Sandy Hook: Professor James. F Tracy, justification of criticism

If you could point out some of the errors on ContrailScience.com then I'd be happy to correct them.

I'm not paid anything for either site. This is just a a hobby, and I'm very much in favor of openness and the truth.

You gonna share Mick? I want you to triple my salary! How much IS three times nothing anyway?
 
There's a problem in journalism of "false balance", where the reporter attempts to give "both sides" of the story, and ends up essentially greatly giving weight to the fringe side far beyond the weight it deserves. A good example would be chemtrails, where the reporter gives equal time to conspiracy theorists and meteorologists. This gives a false impression that the subject is somewhat 50/50, up for debate, where scientists are not really sure. But the real picture is that 99.99% of scientists understand the chemtrail theory is bunk, and there's just this tiny number of people with this weird theory, that runs contrary to science and history.

This is of critical importance. I saw it happen with the Planet X people where the "debate" got dragged off-center to where it was skewed dramatically over to their side. It's the same with the chemmie story now. They pretend that there is real disagreement between competent thinkers on the subject because they insist that certain things are already accepted fact. It's accomplished by repeating a certain premise enough times to where it becomes something that "everybody knows". Then they refuse to even talk about all of those previously "proven" bits and pretend that there is a solid basis for their general story, when in fact the entire thing had feet of clay from the beginning. In the end, we end up debating meaningless minutia rather than just saying the basic truth that there entire story is a crock of shit. If we make that sort of firm proclamation it seems to outside observers who really don't know the details or history of the hoax as if we are being 'unfair' and biased. The truth is, they are simply kooks, but if you say that it looks to outsiders as if you haven't given them any fair chance to "ask questions". It ends up looking like there is a real debate taking place, unfortunately, and that, in turn, energizes the hoax even more. Sad, but true.
 
There is no basis on the anti vax crap. Sorry, I have the day debunking anti GMO nonsense, and I could have went for dinner, if I had dollar for every insult and 'your a shill' comment (and yes most spelled it that way].
 
um, because I cheated my way through high school and never attended college. recently ive been helping my nephew study for his GED and let me tell you, I've been wondering if I am actually 'smarter than a fifth grader'. Still it only took me about 30 seconds to figure it. Its not like I'm a tax expert or anything.
so do you think HE wrote the article?
 
Smart people often write things that are less than smart. I see no conflict. Plus it's consistent with his prior interests.
 
um, because I cheated my way through high school and never attended college. recently ive been helping my nephew study for his GED and let me tell you, I've been wondering if I am actually 'smarter than a fifth grader'. Still it only took me about 30 seconds to figure it. Its not like I'm a tax expert or anything.
so do you think HE wrote the article?
The sleuthjournal site appears to be down a the moment, but check out James Tracy's blog: http://memoryholeblog.com/

Yes, the reasoning is painfully, appallingly poor and unscholarly. It's worrisome that someone with such a poor standard of journalism could be a tenured professor in a university school of communications. But that does appear to be the case.
 
The sleuthjournal site appears to be down a the moment, but check out James Tracy's blog: http://memoryholeblog.com/

Yes, the reasoning is painfully, appallingly poor and unscholarly. It's worrisome that someone with such a poor standard of journalism could be a tenured professor in a university school of communications. But that does appear to be the case.
based on that. I doubt there's anything interesting in his bog : (
 
James Tracy is now promoting the idea that Boston was a government op, bringing up the same arguments being disseminated in the conspiracy sphere. Also gives credence to the fake/prosthetic actors idea.

In his blog, Tracy states he believes there is evidence that contradicts what is being reported about the bombings. He even dissects the force and direction of the explosions, questioning the amount of damage they could have caused.

"What exactly took place on April 15 at the Boston Marathon is unclear, yet what is now evident is a stark divergence between the narrative description of excessive carnage meted out as a result of the explosive devices and at least a portion of the video and photographic documentation of the bombing itself," Tracy wrote.
...Tracy goes on to discuss the possibility of witnesses being "play actors" and how the event resembles a "mass-casualty drill" with victims using prosthetic legs to portray carnage.

