Since I do not know you I am not claiming that you are more fearful than is prudent but the U.S. is a funny place in that in engenders more fear than is warranted. What percentage of instructors have actually had a career threatening experience from right-wing fucks? While the NAS has had an impact on universities that impact is out of proportion to anything they have actually done. Jon Weiner has made the point that while the threat is real professors should not censure themselves but instead to make certain they can offer proper support for the positions they take. Foregoing mentioning Marx where appropriate is not the answer.
--I'd have to agree, based on experience. I've had, so far, only one attack from a right-wingish student (who ironically at an earlier point in the semester made one of the most cogent and poignant analysis of class relations in a bar she waitressed in). Yet it was a self-styled 'former activist' now reformed Todd Gitlinish prof who in the same semester would pounce on me [an adjunct at the time] (in the classroom) the second that class ended and would interrogate every last approach I took to teaching a course on social change [i.e. didn't think using a book on globalization by Phil McMichael was appropriate, thought Frances Fox Piven's "Poor People's Movements" book was too Marxist, thought I should use multiple choice quizzes instead of short paragraph response quizzes...]. He convinced the "chair" of the dept. to not hire me back after only 3 weeks of teaching there!
Every other instance of students going after my teaching style ,career, etc. has come from ones who fashioned themselves to be 'critical' and/or 'activists'...
I believe John is also correct, to the extent you allow yourself to be convinced that those who attack academic freedom are a big big problem, they internalize and act in accordance. Knowing one's arguments and the weakenesses of the arguments used to attack academic freedom of leftist profs, whether from liberal, left or rightwingers is a necessary and wise counterstrategy.
Steve
Stephen Philion http://stephenphilion.efoliomn2.com/