A Conversation with Lars Maischak about Free Speech, the Perils of Criticizing Donald Trump, and Threats to Intellectual Freedom

Saturday, October 21, 2017

A Conversation with Lars Maischak about Free Speech, the Perils of Criticizing Donald Trump, and Threats to Intellectual Freedom

Dr. Lars Maischak is the guest on this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show. He is a lecturer of history at Fresno State University. Several months ago, Maischak exercised his rights of free speech and said via the social media platform Twitter that "to save American democracy, Trump must hang. The sooner and the higher, the better.." After making those comments Maischak was targeted by a coordinated and systematic campaign of harassment--which included death threats--by right-wing activists and their trolls. Lars was then put on leave from Fresno State University and has now been removed from the classroom.

During this week's episode of The Chauncey DeVega Show, Lars and Chauncey discuss fascism and Donald Trump's election as well as the explosive relationship between race, class, and white identity politics. Lars also shares his thoughts on free speech, academic freedom, and how the right-wing hate machine is working to silent dissent in the academy and other areas of American life. Lars also explains why he took to Twitter to express his disgust about Donald Trump's administration and what it was like to be harassed by the right-wing smear machine.

In this week's episode, Chauncey DeVega explains the real threat posed by former general and now Chief of Staff John Kelly's defense of Donald Trump's mean and cruel comments to war widow Myeshia Johnson. Chauncey also states clearly and plainly how Kelly's and Trump's lies and comments about Myeshia Johnson, her family, and Representive Frederica Wilson are just one more example of casual racism and sexism against black women in today's America. During this week's podcast Chauncey also offers his thoughts on the great new films "The Florida Project" and "Mudbound".

This episode with Lars Maischak can be downloaded from Libysn and also listened to here.

The Chauncey DeVega Show is available on Itunes, Spotify and at Stitcher.

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Who is Chauncey DeVega?

I am a political essayist, cultural critic, educator, and host of the podcast known as "The Chauncey DeVega Show".

I have been a guest on the BBC, National Public Radio, Ring of Fire Radio, Ed Schultz, Sirius XM's Make it Plain, Joshua Holland's Alternet Radio Hour, the Thom Hartmann radio show, the Burt Cohen show, and Our Common Ground.

I have also been interviewed on the RT Network and Free Speech TV.

I am a contributing writer for Salon and Alternet.

My writing has also been featured by Newsweek, The New York Daily News, Raw Story, The Huffington Post, and the Daily Kos.

My work has also been referenced by MSNBC, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor, the Associated Press, Chicago Sun-Times, Raw Story, The Washington Spectator, Media Matters, The Gothamist, Fader, XOJane, The National Memo, The Root, Detroit Free Press, San Diego Free Press, the Global Post, The Lost Angeles Blade as well as online magazines and publications such as Slate, The Week, The New Republic, Buzzfeed, Counterpunch, Truth-Out, Pacific Standard, Common Dreams, The Daily Beast, The Washington Times, The Nation, RogerEbert.com, Ebony, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Fox News, Breitbart, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Juan Williams, Herman Cain, Alex Jones, World Net Daily, Twitchy, the Free Republic, the National Review, NewsBusters, the Media Research Council, Project 21, and Weasel Zippers have made it known that they do not like me very much.