Free Speech 101: The Utah Valley Uproar over Michael Moore

By Joseph Vogel

When the student government of Utah Valley State College heard about Michael Moore's 2004 Slacker Tour, they thought he would be a great speaker that would create the intelligent debate that is the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1886249318
• ISBN13: 9781886249318
• Release Date: October 2006
• Publisher: Windriver Pub Inc
• Length: 283 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.0" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

A useful companion-piece

I saw the documentary, "This Divided State", on the same subject, before purchasing the book. While the book stands well on its own merits, and fleshes out aspects of the documentary, to get the real visual and emotional impact of this sad episode of American "intolerance of diversity of opinion", it is a book best served as a companion piece to the film (which predates the book). On its own, though, Vogel provides enough flesh and anecdotal material (i.e., numerous examples of the emails received) to give the reader a feel for the reality of the situation he, and his partner, so courageously lived through. And providing the entire transcripts of the speeches of both Hannity and Moore ( Hannity was mostly "political theater" and Moore "pep rally"). But again, the real impact of seeing Hannity and Moore in the documentary - as well as their audiences - gives a "brown-shirt" dimension missing from just the printed word. And if there is anything to fear, since Fear - in its multiple forms - is a major topic of the book, it is from Hannity and those that share his position that offer us the most to Fear. But this is a valuable contribution to a trying time for our Republic, even if it does take place in one of the most extremely Conservative states in the Union.

Highly recommended.

Free Speech 101: The Utah Valley Uproar Over Michael Moore, is the story of the conflict generated during Michael Moore's 2004 Slacker Uprising Tour when author Joseph Vogel, then head of student government at Utah Valley State College, dared to extend an invitation for Michael Moore to come and speak. In the center of fiercely a conservative, passionately Mormon state, Moore's liberal and anti-President Bush views were harshly despised by a vociferous portion of the community. The result was offers of bribery, death threats, and legislative pressures aimed at preventing the UVSC from using student fees to fund an allegedly "viewpoint neutral" program to hear Michael Moore's words. Of course, no similar opposition was raised against conservative Sean Hannity's pro-Bush visit and speech. Vogel himself and many others passionately believed in the importance of free speech, and that true patriotism and being an American meant listening to all points of view before making a decision. The hard-fought battle just to allow Michael Moore to speak, and its outcome, is accounted in vivid detail from an insider's point of view - an author who knows well the history of religious persecution against Mormons for practicing their beliefs, and therefore questions why so much intolerance against free speech exists in the state of Utah to this day. Highly recommended.

Endorsements and Reviews for Free Speech 101

"No amount of money, no threat of recall, nothing would make [these student leaders] back down. If that doesn't give everyone hope for this country--that it was students in Utah--not Berkeley, not Madison, not Ann Arbor--Utah stood up. I have never seen a group of young people more dedicated to the First Amendment than the students at Utah Valley State." --Michael Moore, Director of Fahrenheit 9/11 "Quite a remarkable story, and should be made public, particularly these days, with freedom of speech and academic freedom under serious attack ." --Noam Chomsky, Author of Understanding Power "Joe Vogel's first-person memoir of one of the fabulously interesting free speech battles of our time, performs two services: First, in contrast to civil liberties books written by reporters and other third parties looking in and trying to make sense of someone else's scene, this book adds to the scarce library of first-person accounts of the battles that define what it means to be an American. Second, Vogel's story gets to the heart of the definition of moral courage, a lesson that it is essential we teach our children and, of course, continually re-teach ourselves. Bravo!" --Harvey Silverglate, Co-Founder and Chair of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) "To me, Vogel is a hero. This story is not about Michael Moore or Sean Hannity. It's not even about politics. It's about free speech and the soul of America. Jefferson himself said, 'Information is the currency of democracy,' and information can only come through freedom of speech and expression. Joe Vogel recognized that, and, despite his conservative Mormon ideology, decided to host a controversial speaker in Family City, U.S.A. He recognized that the most important speeches to hear are those with which we most disagree." --Dan Strong, The Cavalier Daily "In detailing the maelstrom caused by [inviting Michael Moore to campus], Vogel makes it clear that democracy is not something that just happens; it has to be worked for. It is easier to silence opposing viewpoints than sincerely listen. The valuable contribution of this book is to remind us that citizenship is an art, an art we are in jeopardy of losing." --Dr. David Keller, Director, Center for the Study of Ethics, UVSC "What [Vogel] learns, and shares with us in this book. . . mirrors on a small scale what is currently taking place in our nation as a whole. The struggle he faces in the student senate could just as well be, and in fact is, taking place in Washington D.C. . .One can only hope that this book is placed into a time capsule, so that one day our children's children can read it and know we tried. . .Mr. Vogel does his country a service by writing this story." --Jordan Romney, The Free Speech Zone "Vogel's book should be read by everyone who cares about the state of free speech in America. In gripping detail Free Speech 101 tells the story of the intolerant campaign waged by conservatives -- from wealthy b

An Inside Look at an Unusual Event

For anyone who followed the events surrounding the invitation to Michael Moore to speak at UVSC, or who saw the movie 'This Divided State,' this book is a must. It discusses from an insiders view the manipulations that some area residents, and state legislators, perpetrated in order to thwart the freedom of speech of people in the southern Utah area. That this level of intolerance still exists in an a country that proudly espouses its freedom of speech is shocking, but probably not all that unusual in reality. The book is well-written, and includes all the details about the opposition to what can only be seen as a reasonable attempt to help students at a large college think about issues in a new way. I only hope that it helped to open doors at UVSC, and that future 'controversial' speakers will be welcomed. An excellent book!

A powerful message about free speech and civil discourse!

I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the book in its pre-publication stage, and it is a fascinating, maddening, gutwrenching look at the cultural divide in this country, as depicted in this one small county in a usually peaceful area of Utah, and its effect on free speech, particularly in our institutions of higher education. The story draws you in with fascinating (and real) characters, protests, bribery, death threats,lawsuits, and withdrawal of funding--all of which amazes you as a reader, baffles you, makes you ask a lot of questions, and ultimately makes you think about the importance of free speech and how we can protect this right while maintaining civility and respect for opposing viewpoints. This true story took place in Utah, yet incidents like it have been taking place all over our country in recent years with interesting results--none that I've read about that are quite as interesting as this one! It's a great book for everyone who cares about protecting the rights of free specch, resisting efforts by those who would silence any group in our society, including colleges and universities, and finding a way to help us all learn to talk and listen to opposing viewpoints without becoming fearful,disrepectful, unlawful, and even violent. I wondered as I read it what the framers of the Constitution would think about this modern struggle for free speech? Order your copy--it's a great read written from the perspective of a courageous studentbody vice-president caught in the middle of the firestorm!!