Sacramento Bee Publisher Booed During Her College Graduation Speech

AP ^ | December 16, 2001

[Gritty]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A newspaper publisher's commencement speech was drowned out by hecklers when she mentioned threats to civil liberties posed by the federal government's investigation of the terrorist attacks.

Janis Besler Heaphy, president and publisher of The Sacramento Bee, was delivering the midyear graduation address Saturday to about 17,000 people at California State University in Sacramento.

When Heaphy raised questions about racial profiling, limits on civil rights and the establishment of military tribunals, the audience interrupted by clapping and stomping their feet for five minutes.

University President Don Gerth tried to quiet the audience, but Heaphy stopped speaking after more loud heckling erupted.

Heaphy told The Sacramento Bee afterward that the hecklers were merely blaming the messenger.

"This was a message about civil liberties and our acceptance of differing points of view in American society," she said. "It's a message that needs to continue to be heard."

Gerth blamed the interruption on students' family members and friends and said some students apologized to Heaphy after the ceremony.

"Our students have a right to hear our speaker," Gerth said. "It is a day I will never forget. I am not proud of it."

Heaphy's speech will be posted in its entirety Monday on the university's Web site, Gerth said.

Heaphy said she plans to continue to voice her concerns about potential civil liberties violations.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Great! Give them diplomas stamped with FreeRepublic on it!

[Bubba_Leroy]

So how come AP didn't run a story when Hitlary got booed at the WTC benefit, hmmmm?

[TomGuy]

Also posted here with comments.

[SBeck]

My question: whatever happened to civility and the right for opposing views to be heard? Hard to believe that the liberties that our founding fathers fought and died over are being casually discarded by "walking uninformed opinions" (oxygen thieves say I).

[muawiyah]

The problem with the Sacramento Bee is that they were among the leaders back in the days when the government was rouding up the Japanese-Americans.

There's still some question about whether or not the Bee editors are satisfied to have JAs, but there's no question whatsoever that they love their AlQeada brothers.

[churchillbuff]

Conservatives shouldn't start acting like liberals and shouting down critics. In this particular case, the smart response is to applaud softly, and then stop subscribing to the woman's newspaper - - - and each person get three friends to do likewise.

[VRWC_minion]

All that education totally wasted < /liberalism>

[LibertyThug]

My question: whatever happened to civility and the right for opposing views to be heard?

I agree that it may not be civil to boo someone for what he says. However, we must listen to them because they have the
forum (actors have tv, hillary has the media, speakers have the podium, etc..). When must they listen to us - never.
We don't have a forum such as theirs and we are tired of being polite and listening to their side because we lose out and they
continue to think there is no opposition to their comments and ideology.

[secondamendmentkid]

The Sacramento, Modesto, and Fresno Bee are the sorriest excuse for newspapers in the entire USA. Their flamer bias makes Blather, Brokenjaw, and Pencildick (Jennings) look like pikers. They even editorialize on their religious pages. There is a gay issue in their religious section almost every week.

When Horowitz, Coulter, et al get booed/harassed, I didn't see the free speech educators come to their defense. It all depends on who's ox is gored. This Queen Bee (Sacramento style) shouldn't have been invited to pump her bilge in the first place.

[geaux]

the right for opposing views to be heard

Like my right to express my opposition to what she has to say?

BTW, there is no "right to be heard." You can say it all you want, I don't have to listen.

[Nachum]

No, it's my intention to tell the liberal rat bastard Rats to take their papers and shove them up their mortarbards.

[Brian Kopp DPM]

[Brian Kopp DPM]

(Honest, I was trying to post this to Caption the Monks. Must be the medication I'm on for the slipped disk...

That'll teach me to have several threads open in multiple Windows at once...)

[dasboot]

I don't think these folks are conservative; and , yesterday, they probably weren't Liberals either. They are, I think, exactly what the founders described as the participants in , and of, faction: they get herd-poisoned on either side, and revel in the adrenaline jolt that comes with mass protestation: somewhat mindless, and more emotional--easily lead.

Yesterday they stomped on cigarettes and homophobes; today they're smooshing their former masters.

Wild, democratic swings of the pendulum among the emotive masses.

[murdoog]

Like my right to express my opposition to what she has to say? BTW, there is no "right to be heard." You can say it all you want, I don't have to listen.

This is true. But a lot of conservatives have made the same argument when people like Jeane Kirkpatrick get shouted down.

It also sounds like this speaker was making one of the few liberal points worth paying attention to.

[Teacher317]

So you're saying that the audience members should lose their right to be heard? They expressed their disagreement in a very plain way. She had a microphone, speakers, and a sound board helping her, the audience didn't. It seems to me that both sides of the debate were heard from at that graduation. Couldn't be any more fair than that! *sly grin*

Yes, they should've suffered the woman's opinions silently if they wanted to be polite, but there's no requirement to be polite... yet. (Wait 'til Hillary takes office in 2008 and gets booed again.)

[SBeck]

Interesting prediction, Hillary taking office in 2008 (actually 09). Let's hope you are completely wrong.