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Disgraceful Students At Columbia University Decide To Silence Ideological Opponents
I am appalled by the idiotic, intolerant, indecent, extreme and even violent behavior of students at Columbia University. When the founder of the Minutemen was holding his speech, left wing ‘students’ moved in and attacked him.
50 Responses to “Disgraceful Students At Columbia University Decide To Silence Ideological Opponents”
Hey what is new? Young Stalinists at work.
Will these Leftist punks be held accountable ? They have them on film .
But it would be OK if they rushed the stage when the Whackjobfrom Iran was speaking? FringeAlert!!
Right on, Michael. Great post over at your site. Kudos.
Tommy,
At least it wasn’t young Hilterites (extreme rightists)! heheh
Maybe they thought he threatened their form of democracy.
but seriously, I ran into this type of idiocy at my very liberal school too. I once asked an aquaitance why he was going to the WTO protests in Montreal a few years back, which were largely forcast to become violent. To which he replied “I dunno, to meet people I guess.” That’s what I think of whenever I hear stories like this. Shear bored mob mentality rallied around a “liberal” symbol.
On the one hand, I consider the founder of the Minutemen to be a complete blowhard. On the other hand, all these students proved is that they’re even bigger idiots. A college tuition well spent; their parents must be so pround…
oh…i forgot one thing:
[/sarcasm]
Was David Horowitz’s children part of the protest?
The Brownshirt crowd is out. They should have beat those Commie Pinkos with clubs and then had a meeting at the BeerHall. A good Pilsner from Munich….
Tommy – Where is your comments over at -
Did The Democrats Leak The Foley Emails To The Press?
I thought Soros was behind the scandal?
You’re kidding with this right? There are people being arrested wearing anti-war T-Shirts at Bush speeches, and a couple young people do something stupid and its a “left-wing students” attacked me crying game all of a sudden?
I wish you were joking….no one goes throwing headlines around about “Crazy Right-Wing NRA Whack-Job attacks kiddies in school…” after the recent spate of school shootings.
It was a stupid protest where they knocked over chairs. Stop crying foul like a child.
Is anyone else getting tired of every group out there being defined by the extremists who act in the name of that group? Terrorists are “Muslim extremists”, kids that refuse to give someone the right to free speech are labeled “left wing extremists”, folks on talk radio who spew hate about gays and minorities are labeled “right wing extremists”. The list goes on.
As someone who is right-of-center on social issues, and left-of-center on fiscal issues, I’d like to see each side work harder to define what behavior is too extreme to be considered part of their ideology. Liberals needs to be clear that they support everyone’s right to free speech, and everyone’s right to an opinion, and that those who want to stifle free speech are acting as extremists, not liberals. Perhaps these kids share some liberal values, but if they were really “left wing ‘students’” they would have had a respect for free speech and non-violence; their actions brand them as something other than “left wing”.
Storming a stage, kicking men off of it with whom once disagrees would qualify for being “too extreme” no?
Exactly. The fact that this incident is reported as “left wing students” storming a stage is what irks me. These students do not represent left-wing values any more than (for example) a terrorist represents Muslim values. The problem is that groups are often being defined by extremists who act in the name of the group. Storming a stage and forcing someone offstage because you disagree with that person’s views is a far cry from the liberal values of upholding the rights to free speech, and it needs to be made clear that when such a boundary is crossed then these students can no longer be considered to be acting as “left wing”.
Rudi,
Once again:
Whatever.
(a) That would never happen. This is a left-wing university as our most universities.
(b) It wouldn’t be OK to assault anybody. Nobody ever claimed that.
If you saw the video of the assault, it quite clear that the large majority of the people in the room didn’t rush the stage, but cheered on those who did.
So I guess your right. It is similar to the way many Muslims danced in the streets and passed out candy after 9/11 but didn’t actually take part in the hijackings.
Good analogy.
“I am appalled by the idiotic, intolerant, indecent, extreme and even violent behavior of students at Columbia University.”
I notice violent behavior being written here by MvdG.
“They were escorted off the stage unharmed and exited the auditorium by a back door.”
That was from MvdG’s own blog, violence in my book usually takes place against a lifeform other than chairs. Not very honest writing Michael.
Now for my own take…. The one world ultra leftists at Columbia can kiss my already lost one job to illegial aliens ass. I approve of the Minutemen, and would love to have a “talk” with these privilaged assholes causing trouble if my GF ends up at Columbia grad school. I will be going wherever she ends up, and Columbia is on her short list.
