Free speech--but only for our enemies (David Frum: social fascism on campus)

Writer David Frum is a good guy, a former WH speech writer for W. But, being a Canadian, he may not be all that familiar with American jurisprudence these days.

The SFSU College Republicans will prevail in the end. Even if the university samctions them, those sanctions will be appealed to federal court and swiftly overturned.

That's Frum's sanguine expectation and it would only be just if such a scenario unfolded. However, this assumes at the least that the College Republicans have the financial wherewithall and access to legal savvy to pursue such litigation. Even in that event, the case would probably go to the infamous Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (known to Rush Limbaugh listeners as the "Ninth Circus") which has issued some very bizarre constitutional rulings in recent years. So legally overturning the expected adverse university ruling against the College Republicans would be both expensive and far from certain.

If only the deceased former SFSU president Hayikawa (sp?) would be in charge of that campus now, the College Republicans would be in much better shape!

"... being a Canadian, he may not be all that familiar with American jurisprudence these days."

Frum remains primarily Stateside based as indicated by his American Enterprise Institute "AEI" e-address above & on-going regular contributions to the National Review.

Plus, it's tough to question the perceptiveness of someone who apparently coined the term "axis of evil".

As for being Canadian, throughout history & as was the case in Roman times, citizens of countries beyond "great powers", for mostly pragmatic reasons, generally do have a better knowledge of their inner workings than their's have of the numerous lesser lands beyond their own borders.
(e.g. smart money says I know more about the magnificent U.S. Constitution than you do about Canada's horrid Charter)

As for the College Republicans lacking the deep pockets required to rightly pursue the matter, perhaps Frum is aware of them having some friends who do? If so, the 9th would only amount to an unfortunate & temporary stumbling block on the way to the higher Court in Washington.

I took College_Libertarian's comment somewhat differently than you apparently did.
While "creating controversy" perhaps wasn't the clearest choice of words, I agree we should much more often 'fight fire with fire' & 'call a spade a spade'.

Enough of these vermin calling us, racists, sexists, etc. when, based upon their belief in so-called 'affirmative action' alone, they're plainly the ones opportunistically & hypocritically wallowing in these human failings.

I'm disgusted by - not 'phobic' about - sexual deviancy, can't see how logically multiculturalism isn't merely tribalism coupled with racism and haven't a doubt in my mind that feminism amounts to applied sexism & gender bigotry.

Plus, forget the phony notion of 'separation', when it's about time religious freedom was properly protected from attacks against it by the state.

You win your bet. I confess I know nothing about Canada's Charter.

So Frum is still in Washington, eh, though writing for a Canadian publication? AEI is a good think tank for free enterprisers.

As to the Supreme Court and the "Ninth Circus," the SCOTUS (with very few exceptions which don't apply here) has the prerogative to decide which cases from the federal circuit courts it wishes to review. In practice, the SCOTUS decides to review approximately one percent of cases in which the losing party in the lower court petitions the SCOTUS for certiorori. That is, if you lose a case in any of the circuit courts, chances are very much against you that the SCOTUS will allow you to even bother them with your grief and you're likely stuck with the circuit court's adverse decision. On the positive side, though, the SCOTUS has been reversing decisions by the Ninth Circus at significantly higher rate than those of other circuits.

"You win your bet."

Thanks for so readily conceding the point. Sometimes it's a tough case to make without (definitely not in a negative sense) referring to America as an 'imperial power' & then watching all Hell break loose.

Objectively, there's little reason for any American - unless for commercial, diplomatic or military cause or as a selected field of academic study - to possess in depth familiarity with any particular nation beyond their own borders.
In fact, for U.S. citizens a general knowledge of the world as a whole is doubtless preferable.

On the other hand, Canada likely leads the pack of limited exceptions based upon our geographic proximity, being America's largest trading partner, having a somewhat similar history & more-so-same culture & there being literally countless families with branches on both sides of the border as well as numerous additional friendly social ties.

So, probably the average Yank knows more about Canada than, say, he does about Peru but then, we've no reason to be on top of matters Peruvian either.
Not surprisingly many Kanuckistani FReepers have developed a real intolerance when it comes to often ill-informed Stateside pontifications with respect to Canada & related disparaging generalizations about ALL Canadians.
As example, I've never once heard a conservative up here tar the vast majority of decent Americans with the same brush as the vile Clintons but, when it comes to our similarly morally bankrupt Liberal Party gangsters ...

Getting back to David Frum, both his sister Linda Frum & wife Danielle Crittenden (sp?) also enjoy successful cross-border literary careers but without quite his level of renown.
BTW, if you didn't already know, David's late mother Barbara Frum is a bit of a Canadian icon for her years as a highly principled (although, albeit, generally left-of-center) journalist with the CBC while his father-in-law (Danille's long-time step-dad) is Peter Worthington: Korean War Vet, founding Editor of the Toronto Sun & still a well known conservative pundit in his own right.

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