University of Florida President Ben Sasse Blasts ‘Asinine Entitlement’ Of Pro-Hamas Protesters

Daily Wire ^ | 4 May, 2024 | Ryan Saavedra

[MtnClimber]

Former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE), now the president of the University of Florida, slammed pro-Hamas demonstrators this week who have created chaos on college campuses across the U.S. and the weak leadership at the universities that has allowed the behavior to happen.

Sasse’s remarks come after the school released a statement early in the week revealing that numerous arrests were made on campus because the school would not tolerate disorderly conduct that was in violation of the school’s policies.

“Higher education has for years faced a slow-burning crisis of public trust,” he wrote in an op-ed at The Wall Street Journal. “Mob rule at some of America’s most prestigious universities in recent weeks has thrown gasoline on the fire. Pro-Hamas agitators have fought police, barricaded themselves in university buildings, shut down classes, forced commencement cancellations, and physically impeded Jewish students from attending lectures.”

Sasse said that parents were right to be angered over the “asinine entitlement of these activists and the embarrassing timidity of many college administrators.”

He said that at the University of Florida, the message that the school sends to parents and the future employers of college students is that “the adults are still in charge.”

“To cherish the First Amendment rights of speech and assembly, we draw a hard line at unlawful action,” he said. “Speech isn’t violence. Silence isn’t violence. Violence is violence. Just as we have an obligation to protect speech, we have an obligation to keep our students safe. Throwing fists, storming buildings, vandalizing property, spitting on cops and hijacking a university aren’t speech.”

He said that school’s making empty threats to quell bad behavior is not effective and only serves to embolden those who are violating policies.

[jeffersondem]

“This tells me he’s corrupt to the core.”

For the purpose of this post let’s stipulate the President of the University of Florida is corrupt to the core.

The question, to you, is still: Why wouldn’t he care about the potential of students being injured, or worse, and UF damaged on his watch? For his own selfish reasons I would think he would want to take care of the campus to make himself look good, if for no other reason.

I’m not following your thinking.

[reasonisfaith]

“For his own selfish reasons I would think he would want to take care of the campus to make himself look good”

Your speculation here about Ben Sasse is right.

But it means every statement he makes is worthless.