Lexus liberals with no threat to their jobs, or future by illegal aliens aren’t making decision on the subject if I have anything to say about it.
Pyst, did you watch the video? Violent behavior does not necessarily mean that people are bleeding and have broken bones. Turning a room upside down, pushing people around, for instance, qualifies as “violent” in my book.
And:
LOL -> you kinda took me by surprise there…
Thuggish yes, violent no. I have a higher tolerance for violence, and think it should be a word used only when it’s warranted.
Michael, I’m a isolationist and have stated that before, so what I said shouldn’t surprise you. Nor have I ever backed the one world uber left on a single thing. I am a left of center small L libertarian at heart, and more Goldwater than you’d probably think. Which is why I said many times I miss the old republican party IE Goldwater/paleoconservatives.
Again, this is the problem. A true Muslim won’t cheer anyone’s death. Nor would a true Christian. However, when you see people in the Middle East dancing in the streets after hearing news of 9/11 you call them “Muslim”, and by inference claim that the Muslim faith condones violence. A true liberal supports free speech and non-violence, but when a bunch of kids at Columbia turn violent they are called “left wing students”, and it infers that liberals support their behavior. Ideologies need to make it clear that extremists are not part of their ideology. Terrorists are not Muslims, and those who support the violence that terrorists create are not acting as Muslims. Similarly, those who stifle free speech are not acting as liberals, and liberals need to make that fact clear.
Also, not that it matters to anyone but me, but I confused left &right in one of my earlier comments. I’m left of center socially, and right of center fiscally.
Pyst – does that means if I come to your house, throw bricks through the windows, smash you car with a sledgehammer, burn your house to the ground (making sure all plants, people and animals are safe first), and dig up your driveway with a backhoe, I will have committed no violent acts?
Cool!
The Lefty nuts didn’t beatup or damage property, this was as someone referredto as Lexus Liberals interupting a speech. If they came in guns blazing, that would be violence. The problem with these protests is that nobody is thrown in the slammer, sincere protesters risk arrest and violence against the protest. These Moonbats were in as much danger or threat of arrest as the 101st keyboard crowd. MvdG uses exaggerationin his title to inflame the debate. The protesters in Tienamen Square were real protesters, this crowd was bored with “nasty” comments at KOS.
pyst said :
That was from MvdG’s own blog, violence in my book usually takes place against a lifeform other than chairs. Not very honest writing Michael.
Spoken like a true Lefty . I suppose burning down buildings and destroying SUV’s doesn’t equate to violence as well.
These were indeed acts of violence directed at people who were simply practicing their free speech rights . Pyst and people like him look at these situations based on who’s rights are being infringed .
Ignorance is not violence to me sorry guys it’s just how I view things.
Austin, it’d surely piss me off, but I’m pretty sure jail would “straighten” you out if you did something as ignorant as that.
Michael, what happened was intimidation, except for the shoving outside the hall. The Minuteman that showed Ghandi like restraint when shoved by the back to Africa wannabe deserves a medal. I would have given you a perfect example of violence if I were in his place.
Both of you think I’m some kind of passive lefty type for not equating property damage, and thug behavior as violent. Hamas is violent when they kill people, Israel isn’t violent when they knock down empty buildings in retaliation….that make it easier to understand?
Rudi, it twas I that used the term Lexus liberals. A bunch of over privilaged kids getting Ivy league educations never to have to work a day of hard labour, never to have their livelyhoods threatened. Yep, white collar Lexus liberals, and not much better than the corporate collectivist’s on the far right at the end of the day when it comes to the working class.
Tommy.
Once again you are full of s***. You and MvdG seem to forget that the student at Librall Harvard protested when the Whackjob spoke there. The great thing about the US is that we can protest when the Minutemen or Ward Churchill speak.
From the Harvard Crimson:
For the knuckle draggers who can read:
HC
Imagine Lefty Democrats protesting Whackjob, MvdG forgets this but slams the CU Moonbats – LOL.
Actually, the Columbia students rushed the stage, but they weren’t the ones who fought. One of the minutemen kicked a student in the face and pushed people off the stage.
To quote, “I am appalled by the idiotic, intolerant, indecent, extreme and even violent behavior of students at Columbia University.”
I don’t know where you got your information, but its wrong.
Pyst – I used it and thank you for bringing it up. Viola Liuzzo was an activist and protester, VL didn’t drive a Lexus.
