Tuesday, October 10, 2006

The State Of Free Speech At Columbia University (Embracing Tolerance 101)

No doubt by now, you have heard of the incident that occurred last week at Columbia University , the one that involved leftist students disrupting a speech, which was to be given by some of the Minutemen. The NY Post has some commentary on this incident, here.


Nearly 40 years after activist students trashed the executive offices of Columbia University (all in the name of "peace," don't you know), another crowd of young hooligans Wednesday violently broke up a speech at the Ivy League campus - physically attacking the speaker, forcing him to flee and sparking a brawl.

This time, the cause is "free speech."

No kidding.


How ironic it is that a group of people that "claim" they support free speech would use radical Marxist and Nazi-like tactics to stop someone they disagree with from giving a talk that they were invited to give. The right to free speech these people claim to be fighting for, was blatantly, intentionally, and explicitly denied to the Minutemen (and the College Republicans that invited them and obtained legitimate approval from the university). It's nothing more than the epitome of hypocrisy and in my opinion, it trashes the very institutions and basic civil rights, this great nation was built on.

Let's make something perfectly clear here, I am not criticizing the leftists for their opinions, here. As weak and flawed as I think their thinking may be, they have a right to be heard. Whether I agree with them or not, is not relevant to this argument. They have a right to their beliefs and they have a right to communicate and express those beliefs, in the proper forums, at the proper times. But they do not have the right to disrupt another groups free speech, just becaue they disagree with them.

As the old saying goes, my rights end where yours begin, and that is applicable here. But that doesn't seem to matter to some people. Because, from the actions seen here, these people committed a premeditated, wanton, and willful act of suppressing the rights of the Minutemen (and the College Republicans). They denied these people their Contitutional rights as afforded them by the very document that they wish invoke, when it suits their specific interests.

Why did they do it, you ask? Let's look at some more of the piece in the NYP, for a weak excuse of an answer:


"It was fundamentally a part of free speech," one protester told The Columbia Daily Spectator. "The Minutemen are not a legitimate part of the debate on immigration."

What a narcissistic and egocentric display of reasoning, this is.

What a thoroughly weak and faulty argument, this is.

Who has the right to determine, who is (or is not) part of any debate, in this country?

Any American citizen that chooses to make a claim and attempt to support their claim, has the fundamental right to be a part of this (or any other) debate. In my opinion, there would be no debate right now, if it were not for the Minutemen bringing this issue, to the forefront. The Dems don't want it debated, they want the votes. The GOP doesn't want to debate it, they want the cheap labor. But yet, almost 80% of the American people want this debate. So if it isn't them, someone has to press the issue. Otherwise, 80% of the people are not getting a voice.

But the MoveOn.Org (and other extremist groups) cult members have no use for debate. Far too many of them are programmed robots. They spew out programmed little catch-phrases provided to them on a daily basis, through e-mails and web sites, also known as daily talking points. After receiving their daily marching orders, they hit the news shows, blogs, and the message boards, and repeat the same old tired propaganda and offer little actual proof that their message is sound. But my, how they have those catchy slogans.

Have you ever tried to have a debate with a MoveOn.Org (or other such entity) member? They are not people that you can have an intelligent, rational debate with. When you counter their arguments with sound logic (or better yet, hard facts), they either fly off the handle and become insulting or they claim you are a Nazi-like neo-con and further claim you have insulted them. This, they do, all in the name of free speech.

One of the catch words you will hear from these political Moonie-like cult members, is the word tolerance. How much tolerance was shown to the Minutemen, this past week? Do these men not pay taxes? Are they not entitled to convey their message free from suppression by spoiled little rich kids that are desperately trying to get even with their parents? What have these kids done for their country? What contribution have they made to society?

The truth of the matter is, they have yet to produce anything of any real value, yet. And when they get out into that cruel and cold world, let them pull a stunt like this in the private sector, and watch what happens.

Now, I do not claim to have all of the answers here. I would be very skeptical of anyone that claims they have them all. But, talk to some MoveOn.Org members and they'll let you know real quick, they have it figured out. They have all of the answers and anyone that disagrees with them is an idiot, moron, or some other form of derogatory name.

So tell me again, how is this a sincere effort to embrace the concept of tolerance; then tell me again, how does this equate to free speech? And remember, I still have that mountain cabin, just outside Orlando, for sale. (And as a footnote, I am considering putting up my ocean beach house in Kansas up for sale as well.)

14 comments:

L'Amerloque said...

Hi LASunsett !

/*/What have these kids done for their country? What contribution have they made to society?/*/

Now, now, one must remember the (perhaps apocryphal) words attributed to Ben Franklin ... (grin)

//On the 21st of nowember 1783, in Paris, Benjamin Franklin was among the hundreds of people who gathered in the gardens of the Rue de Montreuil to attend a wonderful spectacle : the first manned flight in history.

The courageous followers of Icare were Francois Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes, using a device invented by the Montgolfier brothers: the hot-air balloon ("Montgolfière" still means "balloon" in modern French).

