Free Republic

A recent “black power” student takeover at Evergreen State College in May shocked and appalled many Americans. Students were seen shouting “BLACK POWER!” inches away from a disoriented-looking white professor’s face while, ironically, later on claiming “whiteness is the most violent system to ever breathe!” The Gateway Pundit learned that the President of Evergreen State College in Washington State, George S. Bridges, stated that he is “grateful” for the “passion and courage” of the “black power” students who can be seen in footage harassing white professors and attempting to shut down classes. In the footage, the students were shouting expletives...

How the AP Stylebook censors ‘pro-life’ and other conservative words | TheHill http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/media/341210-how-the-ap-stylebook-censors-pro-life-and-other-conservative-words July 09, 2017 - 04:20 PM EDT How the AP Stylebook censors ‘pro-life’ and other conservative words AssociatedPress By Rachel Alexander, opinion contributor A journalism stylebook is supposed to provide universal guidelines for writers when it comes to stylistic things like punctuation, capitalization and so on. This includes choosing certain words over others. The original intent of word preference was to use words that are more neutral than others. But in recent years, that concept has changed. More often than not, style writers have been more interested...

Colleges should “screen” speakers to ensure that they are not giving a platform to “intolerant perspectives,” a University of Maryland student argues in a recent op-ed. “There is nothing inherently wrong with screening speakers, teachers and even students on the campus,” sophomore Moshe Klein declares in an op-ed for The Diamondback, arguing that “intolerant” points of view “prevent certain groups of people from participating in campus life safely.”

Portland, Oregon Mayor Ted Wheeler, a Democrat, has acted to suspend the First Amendment rights of Trump supporters and those opposed to Islamic sharia law by banning demonstrations planned for Portland in the coming weeks, following the killings of two men (and the wounding of a third man) who intervened against a man harassing a Muslim woman and her friend on public transportation. Wheeler is also demanding the federal government do the same and revoke or not issue demonstration permits for the rallies which are set to be held on federal property in Portland.

Does The Washington Post editorial board have the slightest familiarity with First Amendment precedents? In response to the racist-banana incident at the private American University – now under investigation by the U.S. attorney in D.C. as well as the FBI – the editorial board has declared that all colleges should censor students if someone thinks their speech or behavior is racist:

The lie we were told as kids was this: The end of American liberty would come at the hands of the political right. Conservatives would take away our right to speak our minds, and use the power of government to silence dissent. The right would intimidate our teachers and professors, and coerce the young. And then, with the universities in thrall, with control of the apparatus of the state (and the education bureaucracy), the right would have dominion over a once-free people. Some of us were taught this in school. Others, who couldn't be bothered to read books, were fed...

The left loves embracing the idea of "tolerance," yet the rest of us have long observed that all the Left ever seems tolerant of is itself. A new survey from Dartmouth College provides yet more evidence that the volatile political divide in this country is being caused by the intolerant left: In the campus-wide field survey, students of all political stripes were asked how comfortable they would be about living with a roommate who holds opposing political views. Of the 432 students surveyed, only 39 percent of students who identified as Democrats said they would feel comfortable living with a...

At the University of Florida, a student was recently penalized for writing “man” instead of “humankind” in a class paper. History major Martin Poirier wrote “Water is a thing prior to man” on a paper for a history class called “History of Water.” “Thoughtful paper, although the writing-mechanics errors are killing you,” Professor Jack Davis wrote at the bottom of the paper. He gave the student a B minus, according to a copy of the essay published in the student news outlet the Daily Nerv. Davis circled “man” and referenced his Writing Mechanics Exercise #20, which draws a distinction between...

Fresh off our First Amendment victory in Berkeley, California’s Trump supporters and conservatives around the country rallied to hear President Trump’s 100 Days Celebration Speech. You know what? He’s doing a great job. Of course, there are critics. One libertarian-leaning millennial friend of me complained about how Trump spends so much time gloating over accomplishments. My retort? His accomplishments are mine—are our victories. Second, people can pound their chests when they have done great things—Michael Jordan could trash-talk the best on the court because he ended up besting them. Finally, I quipped: “If you don’t like, don’t listen. First...