"Photographic evidence of the event suggests the possibility of play actors getting into position after the detonation of what may in fact have been a smoke bomb or similarly benign explosive," Tracy said in his blog.
He also adds, "the event closely resembles a mass-casualty drill, which for training purposes are designed to be as lifelike as possible."

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http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/ne...ning-if-boston-bombs-were-staged1366815539594

The mother agrees (although it is unclear whether she is directly referencing him or just the general speculation).
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2013/04/boston_bombers_mother_agrees_w.php

And is I've mentioned before, if it were a drill, everyone would have known it was a drill. It would not have been passed off as a real bombing. Civilians would not have been unwittingly involved and there would not have been any real casualties.
 
And is I've mentioned before, if it were a drill, everyone would have known it was a drill. It would not have been passed off as a real bombing. Civilians would not have been unwittingly involved and there would not have been any real casualties.
james tracy is just lying. I think he's doing some experiment in communications.

his blog from 2012 has every 'conspiracy' noted. come on, how many people believe Everything is a conspiracy? besides, the property tax issue I mention above, I just couldn't accept the 'smart people sometimes write stupid stuff' reason. he DOES own property, in fact his property was reassessed 3x in the last few years. including when he refinanced or took a second mortgage. he knows all about property tax assessments but he pretends he doesn't? I don't think so.

I'm ok with his 'government controlled media' ideas but that doesn't equate to the pure Bulk of Bunk he is spreading. makes no sense. He's faking it.



tracy property tax.JPG
 
I forget where I read this, but one person pointed out that although he is a professor of communication, James Tracy is rather ignorant of the news-gathering process. Much of the evidence he used to build his case about Sandy Hook was based on errors in the early reporting. If he actually knew anything about how the media really works, he'd know that there are always errors in early reports. People see different things. They say they saw something that they really didn't. They hear rumors and repeat them. If you look at an everyday occurrence like a car accident, if you talk to six different witnesses, none of their stories will match. Why would a situation that's a million times more chaotic and confusing be any different?
In sports, you have trained, professional officials just feet away from the action, who know exactly what to look for and they still get the call wrong sometimes. That's why many sports at the highest levels now have instant replay. Why would ordinary people witnessing a traumatic incident, the likes of which they've never seen in their lives, be expected to provide accurate accounts of what happened right at the start?
People may say that's sloppy reporting, but the reality is, that a century ago, when all we had were newspapers, reporters could be wrong about things all day, but they had time to sort it out and as long as they got it right by the time the presses start rolling, that was all that mattered.
These days, they don't have that luxury. Things are being reported as soon as they're being written into the notebooks. Let's face it, nobody is going to cover a breaking news story by saying "This just in: something happened in Newtown, Conn. We're not sure what, but get back to us in a day or two when we've had time to sort it all out."
 
It's one of the most frustrating tendencies of internet conspiracy theorists. Similar rumblings are already being used to justify suspicion about the 'official narrative' of MH370.
 
Indeed. I hate to get off topic, but I remember CNN or MSNBC reporting on 9/11 that the United States Capital Building was on fire. Turned out to be bogus. Why don't conspiracy theorists treat that as gospel and believe a coverup of a US Capital fire is being held?
 
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/12/
florida
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-professor-taunts-sandy-hook-parents-and-accuses-them-of-faking-kids-massacre-for-money/


When he's accusing parents of serious crimes without a shred of evidence to back himself up, he needs to be fired.
If the Pozners were raking in millions from various charities, I'm pretty sure the IRS would be all over it.

In his Facebook response, Tracy continued to malign the Pozners, referring to them — as well as other mothers and fathers who lost children three years ago — as “alleged parents.”

