ABSTRACT
Along with increased patriotism, post-9/11 saw attacks on those who questioned U.S. policy. A provoking volley was fired by the conservative American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA). Founded in 1995 by Lynne Cheney, wife of the Vice President, ACTA functions as a watchdog group to monitor and influence higher education. In November, ACTA published a report listing more than 100 examples of what it claimed was a “blame America first” attitude on America’s campuses. “We were struck by the moral cleavage that exists between the intellectual elites and mainstream America” the group’s vice president, Anne Neal, is quoted as saying.1 While ACTA tarred campuses as a “weak link,” some on campus moved toward different analogies. Psychology Professor David Barash transformed the ACTA acronym to signify the “Arbitrary Committee for the Talibanization of America, or Academe.”2 This chapter follows the ACTA campaign and reactions to it.
