When Professors Speak Ill of the Dead

Fresno State University's Randa Jarrar became infamous, following Barbara Bush's death, for tweeting nasty comments about the former First Lady and her family. Her remarks incited much outrage and calls for her dismissal from the faculty, which have in turn resulted in an "investigation" by the Fresno State president.  This event reminded me of Alan Dershowitz's unkind obituary following the death of William Rehnquist in 2005.  Dershowitz was unsparing in his criticism of the deceased Chief Justice, beginning with the first paragraph:

My mother always told me that when a person dies, one should not say anything bad about him. My mother was wrong. History requires truth, not puffery or silence, especially about powerful governmental figures. And obituaries are a first draft of history. So here’s the truth about Chief Justice Rehnquist you won’t hear on Fox News or from politicians. Chief Justice William Rehnquist set back liberty, equality, and human rights perhaps more than any American judge of this generation.

Dershowitz then detailed Rehnquist's personal history of anti-Semitism and racism -- which allegedly included, as an undergrad at Stanford, goose-stepping and raising the Nazi salute in front Jewish students -- which was not unlike Jarrar's accusation that Barbara Bush was "an amazing racist." Said Dershowitz of Rehnquist,

He generally opposed the rights of gays, women, blacks, aliens, and religious minorities. He was a friend of corporations, polluters, right wing Republicans, religious fundamentalists, homophobes, and other bigots.

And,

He did not acknowledge that he committed perjury in front of the Judiciary Committee to get his job.

It is true that Dershowitz avoided profanity, but it is otherwise hard to imagine more scathing remarks about a recently deceased public figure. (Nor did Dershowitz attack Rehnquist's family, as Jarrar did the Bushes, but of course, no one else in Rehnquist's family had been politically prominent.)

Given Dershowitz's current prominence on Fox News, it is also interesting to recall his experience with Sean Hannity following Rehnquist's death:

Within moments of Rehnquist’s death, Fox News called and asked for my comments, presumably aware that I was a longtime critic of the late Chief Justice. After making several of these points to Alan Colmes (who was supposed to be interviewing me), Sean Hannity intruded, and when he didn’t like my answers, he cut me off and terminated the interview. Only after I was off the air and could not respond did the attack against me begin, which is typical of Hannity’s bullying ambush style. He is afraid to attack when there’s someone there to respond.

 And notably, Dershowitz generated the same sort of vicious response as has Jarrar:

Since the interview, I’ve received dozens of e-mail hate messages, some of which are overtly anti-Semitic. One writer called me “a jew prick that takes it in the a** from ruth ginzburg [sic].” Another said I am “an ignorant socialist left-wing political hack …. You’re like a little Heinrich Himmler! (even the resemblance is uncanny!).” Yet another informed me that I “personally make us all lament the defeat of the Nazis!” A more restrained viewer found me to be “a disgrace to the Law, to Harvard, and to humanity.”

Dershowitz obviously kept his job on the Harvard faculty (without so much as an investigation), as I assume Jarrar will at Fresno State. 

On the other hand, Dershowitz has lately made peace, and some would say common cause, with Sean Hannity.  Don't bet on Jarrar ever doing the same.

You can read Dershowitz's obit of Rehnquist here.

Comments

[David Bernstein]

What I found most problematic about Jarrar's statement was it visiting the (perceived) sins of the father and son on the wife/mother. Barbara Bush didn't make policy during either Bush Administration, and to have such hatred of her seems unhinged. By contrast, I think actual power-wielders like WHR are fair game.

[Deep State Special Legal Counsel]

Dershowitz stuck to the facts and was very lawyerly in quantifying the issues, interesting and informative, actually. Professor Jarrar wished for the death of the remaining Bushes. Her speech read like Alex Jones, Anne Coulter and Breitbart. Something that I might read from Regenery Press. Libtard this Libtard that. Or Trump calling my almost President Hillary a criminal. Inflammatory screeds that all of us more educated on the Right and Left condemn. It was smash mouth at its worst, even if I agree with her points? about the Iraq War.

[AnonForThis]

I think this sums it up. Bill Burr on why he is sick of Michelle Obama’s:
https://youtu.be/eHLUA9DxcqQ