Posted on 04/22/2005 10:33:18 AM PDT by MikeHu
In a lively exchange of ideas, David Horowitz, leader of Students for Academic Freedom, argued his case for an Academic Bill of Rights before 150 people at UH Manoa's Art Auditorium Wednesday night.
While speaking from the same podium Ward Churchill used to deliver a controversial address only weeks before, Horowitz gave a very different speech and received a very different response.
Many of the same campus leftists who had so urgently proclaimed the importance of defending Churchill's right to call some of the 3,000 murdered on 9-11 "Little Eichmanns" came to the Horowitz' event armed with signs reading "No free speech for fascists."
Several attempted to shout down Horowitz' presentation, but were themselves shouted down by an audience determined to hear what Horowitz had to say without interruption. The presence of several campus security officers was an additional deterrent.
Horowitz, whose transformation from communist to conservative is documented in his autobiography, "Radical Son" spoke of his experiences as an openly Marxist university student in the McCarthyite 1950s saying, that today's students who dissent from "political correctness" are harassed on campuses nationwide in ways which he never experienced.
Horowitz, whose parents were both Communist Party members fired from their jobs during the McCarthy era, said he was never berated or graded down by professors for his political point of view -- even during the height of the "witch-hunt".
Horowitz emphasized that prior to the 1970s, universities were free of the deeply politicized atmosphere in which many of today‚s liberal arts courses are conducted. Academics saw themselves as professional teachers rather than political operatives. Horowitz argued that universities changed with the Vietnam-era influx of student deferment seekers, "who were never scholars, just draft-dodgers who stayed and stayed to avoid duty in Vietnam and ended up with PhDs." These individuals make up the bulk of today's university professors.
Horowitz's tour was co-sponsored by the U.H. Manoa Political Science Department, but when he came to meet Political Science Department faculty, only one professor came to the reception.
Department Chair Dr. J. Goldberg-Hiller declined to participate introducing himself to Horowitz as, "one of those liberals you have on your list." Horowitz later responded by saying Hiller is neither a liberal in the classical sense nor is there any "list."
Said Horowitz, the Academic Bill of Rights is designed to protect students and professors of all political persuasions. He then cited several examples where he had defended the free speech of left-wing academics -- including Ward Churchill.
Like many U.H. Manoa liberal arts professors, Hiller's office door is festooned with anti-Bush materials. Some speculate the Political Science co-sponsorship came only to spare the University the embarrassment of refusing to hear Horowitz‚ speak on academic freedom after hearing Ward Churchill attack the reputation of the 9-11 dead. Said Hiller, "it took us only 30 minutes to decide to host this."
Certainly none of the administrators who so loudly proclaimed Churchill's right to free speech came out with even one word to spare for Horowitz, even as campus leftists circulated leaflets denouncing Horowitz as "fascist" and urging protesters to "bring your own pie" in the days before his speech.
In spite of this, Horowitz, described the event as "better than expected" and gave credit to those in the audience who stood up to the "politically correct" would-be censors.
Leaders of the Hawaii Federation of College Republicans, sponsors of Horowitz‚ tour, say they are pleased that Horowitz was heard, even under constant harassment. They plan to continue challenging what they describe as "one-sided political indoctrination" on campus by hosting conservative speakers at future events. As the event ended, several students stopped to thank Horowitz for speaking at UH.
Horowitz's speech at the Art Auditorium was the last in a whirlwind day featuring meetings with students, professors, conservative leaders, Gov. Linda Lingle and Republican State Senators. Horowitz also addressed about 35 students and community members at U.H. Hilo by videoconference earlier in the day.
There were 100-200 people there partly because the media and the university did not want to promote this talk -- but went through the motions of having it so they can seem fair and unbiased. It's unfortunate that a fairly innocuous speaker like Horowitz is vilified and persecuted because all he's saying is that all perspectives should be presented -- and for that he's called a fascist because he's daring to challenge the monopoly of the liberal totalitarianism. It's pretty sick. The audience was largely supportive and quiet but a few ugly, fat, dysfunctional people thought the crowd came to hear their idiotic babblings.
The scene however, was very reminiscent of the start of the '60s revolution that ushered in the counterculture that eventually became the establishment culture -- and now they are fighting off the challenge of entitlement in another era. That's what's becoming increasingly apparent to me -- that we've definitely turned the page on a new era of consciousness that makes the liberal sense of superiority seem so obviously unmerited. Most of these people have become so complacent and indolent that they really can't rise to the challenge except by insisting that anybody is wrong to challenge them -- and those who do, find quickly they are straw men -- with no ability and capacity to respond in any effective manner anymore.
So the next revolution will be a walkover. You just walk into their offices, open their minifridges and eat their lunches, and there's nothing they can do because they'll be so stunned that anybody would.
"No free speech for fascists."
Insults from the left are merely confessions.
Whereas the insults from the right are all true -- as grotesque and bizarre as they may seem.
BTTT. Thanks for the post.
The left has become the very enemy they hated in the 60s.
The remark about the draft dodgers that stayed on and on, and eventually got PhDs must have hit home with people like Hiller.
It really makes you think they have never heard the name Mussolini. They've never even taken 5 minutes to google "fascism". Too much effort for this crowd I guess.
They always were.
It's just that they no longer believe they have to hide it.
Mostly the protesters are the usefull idiot crowd.
Their puppeteers have given them all the facts they need.
Well said. The fascists (of the left) do not believe in free speech for anybody but themselves.
The left is losing their grip on UH. Many who are tenured there could not get a job elsewhere to feed themselves. Hats off the the Hawaii Federation of College Republicans for standing up to the intimidation and personal attacks from the cadre of communists, sanctioned by local politicians, posing as teachers.
Ann Coulter said of the dems, "In their search for monsters, they have become monsters themselves".
Looks like Ann agrees with you.
Yeah, yeah. Brag about being in paradise. I haven't been there for a couple years. :)
I was a Conscientious Objector myself during the Vietnam War era and while serving my alternative service requirements and attending protest and organizational meetings, a few of us noticed that there were those among us who really didn't believe in the spirit of a greater service and greater cause but were "sellouts" and those who were using the movement for personal self-aggrandizement and enrichment.
So when we all came back from the war or service, we noticed that quite a few who said they were willing to stand up for their beliefs and go to jail or leave the country or take some other principled action, had denied they ever objected but had grabbed all the establishment jobs and became the establishment bureaucrats -- and now merely wanted to uphold the status quo with themselves in charge.
Thanks for the report. Hang in there.
That's where liberal guilt comes from:
They have a tinge of what's right but never have the courage to follow their convictions and so the rest of their lives are lived in this anguish of feeling one thing but always acting cowardly to protect only their own asses. So they are very vulnerable to whomever tells them is the "correct" way to feel about every issue because they have so corrupted that they cannot trust their own instincts.
So they get a job as newspaper editor and columnist and smugly tell everybody else what to do -- thinking that will wash the shame of their own existence.
If you think Helen Thomas looks terrible, you ought to see the collection at the local newspapers.
Some of their faces are so bloated with self-righteousness that it looks like their faces are going to explode.
These same grotesque-looking people were shouting down Horowitz as their desperate attempt to draw attention to themselves -- though why somebody would want to is and indication that their thinking caps aren't on straight.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.