Another Apology

I thought that Dean Lord's sarcastic "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!" blitz earlier today was a bit ridiculous, but I am so tired of people feeling forced to apologize or to clarify what they say. Here's what he wrote in a follow-up blitz:

The goal of the e-mail I sent earlier was to generate publicity and increase attendance at our campus climate luncheons. In addition, The Office of the Vice-President for Institutional Diversity values the hard work that many members of this community have devoted to raising awareness about issues of diversity.

It wasn't a true apology of course, but everyone got the message. I disagree with Stephen Smith about the state of free speech at Dartmouth, but this certainly looks like evidence of a chilling effect. Just say what you want to say.