One Guy's Opinion on the Political Scene By: Jim Herndon
Selective Free Speech
Police are continuing to investigate an anti-Semitic message that included a swastika found etched into a bathroom wall at Columbia University, just two days after a noose was discovered hanging from the door of a professor at Teachers College.
In a message to the Columbia community, President Lee Bollinger said he “was saddened by the second incident of hate in a week.” Saddened is he? Well, he was certainly saddened a couple of weeks ago after he invited Iranian dictator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who vowed to destroy Israel, to speak at his university, according Bollinger all in the name of free speech. He boasted that honors freedom of speech so much he would gladly invite Hitler. The sad part occurred when some of the moneyed Columbia supporters were angry about inviting one of the world’s worst tyrants and violator of human rights to speak at the university and threatened to withhold contributions. Liberal college staff members believe in free speech to a point; that point is when they disagree with the speaker’s opinion. I believe their point of view is identical to Ahmadinejad’s, that is, anti American, Israel-hatred, anti capitalism, and anti Bush. This is the same university that will not allow military recruiters to even enter their campus – the one where the rare Conservative speaker is invariably boycotted, demonstrated against, and shouted down. American parents should contemplate the fact that they are entrusting their 18 year-olds to these elitist college presidents and professors who are responsible for molding the young minds that will continue to preserve our culture.