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By **Angela Chen**

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Thanks to University of Wisconsin professor and former Guernica contributor William Cronon, we’ve learned how Wisconsin’s Republican Party responds to critics.

Cronon, a self-declared “loyal Republican” had the nerve to criticize the Republican Party in a highly publicized open letter, advocating more governmental transparency for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a right-wing group he said was more powerful than the infamous Koch brothers.

Now, the professor’s own party wants copies of any remotely political emails Cronon sent from January 2011 to now. When he became angry, they blamed him for the “deplorable tactics” of speaking out against releasing personal correspondence. The state party director has accused him of trying to intimidate the government from seeking information. Those who back the professor are being accused of championing someone who wants to squash free speech.

Cronon is an early contributor; in 2005, we reprinted his feature about rethinking environmentalism and nature as a contaminated “product of civilization.” Journalist Mark Dowie later built off this topic in his book, excerpted here and here.

Now, Cronon is fighting back, and at least has the support of the New York Times and other outlets.

Copyright 2011 Angela Chen

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Angela Chen is an editorial assistant at Guernica.

To read blog entries from Angela Chen and others at GUERNICA, click HERE .

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