Viola Liuzzo? What does a civil rights activist that’s been dead for over 40 years have to do with this?
The founder of the Minutemen(probably a particularly appropriate name) speaking at Columbia?
Who set this one up? Jerry Springer? Oh yeaaah, the Columbia Republicans.
They’re COLLEGE STUDENTS! They’re SUPPOSED to have more passion than brains! That’s the whole point – you enter college needing knowledge and leave with a piece of paper and greater rolling skills.
And considering the daily inundation of reports of REAL violence around the world, making a big deal about throwing chairs is a bit pathetic.
What did Gilchrist and the Columbia admin expect? An objective intellectual discussion between self-righteous Republicans and self-righteous Non-Republicans?
I was a token Conservative my first 2 years at a small Cal State University and it didn’t work there either. Except that I broke a toilet once.
Pyst,
I met my wife while she was in grad school at Columbia. The favoritism, manipulation and arrogance among faculty are extreme and should be avoided. She should talk with more than 1 or 2 students before diving in.
BTW, what job did you lose to illegal Mexicans? I know farmers out here in California are hurting big time because of the immigration restrictions since not enough Americans want to pick fruit even though they are paying $15/hr. Maybe you should come out here for work.
Those Moonbat students and the College Republican are still breathing. The CR are chickenhawks that could be helping out in Iraq or Afghanistan. Instead they whine that the Birkenstock crowd won’t allow the MM to speak. VL just popped in my head, I could remember her last name. Googled and threw it in to bring up CH.
I was working landscaping when pretty much anyone not supervising got axed over a 3 month period. All were replaced by illegal labour…pretty obvious when they see a cop and slide down in their seat, have no idea what a green card is, but have a SS card (big racket around here in fake SS cards). Btw, they weren’t anywhere close to being all Mexican, infact ask them if they are and they aren’t they get mad LOL. Odd how the people from the other countries don’t like Mexicans very much, and have pretty nasty things to say about them.
15 an hour in Khaleefornia wouldn’t buy an M&M LOL.
It’s getting turned around with the state going after illegal employers, and training state police in ICE duties now tho. So the feds won’t do it, the states step up.
Ryan H.
Again, this is the problem. A true Muslim won’t cheer anyone’s death.
Hahahahahaha! A true Muslim won’t cheer anyone’s death. Uh-huh. Hahahahahahaha! Lol.
What do you know about true Islam? Ever opened a Qur’an? Ever looked into how verses from the Qur’an or the Hadiths have been traditional interpreted by Sunnis and Shiite scholars? Ever seen the considered the less pleasant aspects of the Sunnah? Ever read any of Robert Spencer’s or Andrew Bostom’s or Bat Ye’or’s books?
A true Muslim won’t cheer anyone’s death. That is a zinger.
Pyst – I wasn’t advocating that, and you know it. It was reductio ad absurdum.
So, answer the question though. Would you consider those violent acts or not, as you stated that only acts against living creatures can be considered violent? Or are you willing to admit that you statement was either hyperbole or absurd?
Pyst said :
Hamas is violent when they kill people, Israel isn’t violent when they knock down empty buildings in retaliation….that make it easier to understand?
That is a very poor analogy. A better one would be if a person firebombed the house of a Black family to scare them and others from moving into the neighborhood
That is a very poor analogy. A better one would be if a person firebombed the house of a Black family to scare them and others from moving into the neighborhood
Please explain what this BS is? MF maybe you should use nigg** instead of black. It would fit in the MF/Tommy comments of late. Does anyone else have a problem with the tone of this crap?
Austin, you feel the way you feel about, and I’ll feel the way I feel about it. You don’t get to decide for me or anyone else what is or isn’t violence. You almost make it sound as if I absolve those assholes of being…well…assholes of a higher order, and I don’t.
Michael, I forgot I made a promise not to engage you in anymore comment back and forths. Damn, that ticks me off that I forgot because you just made me remember why you aren’t worth talking to, because you argue for the sake of arguing. And usually go above and beyond logic to continue the argument, like right now.
I gave a point counter point to my argument, you give a single frame look at it in return. Thats why you are a waste of electricity, and carpal tunnel to bother with because of pure intellectual laziness on your part to offer a full thought.
So just stop wasting my time, and ignore me and I’ll ignore you.
