Senator John McCain spent more than five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. This doesn't entitle him to an audience that agrees with him. It does entitle him to an audience that will listen to what he has to say. Leave aside his service, simply by virtue of McCain being an American speaking by invitation in America, McCain warrants a respectful listen. He didn't get that at the New School in New York City. Instead, students and faculty turned their backs. They booed. They shouted, "Sit down!" and "It's not about you!"
I attended, in protest, the Antioch College graduation ceremonies several years ago when Daniel Faulkner's murderer, Mumia Abu-Jamal, delivered, via audio-tape, the school's commencement address. Two students--two students!--turned their backs. Along with about a thousand other protestors, I listened in silence. Abu-Jamal, and the other, less controversial commencement speaker, transsexual Leslie Feinberg, got heard. Although the school pulled the plug on a Mumia Abu-Jamal teach-in that I had reserved space for, neither I, nor anyone else, interrupted their indoctrination-in.
But the mental wiring of the academic Left short-circuits when an outsider airs views not popular on the inside of the campus gates. This is because the typical campus is an insular, ideological ghetto where leftists proclaim their views without rebuttal, debate, or interruption. Who is John McCain to come into their world and say things that they disagree with?
Colleges and universities should be the places where speech is the freest. John McCain could have walked from the New School to the closest barroom and had an easier time getting heard. So much for "tolerance," "diversity," "sensitivity," and other such hypocritical nonsense preached on campus.
Once again the left will go to any length in its universal attempt to silence those who disagree with their idea of "tolerance", "diversity",or "freedom of speech". These students, who were coached and encouraged, by the totalitarians who run the school have absolutely no interest in any free speech that may pose a challenge to their brand of indoctrination. Chairman Mao would be very pleased at the way the leftist are running the schools.
Yep, and just think. 10-20 years, these fools will be in charge. America, we hardly knew ya..
They were exercising their "freedom of speech". And that's all that matters to those who support "freedom of speech". McCain, having power, has no "freedom of speech" and in fact needs to be silenced in order to ensure "freedom of speech".
Translation" they've internalized Marcuse.
Mccain has power? he must tell you when to poop. if these college goobers ever get POWER, Its time for the tree of liberty to be cleansed!
It will also be interesting to see what happens when Secretary Rice speaks at Boston College today. Faculty and students are up in arms about this.
Anticipating that what will happen will likely be what happened to McCain, should we not afford these people the proper respect even if we vehemently disagree with them?
Just goes to show that the Left exerices zero control over there emotions.
There is a reason why John McCain graduted in the bottom third of his Annapolis class. He is not a Rhodes scholar, and he has shown that time and time again. I heard stories about his Navy activities both before and after his capture that make me wonder why he gets the press that he gets.
Ah, now we have a measure by which to determine who has freedom of speech and who does not, only those who graduate at the top of their class.
Nobody Important:
Everybody has freedom of speech. EVERYBODY, including you, should use it wisely.
Is this Bob Kerrey's contribution to the McCain presidential run?
If I truly do have freedom of speech, I'll use it any way I like, thank you very much.
