By Douglas V. Gibbs
I was watching a biography type show on Henry Fonda when he delivered a line from a movie that said, "You can't suppress ideas just because you don't like them."
The American Society has always encouraged debate. In fact, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution reads that the Congress (federal government) shall make no law. . . abridging the freedom of speech.
The Founding Fathers felt that the freedom of speech was important, not only so that people can have the freedom to say what they feel is important without having to worry about redress from the government, but specifically for the People to have the freedom of political speech so that they may be able to head tyranny off at the pass.
Freedom of Speech has always been a fundamental right in this nation. We pride ourselves in having such a freedom, and mourn when we see the freedom of political speech quelled in other nations.
The political divide in this nation has become such, however, that some groups believe that folks can have freedom of speech as long as you agree with them. This happened to Ann Coulter in Ottawa, and has now happened to Sarah Palin at California State University Stanislaus. Speakers are allowed to speak at these campuses, as long as they don't say anything that the folks don't want them to say.
Remember what Henry Fonda said?
"You can't suppress ideas just because you don't like them."
One may argue with me that Henry Fonda (and his children especially) was hardly one to see eye to eye with my conservative opinions.
Whether or not Henry Fonda, or the college students shouting down and suppressing speech, agrees with me politically is not the point. Henry Fonda, and many of the progressives of old, despite the ideological differences they may have had with right-of-center thinkers, welcomed opposing viewpoints. How can one learn the full spectrum of the political debate if one is not willing to allow those with different views to voice their opinions?
In Ottawa, Canada, when Ann Coulter went up there to speak at the University of Ottawa, the protests became so vitriolic that Coulter's visit was cancelled. The people calling Coulter a hater and an enemy of human rights became so violent as they surrounded the building she was going to speak at with rocks and sticks in their hands (and pulled a fire alarm) that the police was forced to shut it all down.
They welcome leftists and Muslims with hate-filled histories, but because Ann Coulter is conservative, and is bold enough to use her God-given right of Free Speech, they silenced her.
"You can't suppress ideas just because you don't like them."
Yeah, one might say, but that is in Canada. They have a different view of free speech. That would never happen here in America.
Think again. . .
At California State University Stanislaus the student body is trying to ban Sarah Palin from speaking at the anniversary of the Stanislaus campus event. The movement to ban Palin from the campus to speak at this event claims it is because the financial end of the deal to bring Palin to Stanislaus is not transparent, but the whole thing stinks of ideology and bias.
If the movement to ban Palin is in fact ideologically based it flies in the face of everything a university's supposed to stand for, such as challenging students to hear speakers who hold opposing viewpoints.
"You can't suppress ideas just because you don't like them."
This issue made its way to Fox News when two students from Stanislaus joined The O'Reilly Factor to discuss why they want Palin banned. The two young ladies attempted to reinforce the idea that the reason was in regards to the financial transparencies, or lack thereof, rather than being an ideologically driven cause. O'Reilly, not one to give up easily, indicated he believed it was ideological, but the girls rejected such a notion.
Historically, however, universities do not reject leftist speakers, and are even willing to bring on radicals without as much as a peep of discontent. It is ironic that, though the claim may be that the reason is not ideological, protests always arise when a right-of-center speaker is scheduled.
An argument used by one of the students on the Fox News program did hint of ideological reasons when she claimed that the protest was because the students desire to have a speaker who would "embrace" the community and reflect the 50th anniversary better.
If that's the case, only an alumni would be sufficient as a guest.
Nonetheless, I have trouble believing they would make this kind of stink if a big name liberal was asked to speak.
O'Reilly also pointed out that though the transparency, or lack thereof, may not be to the student body's liking, Palin would actually be bringing a lot of money into the university, making her appearance beneficial financially, at a time when the California State system is struggling with having to increase fees and cut certain classes.
While O'Reilly was still hunting for an answer that would betray the student's ideological reasoning regarding the ban of Palin, the second student proclaimed it was because she wanted someone who could bring their little community at Stanislaus "together," thereby directly implying that Palin would be divisive.
Accusing a conservative of being divisive is only something a liberal ideologue would do, thus letting the cat out of the bag.
The Facebook page set up by the protesting students and faculty at Stanislaus has attracted hate-filled, fanatically partisan comments that were actually making fun of Palin's Down Syndrome baby, which also clues you in that this is completely ideological, and hateful.
Once again, if the speaker had been someone like, say, Michelle Obama, or Howard Dean, I do not believe there would have been a protest.
Like Ottawa, this is a case of liberal professor taught college students who are incapable of thinking independently, so they jump on the "hate Palin" bandwagon of the liberal left, and freak out that Palin was invited to be a speaker. To cover their tracks that ideology is the real reason they came up with a ridiculous story that they just want Palin to "reveal" her fee for speaking, when in the end Palin would bring a lot of money to the campus by speaking there. The same campus has had radical leftists speak before without incident, and it is glaringly clear that the students of Stanislaus, fueled by the teachings of leftists professors, reject Palin as a speaker primarily because of her conservative beliefs.
"You can't suppress ideas just because you don't like them."
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
CENSORED: Commies and Keffiyehs Cancel Coulter at Canadian College - Atlas Shrugs
California State Stanislaus Students Want To Ban Sarah Palin from Campus Speech - Associated Content
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