was cited in the New York Times) but believed it to be based on less-than-factual accounts being reported by said talk-radio shows and blogs. (This was complete nonsense as even a minimal reading of the blog coverage proves.) Additionally, the university said “someone” had “yellow ribboned” the trees encircling the administration building. And when asked what would happen to the ribbons on those trees the university said plainly that they did not break the rules so they would be allowed to remain up.
On Wednesday afternoon, “William the brave” as he is now called, turned whistleblower on the university. “William the brave” was the employee (who is not Pete Baker) who had “ribboned” the office building. While university officials were telling the media the ribbons would be allowed to remain up, “William the brave” told the rest of the world the truth – that the ribbons had already been removed. He also publicly stated that numerous Kerry-Edwards signs and stickers had been affixed to all kinds of state-owned property throughout the entire election year.
Today, you have a chance to tell the University of Oregon what you think of how they despise hard-working veterans who work faithfully in the service of the public at this public university. You can let them know what you believe of their managing of their “politically correct” image for the purposes of not offending potentially “significant visionary supporters.”
You can ask them why they decided to blatantly lie to the media on the yellow ribbons surrounding the administration office. And most of all, you can ask why they don’t believe that “supporting the troops” is a corporate (not personal) statement that the university should fully embrace.
Office of President Dave Frohnmayer
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 541-346-3036
Please e-mail me with whatever answers you are able to obtain from them – the blogosphere and talk radio are waiting to hear what they have to say.
The odds are good though that it won’t be much.
