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You may be right ... it is hard to say who would cross the line from talking death and inflicting it.

Either way, the message is the same, from them, and from us. There cannot be an ounce of tolerance for this type of attitude IMHO, and we the people must make that plain.

Here's my letter to President Bollinger:

Dear Mr. Bollinger:

Professor Nicholas De Genova of Columbia University was quoted in the New York Post as wishing a "million Mogadishus" on American servicemen in Iraq at an anti-war rally. He is quoted as saying: "The only true heroes are those who find ways that help defeat the U.S. military."

There is such a thing as protest. There is also such a thing as a line over which civilized people may not cross. People and organizations that provide a forum for this kind of uncivilized and morally repugnant behavior are complicit in it.

As Columbia would not provide academic credentials to Holocaust deniers, it should not do the same for those who publicly call for the murder and the desecration of the bodies of our military.

It is not possible to disassociate Columbia from Mr. De Genova by a pro-forma comment regarding the fact that this is not the University’s position and a defense of his free speech rights. Mr. De Genova is not here engaged in academic research. He has used his university position to provide weight to what, in the mouth of a drunk, would be considered insane ranting.

You will do what you consider to be proper. I will watch what Columbia does to rescue its reputation from the dishonor that Mr. De Genova has associated with your school.

Sincerely