Dr. Susan Crockford is one of the world’s leading experts on polar bears. As such, she has repeatedly reported the inconvenient fact that polar bears are thriving, with their populations burgeoning. Why is this fact inconvenient? Because climate change activists have chosen polar bears–considered to be cute by people who don’t have to deal with them–as a propaganda tool.

We have quoted Dr. Crockford’s work a number of times: here, here, here, on walruses, here, and more. Crockford has written a book called The Polar Bear Catastrophe That Never Happened. To my knowledge, no competent scientist has taken issue with her work, and the Inuit, who live in proximity to polar bears, testify to the problems caused by their growing numbers.

But in today’s academia, it is not enough to be right. In fact, it can be perilous to be right, if the truths one tells are inconvenient for the Left. CFACT reports that Dr. Crockford has been fired (actually, non-renewed) by the University of Victoria:

It appears that telling the truth about polar bears made Dr. Susan Crockford, a respected, published Canadian zoologist, the victim of an ideological purge. First she was removed from the University of Victoria’s speakers bureau, and then not renewed to her position as an adjunct professor. “The loss of adjunct status,” Crockford wrote, “will primarily prevent me from continuing scientific research on speciation and domestication mechanisms in evolution: without an academic affiliation I will be unable to secure research funds or academic collaborations.”

Of course, anyone who spends her time in the far North studying polar bears and other creatures is not likely to be a wimp.

“What a lack of academic affiliation has not done, and cannot do,” Crockford continued, “is stop me from investigating and commenting on the failures and inconsistencies of science that I see in published polar bear research papers and reflected in public statements made by polar bear specialists. I am still a former adjunct professor and I will not be silenced.”

As CFACT points out, the fact that Crockford won’t shut up doesn’t mean that her loss of academic affiliation does no harm:

They know they can’t silence Susan Crockford, but know also that harming her creates an atmosphere of fear that most others lack the courage to confront.

That is the Left’s strategy, and the Left is now in control of most of our institutions.

CFACT points out a comment on its own forum by a liberal who boasts of getting two academics fired:

You will be pleased to know that in the past two years I successfully had two deniers fired (forced resignations) from their university positions. One was a prolific WUWT [Watts Up With That] contributor. I discovered a nice twist to the freedom of speech tale. You can say almost anything except yell fire in a crowded room and are free to make a fool of oneself but can’t invoke one’s pedigree to do so i.e. you can state your doctorate or disciplines, but not your college, professional body memberships and imply they agree. So that’s how I’ve been knocking them off by going to their employer, professional registration, professional memberships or their alma mater. I have three scalps lined up now — infant stage But they will collapse like dominoes.

While liberals collect the “scalps” of those who fail to toe the party line, conservatives continue to play by gentlemanly rules. This asymmetry is one of the dominant political facts of our time.