Saturday, April 18, 2009

Radical Left Attacks on Free Speech and Hooliganism Spreads to University of North Carolina


Shame on the University of North Carolina for not assertively dealing with protesters who disrupted and attacked a speech given by former Colorado congressman, Tom Toncredo. Tom Toncredo is one of the nation’s most outspoken critics of lax enforcement of immigration laws.

Tomcredo was invited by the Youth for Western Civilization to the University to address his positions on illegal immigration particularly the practice advocated by some states to extend in-state tuition benefits to illegal immigrants who reside within those states.

Only moments into the former congressman’s speech, a gang of hoodlum protesters attacked the congressman, surrounding him with protest banners, and creating enough noise and disruption making it impossible for him to speak. Near riot conditions broke out during his attempted April 15th address when a window to the assembly room was shattered.

Tomcredo is no stranger to disruptive behavior at his speaking engagements. As is so often the case, the radical left has zero tolerance for the expression of any views that fail to meet their dogmatic world view willing to result to almost any goon tactic to silence other points of view.

Conservatives, some religious figures, or anyone who takes a stand on a position contrary to the radical left’s liking are increasingly being subjected to a barrage of attacks whether it is attempting to silence them at speaking engagements by rushing the stage or employing a wide range of harassment strategies even at some figures’ private residences to create a climate of intimidation.

Dissent and protest is one thing. It is perfectly acceptable for protestors to picket outside events where those they oppose are scheduled to perform as long as they don’t interfere with the public’s ability to attend such function freely without harassment or having their access to such events restricted. Likewise, where student fees are being spent to hire speakers students might object to being hired, they can surely pursue legitimate grievances through proper channels.

Sadly, as Tom Tomcredo was subjected to in Chapel Hill, attacks by the angry mob have become a sad reality on many of the nations’ once great universities. Most troubling is the lax protection and unwillingness to take all necessary measures to keep such speakers free and safe to present their speeches. No students were charged for their conduct in the Chapel Hill riot. There are numerous laws that apply to such behavior. The public and student body should demand these laws be adequately enforced.

It’s a sad day when a person is harassed to the point where he cannot exercise his first amendment rights to free speech and schools are increasingly intimidated to present traditional points of view given the possibilities of these kinds of disturbances.

Naturally, the radicals behind these attacks on open communication attempt to subvert logic and twist their notion of Constitutional rights to defend their behavior as if their rights for freedom of assembly would be violated if they couldn’t engage in such hooliganism and screaming and shouting to drown out speakers is simply their exercise of their free speech. If school administrators, law enforcement, and judges are insane enough to honor such thinking, our liberties are in big trouble.

We’re shocked such a disgraceful event could happen at the University of North Carolina. The venerated university seemed too civil for such nonsense while these kinds of outbursts have become almost routine at schools in the north east and on the west coast where a school like Columbia university which bent over backwards to provide a forum for Iranian dictator, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to express his anti-Semitic radical Islamic views but ask speakers like Don Feder and Ann Coulter about how they were treated by Ivy League protestors.

How out of control is the radical left? Ask Hilary Clinton who was disrupted while campaigning for President by leftists who deemed her too conservative. Hilary Clinton too conservative? That’s terrifying.

On any given day, the nations’ business on Capitol hill is subject to disruption by left wing nut organizations like code pink, then there’s the behavior of some radical animal rights advocates who attack women wearing fur coats and pour red paint on them to destroy their garments.

Since California voters passed an amendment to the States’ constitution to ban same sex marriages, proponents of that measure have been subjected to vicious treatment including church services disrupted, public smear campaigns, and publishing the names of individuals who donated to organizations campaigning for the amendment. California Mormons and to a lesser extend Catholics and fundamentalist protestants have all been targeted.

While Homeland Security Chief, Janet Napolitano is fearful of insurrection from the right, perhaps more attention should be centered on the radical left where speakers are confronted and eco-terrorists have destroyed car dealerships for selling cars they deem too polluting or burning down construction sites on properties they don’t want to see developed. President Obama’s buddy William Ayers is one who should surely wear the label of domestic terrorist for sure. Shouldn’t Code Pink be on the list? They’ve disrupted activities on Capitol Hill.

It’s time for sanity to take hold. Schools and public forums must provide adequate security to keep controversial speakers safe to give their addresses. Those who break the law disrupting speeches and church services must be dealt with swiftly and harshly to clearly make clear society has no tolerance for rabid anarchism and fascism.

The University of North Carolina has some explaining to do. Immediate changes must assure the school community will never be embarrassed like this again.



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