“The local conspirators in Newtown, such as the alleged parents of the murdered children, including Lenny and Veronique Pozner, have made out very well financially, soliciting contributions from generous yet misinformed Americans, where the families have averaged more than $1,000,000 apiece,” Tracy wrote. “Their son, Noah, is a very special boy because he has the distinction of dying twice — first at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012; then thousands of miles across the world at the Peshawar Army School shooting in Pakistan 2 years later on December 16, 2014. And the only proof Lenny has produced that Noah died in Sandy Hook is a death certificate he provided to one of the book’s contributors [conspiracy theorist Prof. Jim Fetzer], which has been revealed as a fabrication. If Noah actually died, there would have been no reason to fake it.”

Tracy added, “The Pozners, alas, are as phony as the drill itself, and profiting handsomely from the fake death of their son.”

According to the Pozners, Tracy’s job at FAU should be on the line due to his continuing harassment.
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Looks like he's on his way out.


Here is the statement from FAU:

December 16, 2015
In light of numerous requests from media outlets and the public, the University makes the following statement:
Today, James Tracy, an associate professor in the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies, was served a Notice of Proposed Discipline — Termination by the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at Florida Atlantic University.
In accordance with the University’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with the United Faculty of Florida union, by which the University and James Tracy are bound, faculty who receive such notice are afforded a grievance process. James Tracy has 10 days to respond to the notice after which final action may be taken.
In accordance with university practice regarding personnel issues, the university will make no further comment for the time being.
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Looks like he's on his way out.


Here is the statement from FAU:

December 16, 2015
In light of numerous requests from media outlets and the public, the University makes the following statement:
Today, James Tracy, an associate professor in the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies, was served a Notice of Proposed Discipline — Termination by the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at Florida Atlantic University.
In accordance with the University’s Collective Bargaining Agreement with the United Faculty of Florida union, by which the University and James Tracy are bound, faculty who receive such notice are afforded a grievance process. James Tracy has 10 days to respond to the notice after which final action may be taken.
In accordance with university practice regarding personnel issues, the university will make no further comment for the time being.
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link to above http://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/files/statement-regarding-james-tracy.pdf

http://www.upressonline.com/2015/12...anyone-noticing-now-universitys-taking-steps/ https://archive.is/8pIas





An FAU administrator gave Tracy a letter Wednesday saying he was being recommended for termination. He has 10 days to file an appeal, “after which final action may be taken,” a university statement said.

FAU officials wouldn’t give the exact reason, saying it’s the school's policy not to comment on personnel matters
Content from External Source
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion...-hook-massacre-was-staged-20151214-story.html

edit: oops that one ^^^ is Tracy's rebuttal to the sun sentinel over the Pozner article. This is the link that goes with my quote http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/education/fl-fau-fires-james-tracy-20151216-story.html
 

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And his "Friends" certainly arent helping him keep his job. In 2013 the college specifically told him not to associate his CT bunk with their college. But he attached FAU to a book entitled "Nobody died at Sandy Hook". Not good.


April 2013
The university responded at the time (in public at least) the way many institutions do when their faculty members say things that are controversial. A spokeswoman told local reporters that "James Tracy does not speak for the university. The website on which his post appeared is not affiliated with FAU in any way."
What wasn't clear at the time is that the university was meeting with Tracy, complaining that he had not done enough -- in the opinion of FAU officials -- to distance his views from the institution that employs him.
....

Heather Coltman, interim dean of arts and sciences, wrote that she was reprimanding Tracy for failing to take sufficient steps to disassociate his blog from the university.
....

Coltman wrote that this disclaimer was "ineffective" as people -- including reporters -- continued to associate him with the university. Further, she criticized him for mentioning the university in blog posts (that criticized the university). And she noted that these posts did not have the disclaimer attached to them.
....

