And AlphoneGaston, if that's your cat, s/he is totally adorable. I love cats.

No, I don't, but I don't think Macsmind is a good source for any kind of accurate information on any subject. He's one of the furthest right-wing ravers out there. There *are* some reasonable conservative bloggers out there (Ed Morrissey for example), but Mac is not one of them. I wouldn't trust anything he site.

Plus, he doesn't link to any reliable evidence of what he's claiming.

Incidentally, note that the Left routinely engages in this dishonesty also in the case of Israel and its conduct versus that of its enemies. That's only one similar example, albeit one that's quite blatant and notably reputationally destructive.

At universities like Bob Jones U and George Fox U (I don't know about LibertylessU but suspect its true), students and faculty are required to sign an oath of faith in order to teach or attend. Libertyless U just pulled its recognition of the Democratic Club on campus because the national Democratic Party has a pro-choice plank in its platform. You, as a pro-choice atheist, would not be permitted to attend, teach, or speak at these universities that “provide an encouraging atmosphere for free speech.” That is not a free academic environment any more that the kind of harassment you refer to from the left.

Jwest, I don't disagree with you calling out the leftists for their attempts to chill free speech. I think you're right about that. But, it really does happen on both sides.

Speaking only for myself, I oppose all speech-based codes of conduct, whether it is from the right or the left.

One of the reasons I am a moderate is my distaste for the propensity of extremes on both sides to curtail freedom in order to impose their vision of America on those who disagree with them. You need not agree with me, Jwest, but when anyone, left or right, is unable to see the threats to freedom that come from their own ideology, they miss the opportunity to present their views from a balanced and credible perspective.

I’ll look again, but I cant’ recall any incidents of speakers being harassed or threatened at either of these universities.

If there are instances where windows have been broken, objects thrown at invited lecturers or physical attacks on people voicing their opinions there should be some kind of news report available on the web.

The claim that both sides are roughly equal in providing an encouraging atmosphere for free speech and an open, civil debate of ideas is demonstrably false. At the vast majority of universities and totally on the left, only one political view is allowed to be discussed without threats, violence and harassment.

Thanks, tidbit, for bringing up Libery U. (which has an odd understanding of “liberty”) and Bob Jones.

I am fatigued by the notion that liberal college professors brainwash students. I repeat my standard invitation to anyone, just try to influence 25 or 30 kids to think like you do. Good luck.

Nor would I confine the discussion to acts of murder. While the most sensational example of criminal conduct, murder is but the extreme end of a continuum of lawlessness practiced by some in the name of extreme ideology.

Nor do I believe, though others disagree, that the answer is to muzzle free speech. Just as the dimunition of Constitutional rights contained in the Patriot Act to combat international terrorism diminishes us as a people, so too restricting freedom of speech, another Constitutional right, in order to reduce internal extremist violence, would diminish us. Let us understand that every time we agree to sacrifice our freedom for perceived security, whether at the urging of right or the urging of the left, there is less of the American soul and spirit worth saving.

The real analysis here should come, in large part, from professionals who arguably have a better understanding of the psyche of those who commit such acts, and how those individuals are influenced, or not, by immersion in extremist propaganda. Once we have a better understanding of that, we can perhaps discuss safeguards that do not include the dimunition of our freedom like the Patriot Act or so-called hate crimes where punishment is enhanced because of what a perpetrator thinks or says.

There really is much to discuss here notwithstanding one's perception of bias by the person presenting the question.

The point isn't that fringe crazies are crazy, but that saturation of increasingly rhetorically antagonistic media platforms serves as an amplification for the paranoia these people already feel. Trying to get around that by pretending violent acts are perpetrated by only one side of the political spectrum simply doesn't work.

“Unfortunately conservatives are more apt to take this kind of analysis personally and react accordingly”

Don’t confuse individual mental illness with political ideology.

You can, however, equate hatred, threats and actual violence against people who voice political ideas to the groups who perpetrate the crimes.

Left wing haters, centered primarily on our nation’s college campuses, routinely show deplorable tactics towards anyone who doesn’t agree with their political and social mindset. Conservative speakers need bodyguards to appear for speaking engagements to protect them from violence-prone leftists. Regardless of the event, threats, property damage, assaults and actual physical violence are de rigueur for democrats.

If there have been any similar actions by conservative trying to keep liberals from speaking, I can’t find any reference to it.

No one knows what prevents people with leftist views from being able to interact civilly in society. Perhaps it is a learned behavior or a chemical imbalance, but it certainly appears to be isolated on one side of the political spectrum.

A man from Pittsburgh shot and killed three cops in April. Neighbors say he was worried Obama was going to come take his guns. As has been mentioned, these people don't develop and feed their paranoia in a vacuum. Unfortunately conservatives are more apt to take this kind of analysis personally and react accordingly – in an “us v them” fashion that ignores the larger point – but the fact remains until people decide they not only have a right to free speech, but a responsibility inherent to that expression, we're going to have violent outbursts from people who actually believe what they're being told and act on it.

Sigh.

(yes, this is TMV)