Of course, people who watched the sight were amazed beyond description; however, as often happens with great discoveries, some sceptics loudly expressed their contempt for the invention. One of them clutched Franklin's arm and asked him scornfully :

"Monsieur, franchement, à quoi peut bien servir de s'envoler dans les airs ?" (Sir, frankly, what's the use of flying in the air ?)

To which Franklin replied:

"Monsieur, à quoi peut bien servir l'enfant qui vient de naître ?" (Sir, what's the use of a newborn baby ?)

http://tinyurl.com/p4s42

All Americans is concerned/involved in the immigration debate, i.e;, they are "legitimate". The Minutemen (and women are Americans. QED. It's very simple.

Best,
L'Amerloque

LA Sunset said...

Hi Amerloque,

//All Americans is concerned/involved in the immigration debate, i.e;, they are "legitimate". The Minutemen (and women are Americans. QED. It's very simple.//


Maybe the kids that suppressed the rights of this speaker and those that sponsored him, should read your words. I am not optimistic they will agree, though.

Anonymous said...

Re: "But the MoveOn.Org (and other extremist groups) cult members have no use for debate."

MoveOn's Action Forum censored and deleted objections to racist and anti-Semitic hate speech while letting the hate speech stand. Google for MoveOn.org and "Anti-Semitism" or "racism" and you will see what I mean.

Anonymous said...

When I was at Cornell, the International Committee Against Reason, excuse me, racism, shouted down speakers with which it did not agree.

Typical leftists: Nazis and fascists in sheep's clothing

L'Amerloque said...

Hi LASunsett !

/*/ //All Americans is concerned/involved in the immigration debate, i.e;, they are "legitimate". The Minutemen (and women are Americans. QED. It's very simple.//

Maybe the kids that suppressed the rights of this speaker and those that sponsored him, should read your words. I am not optimistic they will agree, though./*/

What they probably would say is that this guy Amerloque can't even write English correctly, to which he would respond that he pushed the "send" button too quickly. (grin)

So:

All Americans are concerned/involved in the immigration debate, i.e., they are "legitimate". The Minutemen (and women) are Americans. QED. It's very simple.

Best,
L'Amerloque

LA Sunset said...

Amerloque,

We all have typos and we all hit the send button too soon, at times. Some of us more than others (me more then you). But I knew what you meant and they would have known it too.

I am very wary of people that make a man an offender for a typo. If they castigate you for a typo and a typo only, it means your argument is sound and they cannot refute it.

LA Sunset said...

Hi Bill,

Welcome to PYY.

I am aware of MoveOn.Org's long standing practice of hate speech against Jews. I am also aware of many other free speech stifling methods. I have seen with my own eyes and have witnessed to this on many occasions.

I say this:

If your argument is sound, dissent against it should always be welcome. If it turns out you are proven wrong on something you have said, you will have learned something. If it turns out you are right, then you will have validated it further.

Free speech is tolerated here, Bill. As long as comments do not get personal and mean spirited, I welcome all comments, agree with me or not. Feel free to come back and agree or disagree, sir.

LA Sunset said...

Amerloque,

After you pointed out your typo, I looked over the main post again and found several. They are corrected now and I feel better for it. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

Unknown said...

I like this part.

Now Columbia is in the midst of a long-overdue refurbishment and expansion of its northern Manhattan campus. And university President Lee Bollinger is asking much forbearance of the institution's neighbors - and of City Hall - in order to make it happen.

Incidents like Wednesday's outburst - if not swiftly punished by Bollinger and his administrators - make us wonder whether helping Columbia is worth the effort.


Market forces at work. Yum. Is it a worthwhile endeavor to assist or associate with a long standing beacon of higher education when crap like this is acceptable? Most readers of the post story would, like many of us reading it here via LA, feel a bit disgusted at both the actions taken by the protestors and the school administration (if they end up sitting on their hands). Would take quite an event or a long run of them to fully unseat mighty and proud Columbia from its storied tower, but still...

Stupid kids. That's what you get from listening to Bahblah Streisand and most of the "beautiful" people instead of thinking for yourself. Except for George Clooney. I repeat him verbatim 'cause he's so cute, see.

A.C. McCloud said...

I'd like to think it was just a wacky college kid thing, but from looking at the tape it appeared more organized.

Always On Watch said...

LA,
They [Leftists] have a right to their beliefs and they have a right to communicate and express those beliefs, in the proper forums, at the proper times. But they do not have the right to disrupt another groups free speech, just becaue they disagree with them.

Good luck getting that point across to a Leftist!

LA Sunset said...

Mark,

The sad thing is, I seriously doubt those that have the power to put pressure on the university president, will do so. Students and alumni vote. And always remember, the vote is coveted when in public service.

LA Sunset said...

AC,

This thing was very organized. This was an ambush plain and simple. It isn't the first instance here or in other places. I forget where, but wasn't it Bill Kristol and Ann Coulter that got ambushed somewhere, at a university speaking engagement?

LA Sunset said...

AOW,

//Good luck getting that point across to a Leftist!//

That's a tall order sometimes. I have had some of them launch into the damnedest tirades and I have had a few make me lists of "reputable" websites to go to for "the truth".