Republicans never have been particularly good at the culture war. Sure, they won battles here and there. But even most of those victories turned into losses through court decisions anyway. Now we’re in the midst of the ultimate battle in the culture war – the battle for the First Amendment – and if Republicans don’t recognize this is a war and fight like their existence depends on victory, nothing else will matter. If you had told me five years ago that, in 2017, we’d be debating the nature of free speech and whether American citizens could be blocked from speaking...

Author’s Note: This column contains some bad language from a critic – although I don’t mind. The fact that I am receiving flak shows that I am flying over the target.Good Afternoon, Margaret (president@northcarolina.edu):I am sure that you will recall an interview you gave back in January in which you characterized my political views as “hate speech.” I know that you and other administrators have been concerned that my views are causing prospective students to decline to enroll in the UNC system. A phone call I recently received from the parent of one prospective student shows that your fears are...

The New York Times published an op-ed Monday by New York University comparative literature professor Ulrich Baer, who argued that those young protesters derided as campus "snowflakes" who violently oppose speakers who offend leftist sensibilities are actually getting it right about free speech. Indeed, Baer concludes, "We should thank the student protestors, the activists in Black Lives Matter and other 'overly sensitive' souls for keeping watch over the soul of our republic." No we shouldn't. We must be vigilant against those totalitarian students, activists, and snowflakes in defense of our republic's soul.

Conservative firebrand and former Breitbart Senior Editor MILO will be hosting a week-long free speech event in Berkeley later this year. In a post to his 2 million Facebook fans, MILO outlined the event that he plans to host at Berkeley, where, earlier this year his presence led to full-blown riots from AntiFa thugs. “In light of recent controversies, I am planning a huge multi-day event called MILO’S FREE SPEECH WEEK in Berkeley later this year,” states the press release. “We will hold talks and rallies and throw massive parties, all in the name of free expression and the First...

Several black activists at Pomona College, associated with the Claremont Colleges, have sent a letter to the college president asking administrators to "take action" against conservative journalists from the student publication The Claremont Independent. The president, David Oxtoby, posted an email defending the right of Black Lives Matter critic Heather Mac Donald to speak.  Mac Donald was physically threatened and forced to cancel a lecture at Claremont following protests against her appearance. The activists claim that "free speech" is incompatible with "truth" and therefore should not be protected.

“I used to tell my students that free speech is like an apple, and everybody wants to just take one bite out of it,” a first-term Democratic lawmaker said at a congressional hearing on campus free speech Tuesday. They would say things like “‘I’m okay with free speech except for sexist speech, except for racist speech,’” according to Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a former professor of constitutional law at American University.

A group of Wellesley College professors recently sent a campus-wide email arguing that bringing controversial speakers to campus can cause grave harm to students. The full letter, which was obtained and published by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), was written by six professors who stand on the Wellesley Commission for Race, Ethnicity, and Equity.

A Virginia university has published an “LGBTQIA+ Terminology” handout defining terms like “cisgender privilege,” “demisexual,” “heterosexism,” and “polyamorous” relationships.

Sacramento, California (CNN)It's a recent Friday night in downtown Sacramento, and there's a man in a hotel lobby wearing a fur vest and sunglasses. He has a British accent. A line of college-age fans stretches out the door. They're waiting for autographs and selfies. Some are wearing "Make America Great Again" caps. "Milo I love you! Oh my god, thank you -- I love what you do," says one woman to the man in the fur vest. "Thank you for what you're doing," says another college student wearing a Donald Trump hat. The subject of their adulation is not a...

A protest at UC Berkeley turned fiery and violent Wednesday night, shutting down a scheduled speech by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. The Breitbart News editor was set to deliver a speech inside a UC Berkeley campus building but hundreds of protesters began throwing fireworks and pulling down the metal barricades police set up to keep people from rushing into the building. Windows were smashed and fires were set outside the building as masked protesters stormed it, and at 6 p.m., one hour before his scheduled speech was to begin, police decided to evacuate Yiannopoulos for his own safety. The Berkeley...

Milo's event was cancelled, and he is off the property. They have toppled barricades, smashed windows, a big fire, and are cheering and burning American flags. They are setting off firecrackers and fireworks. A tree caught on fire. They are of course protesting Trump and chanting, "No KKK, No Fascist USA, No Trump!" They have signs that say "Resist!" and "This is War!" The police asked them to leave, but they are sticking around, and the crowd is growing. They are cheering because they stopped Milo.