Posted on 03/28/2003 9:31:55 AM PST by Anamensis
Teach-In, Turn On, Walk Out
The ins and outs of the antiwar movement.
n the spring of 1968, antiwar activists protesting American military action in Indochina besieged Columbia University's historic Low Library, the massive, Romanesque space designed by McKim, Mead, and White which houses the offices of university administrators. Thirty-five years later, Low Library still contains the offices of university administrators. But today, antiwar activists are welcomed inside.
Such was the case on Wednesday night, when hundreds of Columbia students braved long lines and rain for a chance to witness a faculty-led "teach-in" on the Iraq crisis. I was one of them. And judging from the monolithically antiwar attitude of the speakers and the uproarious applause that greeted criticism of the war and of the Bush administration I was a pro-war minority of one.
The teach-in, organized by the Columbia Anti-War Coalition in conjunction with leading faculty members (among them historians Eric Foner and Alan Brinkley and law professor Patricia Williams), included over 20 presentations from faculty members on topics including international law, humanitarian aid, and the reconstruction of Iraq.
While some presentations notably those of political scientist Gary Sick and historian Charles Armstrong took a dispassionate, scholarly attitude toward the events in the Middle East and elsewhere, most of the lecturers simply argued that George W. Bush, not Saddam Hussein, poses the greatest threat to world peace and security...(snip)
At times, the scene resembled a sporting event. Thunderous applause and whistles greeted anthropology professor Nicholas De Genova's sick desire that "a million Mogadishus" be visited on U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq. And then there's Roger Normand, an adjunct professor at Columbia's School for International and Public Affairs and director of the lefty Center for Economic and Social Rights. Normand took the podium to yell, "Let's see if we can make some noise in this auditorium," and began a call-and-response, "We Will Rock You"-style chant with the capacity crowd.
It became clear over the course of the six-hour teach-in that antiwar activists and intellectuals care little, if at all, about Iraq. There were few direct references to Saddam Hussein. What the antiwar professors do care about is the Bush administration. "A coup d'etat brought us to this path," said Todd Gitlin, professor of journalism and author of Letters to a Young Activist. "Our most cogent obligation is to assure that George W. Bush is not in office in 2005." ...(snip)...
"I live under an unelected government," said Bruce Robbins, a professor of English and Comparative Literature. In Robbins's view, apparently, not all wars are equally evil: "I fantasize," he said, "about being liberated by a European invasion."
I bet he does. -Anamensis
Comparisons of the Bush administration with Nazi Germany and other totalitarian, imperialist powers were also common. "We must talk in order to remind the tyrants who have ignored the consent of the governed," said Barbara Fields, a professor of history. "Our leaders have given the finger to the millions who have demonstrated against the war." Professor Normand quoted Nuremberg prosecutor Robert L. Jackson, essentially equating Donald Rumsfeld with Hermann Goering. And political scientist Jack Snyder found room in his speech to compare the Bush administration with, in chronological order, Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm, Hitler, and Tojo.
But what may have been most interesting about the teach-in was what the speakers persistently ignored. Not a single speaker mentioned the fact that a majority of the American public supports military action in Iraq. Only one speaker mentioned that the president obtained congressional authorization to use military force last year. And not a single professor answered, or even acknowledged, the question of whether Saddam Hussein would constitute a threat against innocents in the Middle East, the United States, and elsewhere were he to obtain nuclear weapons or provide weapons of mass destruction to terrorist proxies. Professor Robbins even claimed that "There is no threat [from Iraq] to prevent."
Matthew Continetti is a student at Columbia University.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalreview.com ...
There is, however, a far easier way to get this scum into a cell, at least temporarily, while other charges are brought on a Federal Level. That is, a charge of "Making or Utterance of Terroristic Threats", which, In PA at least can bring some jail time. There is also, I believe here, at least a good argument for a "clear and present danger" exception to 1A protection.
Considering that there exist a whole bunch of cretins who are just waiting for their chance for martyrdom by "creating a Mogadishu" to use the criminal Prof's own words, then he has basically violated the "fire in a movie theater" test.
I see no reason why he cannot be instantly detained with the rest of the Johnny Jihads, given a "speedy trial", and held in a secure place, until such time as proper sentence can be determined, and promptly carried out.
Keep the Faith for Freedom
Greg
I understand your sentiment, but I'm not sure if the "[standing] up publicly" requirement is fair. Students who publicly challenge faculty from a conservative viewpoint are almost guaranteeing themselves lower grades as well as harassment. I think the best you can hope for is that the student won't lend support to faculty liberals. Conservative students are outnumbered and outgunned, and they are in very vulnerable positions. Sometimes it's hard to prove that a liberal prof gave you a lower grade because of your conservative views, especially on "essay" type tests. Hence, most conservative students keep their mouths shut and "do their time" and get their degrees and then run like hell from the campus. Once they have their degrees and are out from under the thumb of the liberal profs, then they're free to take public stands.
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