If you continue to fail to meet your professional obligations and respond to directives from your supervisor, you will face additional disciplinary action," she wrote https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/04/12/florida-atlantic-reprimands-professor-over-his-blog
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From the new website selling that bunk filled book

James Tracey, Ph.D, Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, has been on the facility since 2002.
https://archive.is/yXJ3N
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and from the book text itself:

pdf.PNG
 
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Tracy was removed from his position apparently after calling the parents of one of the children and demanding proof of their existence:


Conclusion

Following the Pozner’s editorial exposing Tracy’s harassment, the Florida Atlantic University sent Tracy a termination letter. Good for them, although they should have done it three years ago.

Tracy will cry academic freedom, but this is about quality control and ethics. In my opinion, Tracy has shown himself to be incompetent to teach a course on conspiracy theories. That alone is worth termination. He has also violated basic ethics, and so he is doubly condemned.

Tracy has ironically presented a teaching moment, but probably not in the way that he intended.

Content from External Source

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/professor-fired-over-sandy-hook-conspiracy-theory/
 
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Tracy was removed from his position apparently after calling the parents of one of the children and demanding proof of their existence:


Conclusion

Following the Pozner’s editorial exposing Tracy’s harassment, the Florida Atlantic University sent Tracy a termination letter. Good for them, although they should have done it three years ago.

Tracy will cry academic freedom, but this is about quality control and ethics. In my opinion, Tracy has shown himself to be incompetent to teach a course on conspiracy theories. That alone is worth termination. He has also violated basic ethics, and so he is doubly condemned.

Tracy has ironically presented a teaching moment, but probably not in the way that he intended.

Content from External Source

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/professor-fired-over-sandy-hook-conspiracy-theory/
he is not officially fired yet. He has ten days to respond.
 
I am unclear about how this would stand as repressing his freedom of speech, but then I am ignorant of how things stand in the US outside of the Hustler court case.
 
I am unclear about how this would stand as repressing his freedom of speech, but then I am ignorant of how things stand in the US outside of the Hustler court case.
It's not quite a freedom-of-speech issue, because he's being disciplined by his employer, not the government. IMO, the more pertinent issue is academic freedom, and preserving the tenure system. But there have always been limits to that, and I don't think that most people in Tracy's field would defend his "scholarship" on this subject.
 
It's not quite a freedom-of-speech issue, because he's being disciplined by his employer, not the government. IMO, the more pertinent issue is academic freedom, and preserving the tenure system. But there have always been limits to that, and I don't think that most people in Tracy's field would defend his "scholarship" on this subject.

Academic freedom isn't a blank check in practice. We have a collective bargaining agreement at my university. Academic Freedom is covered under Article 2 (of 46 articles total). It is followed by an article that covers "Duties and Responsibilities of Faculty Members." It establishes that freedom must be counterbalanced by responsible behavior.

Interestingly, the contract cautions faculty to "be careful not to introduce into his/her teaching controversial matter which has no relation to his/her subject."

I have been tenured since 2004 and reasonable expectations regarding behavior apply in the classroom, while researching, and speaking in public.

It looks like Tracy's university administration tried to warn him off affiliating his statements with the school. His refusal to comply is a case of insubordination, which can result in termination.
 
Academic freedom isn't a blank check in practice. We have a collective bargaining agreement at my university. Academic Freedom is covered under Article 2 (of 46 articles total). It is followed by an article that covers "Duties and Responsibilities of Faculty Members." It establishes that freedom must be counterbalanced by responsible behavior.
I looked it up when this whole thing first came up, and FAU has similar language in their policies. In my opinion, Tracy's actions fall well outside of the limits of protection under tenure and academic freedom.
 
Academic freedom isn't a blank check in practice. We have a collective bargaining agreement at my university. Academic Freedom is covered under Article 2 (of 46 articles total). It is followed by an article that covers "Duties and Responsibilities of Faculty Members." It establishes that freedom must be counterbalanced by responsible behavior.

Interestingly, the contract cautions faculty to "be careful not to introduce into his/her teaching controversial matter which has no relation to his/her subject."