Umh. Is this a joke? I strongly urge you to study this subject better. If with “true Muslim” you mean a Muslim who wants to live exactly like Mohammed did and said, your comment is very, very inaccurate.
Rudi and MichaelF: I have no idea what the heck MF means with that analogy.
First, I think the definition of whether or not this was violent misses the point. (although yes, worse if violent). The greater point, IMO, is why do these people want to silence people with opposing viewpoints, even if you say they just did it through intimidation rather than violence? And I’m not trying to make the point that people on the right of the political spectrum don’t try to silence people, but if the left wants to make free speech immutable, shouldn’t they practice what they preach?
On this:
I agree with Ryan H, but I also think that the responsibility for correcting this lies with the core group. For example, liberals should denounce acts like this one, and conservatives should denounce all kinds of shenanigans from their fringe groups. But instead, because we’re all so polarized, we tend to get defensive. You only have to look at the comments in this thread from some liberals who feel that MvdG and Ed Morrissey are making much ado about nothing in this incident.
And one final side note: Rudi, do you realize that your use of acronyms and constant references to other blogs makes some of your posts incomprehensible to some of us? If you are aware and don’t care, OK, but not sure if you realize it or not.
First, I think the definition of whether or not this was violent misses the point. (although yes, worse if violent). The greater point, IMO, is why do these people want to silence people with opposing viewpoints, even if you say they just did it through intimidation rather than violence? And I’m not trying to make the point that people on the right of the political spectrum don’t try to silence people, but if the left wants to make free speech immutable, shouldn’t they practice what they preach?”
Thanks for adjusting the focus there C Stan, and I agree wholeheartedly.
If the KKK or Nation of Islam can be tolerated and allowed to speak in public, a group with nowhere near the devisive qualities of those 2 groups, should be able to be tolerated without this kind of stupidity, and anti-free speech being displayed by the uber PC crowd (both left and right have their versions of PC).
Sorry – Just being a little lazy. Will use full term or phrase at the beginng of my rants and go lazy afterwards.
CS – Why is firebombing a “blacks” home germaine to this discussion. I suspect that some are using Steve Sailers tactic of using buzzwords to spew similar hate. Why not bring up “firebombing churches in the South” – It was Democrats like Byrd who did this.
Rudi,
I’m confused again! Why did you direct that question to me? I wasn’t defending MichaelF if that is what you mean. I just felt that the whole comment thread had gotten off track from the main concept.
CS – Is this the acronym and such you refer to.
Please explain what this BS is? MF maybe you should use nigg** instead of black. It would fit in the MF/Tommy comments of late. Does anyone else have a problem with the tone of this crap?
No Rudi, this was the comment that instigated my complaint:
I deciphered most of it, but it’s generally annoying to me that you make your readers work to decipher instead of taking the time to write things out. Just a pet peeve of mine, I guess.
Rudi said :
Please explain what this BS is? MF maybe you should use nigg** instead of black. It would fit in the MF/Tommy comments of late. Does anyone else have a problem with the tone of this crap
Are you following the conversation /? There is a side issue as to what constitutes VIOLENCE . GET IT ?
I argue that Pyst makes a poor analogy and offer a better one . I think suppressing a persons right to free speech is a form of voilence .
Pyst said :
Hamas is violent when they kill people, Israel isn’t violent when they knock down empty buildings in retaliation….that make it easier to understand?
That is a very poor analogy. A better one would be if a person firebombed the house of a Black family to scare them and others from moving into the neighborhood
In this case you have a Black man being called a NIGG** by a group of people storming a stage on which he is trying to deliver a speech .Sounds like a form of violence through intimidation to me .
So you don’t like the tone of my comments Rudi? I find them very direct if lacking in political correctness. On the other hand, you use the weak tactic of trying to infer others are racist. In this case it makes no sense as I was certainly defending a minority who was being faced with intimidation while being called the N word
These were the same minutemen who tried to disrupt a union Labour day Picnic in Wilmington California on Sept 4th of this year until they were confronted by a couple of hundred Union members.
Interfereing with a persons right seems to be something these minutemen should be familiar with.
Really corvus? I’d like to see the details about that. I highly doubt the Minutemen were throwing punches at anybody like our Young Yuppie Stalinists at Columbia.
No , not really . But it sounds better than the truth . Minutemen showed up at a PUBLIC PARK where the picnic was taking place . They were completely non-violent . The labor uninion confronted them and police moved in to keep the peace . The Minutemen went across the street to continue the protest in peace.