I have been tenured since 2004 and reasonable expectations regarding behavior apply in the classroom, while researching, and speaking in public.

It looks like Tracy's university administration tried to warn him off affiliating his statements with the school. His refusal to comply is a case of insubordination, which can result in termination.
It is going to be interesting to watch this case unfold. This article is indicative of the conversation i have been reading on various sites re: if "tenure" should be done away with or not.

bold mine
Tracy's behavior also should stoke the debate in Florida about whether tenure is a good thing, or whether its virtual "lifetime job" guarantee allows some professors to become lazy, incompetent or, in this case, a never-ending embarrassment to the university and its community. In September, the State College of Florida near Bradenton became the first state community college to drop tenure for new professors, in part so that the college could fire misbehaving professors more easily. Look for the trend to spread.

...............

"Tenure is not immunity," we were told by Jeffrey S. Morton, Ph.D., a tenured FAU professor of International Law.

"His harassment of the parents of murdered children was vulgar, repulsive and an insult to the academic profession. Faculty concerned about the status of tenure should, in fact, be relieved that FAU began termination procedures," Morton said in an email.

"While there are real reasons to protect tenure for academic research, Tracy's "scholarship" makes a mockery of what academics do. His termination both holds Tracy accountable for his despicable behavior and reduces pressure on elected officials to end tenure." http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/editorials/fl-editorial-tracy-gs1218-20151217-story.html
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From the FAU CBA

http://www.fau.edu/provost/files/CBA.2012-2015.pdf

15.1 Tenure
...
(f) Termination/Layoff. Tenure status guarantees annual reappointment for the academic year until voluntary resignation, retirement, removal for just cause in accordance with the provisions of Article 16, or layoff in accordance with the provisions of Article 13, but does not extend to administrative appointments.
...
16.1 Just Cause.
(a) The purpose of this article is to provide a prompt and equitable procedure for disciplinary action taken with just cause. Just cause shall be defined as:
(1) incompetence, or
(2) misconduct.​
(b) An employee’s activities which fall outside the scope of employment shall constitute misconduct only if such activities adversely affect the legitimate interests of the University.

16.3 Notice of Proposed Discipline. When the President or representative has reason to believe that a suspension or termination should be imposed, the President or representative shall provide the employee with a written notice of the proposed disciplinary action and the reasons therefore. Such notice shall be sent certified mail, return receipt requested, or delivered in person. The employee shall be given ten (10) days in which to respond in writing to the President or representative before the proposed action is taken. The President or representative then may issue a notice of disciplinary action under Section 16.4. The employee has a right to union representation during investigatory questioning that may reasonably be expected to result in disciplinary action. If the President or representative does not issue a notice of disciplinary action, the notice of proposed disciplinary action shall not be retained in the employee’s evaluation file, as permitted by law.

16.4 Notice of Disciplinary Action. All notices of disciplinary action shall include a statement of the reasons therefore and a statement advising the employee that the action is subject to Article 20, Grievance Procedure. All such notices shall be sent certified mail, return receipt requested, or delivered in person to the employee.

16.5 Termination. A tenured or permanent status appointment or any appointment of definite duration may be terminated during its term for just cause. An employee shall be given written notice of termination in advance of the effective date of such termination. If a grievance is timely filed, the effective date of termination shall be deferred pending the completion of the grievance process, except in cases where the President or representative determines that an employee’s actions adversely affect the functioning of the University or jeopardize the safety or welfare of the employee, colleagues, or students.
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So I suspect that he will try to go through the grievance procedure, and keep the publicity up.
 
Florida local news reporting that the appeals time has ended and Tracy's last day of work will be January 8th*. Other professors will take over his classes. :)

*David Bowie's b-day. and Elvis, just fyi.
 
Game, set, match..

Now come the cries of "them" being responsible and that the school is out to get him, this is an infringement of his civil liberties and right to free speech, and that "they" are trying to silence him.
 
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