Columbia Univ. thugs recieve "slap on wrist"

[Mott1]

Its pretty ironic how the Liberal students at Columbia are self proclaimed advocates of freedom of speech, yet they resort to violence and suppress the freedom of speech when they encounter speech they don't agree with. Like at the Minuteman presentation. What is absurd is that they claim they did it in the name of freedom of speech.

This was a statement from the "stage-stormers" that was released shortly after the event, its pathetic how this liberal mob see themselves as the victims:

We celebrate free speech: for that reason we allowed the Minutemen
to speak, and for that same reason we peacefully occupied the stage and
spoke ourselves. Our peaceful protest was violently attacked by
members of the College Republicans and their supporters, who are the
very same people who invited the Minutemen to our campus in the
first place. The Minutemen are not a legitimate voice in the debate on
immigration. They are a racist, armed militia who have declared
open hunting season on immigrants, causing countless hate crimes and over
3000 deaths on the border. Why should exploitative corporations have
free passes between nations, but individual people not? No human
being is illegal.

These idiot students think that just by allowing the Minutemen to briefly take the podium and then storming the stage is an exercise of freedom of speech.
Take a look at the video and see how they "peacfully" occupied the stage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfnn7wTgoE8

The writer goes on to say: "The Minutemen are not a legitimate voice in the debate on immigration."

This statement is an example of rampant student elitism that is the product of biased liberal education. Who is this chump that thinks he can decide who is the legitimate voice and whose not in the debate on immigration!?

He further states: "They [Minutemen] are a racist, armed militia who have declared open hunting season on immigrants, causing countless hate crimes and over 3000 deaths on the border."

Funny, the Minutemen consists of people from all walks of life. Whites, blacks and yes, even Mexicans.

Their punishment for storming the stage and assaulting the Minutemen speakers? "a slap on the wrist."

A number of students who rushed the stage during Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist’s Oct. 4 speech at Columbia received letters yesterday informing them that they would be punished with “disciplinary warnings” for their conduct at the event.
Three students-one of whom received the verdict more than a month ago-confirmed yesterday that they were charged with simple violations of the University’s Rules of Conduct. The resulting warnings, which will be notated on students’ transcripts and remain there until the end of 2008, are the lowest of four possible outcomes for those found to be in violation of the rules. Disciplinary warnings place no financial or academic constraints on the person charged and state “that future violations will be treated more seriously.”
“It’s a light punishment, it’s a slap on the wrist,” Monique Dols, GS, who was given a disciplinary warning, said. “It’s a victory for free speech and anti-racism.”…
[One] student, Andrew Tillet-Saks, CC ‘09 was also found to have engaged “in conduct that places another in danger of bodily harm.”…
“I’m glad they [the Minutemen] are outraged. They get press from whining, but an impression of strength is more important in the long run for a vigilante group which thrives on intimidating immigrants, and this verdict, like the protest, helps subvert that,” Judd said.
http://media.www.columbiaspectator....es.Protestors.slap.On.The.Wrist-2793565.shtml

Monique Dols, who was one of the stage stormers, said the light punishment was a "victory for free speech and anti-racism." What kind of indoctrinantion is responsible for this type of deranged reasoning?

This is Dols understanding of "anti-racism":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEPldqsXbrk

 

[Fifty]

John Stewart illustrated the idiocy of these kids nicely when he talked about how they "managed to make Sean Hannity look like the reasonable one".

 

[emzie]

Do you have any idea how hard a Columbia University life is, Mott? Have some compasion for these poor poor students.

 

[Pasi Nurminen]

The Minutemen are a bunch of idiots whose organization is founded on bigotry and hypocrisy. I condone all efforts to marginalize them.

 

[CCA]

I thought right-wing militias were gung-ho type organizations that were supposedly "tougher" than liberals.

I seriously doubt their ability to "keep the border safe" if they can't even defend their own stage.

Pathetic really.

 

[nivi]

I thought right-wing militias were gung-ho type organizations that were supposedly "tougher" than liberals.

I seriously doubt their ability to "keep the border safe" if they can't even defend their own stage.

Pathetic really.

One old dude versus a few dozen 20 year olds, very fair, although I guess that's the odds they face on the border.

 

[Scuffer]

Its pretty ironic how the Liberal students at Columbia are self proclaimed advocates of freedom of speech, yet they resort to violence and suppress the freedom of speech when they encounter speech they don't agree with. Like at the Minuteman presentation. What is absurd is that they claim they did it in the name of freedom of speech.

Liberals? I read the article twice, even searched it, and the word doesn't appear. I imagine you are just desperate to crowbar Liberals into anything you don't like. And the other side of the political fence are exactly the same.

The American political landscape depresses me

 

[Che Guava]

I wish some people would realize that with freedom of speech comes a responsibility to listen as well...

 

[bigfatron]

I have no idea who the Minutemen are, so perhaps I can look at this without too much local bias...

First, there isn't much violence on the vid, the 'stage-stormers' look pretty weedy to me and are not eaxctly laying about themselves with baseball bats - a far cry from the NF v ANL rumbles in the UK! 'Thugs' seems a pretty ridiculous way to label them.

Second, denying free speech in the name of free speech is pretty damn stupid, although Columbia Uni students surely don't have a monopoly on 'dumb', college students everywhere are often pretty short on practical logic.

Third trying to pin this on to the 'liberal' tag is laughable - these guys make no claim in the piece to be liberal, and they act in the most un-liberal manner. Radical anti-racist activists are not liberals by default, unless you don't understand what a liberal is of course!

These guys are doing something you don't like + you don't like liberal =/= these guys are liberals!
BFR

 

[Pontiuth Pilate]

This statement is an example of rampant student elitism that is the product of biased liberal education.

Jesus Christ, kid, think for yourself instead of stringing together prefabricated phrases.

I can respect someone who holds your opinion, but not someone who defends it so poorly that it's clear he hasn't thought about it very much. Or very well perhaps.

 

[Irish Caesar]

I expected no different from the Ivy League.

Ah well.

 

[Che Guava]

I expected no different from the Ivy League.

Ah well.

"Dang smart'ums...learnin' never put food on the table!"

There's plenty of conservative twits in the Ivy leagues as well, I think we just don't hear about them as much.

 

[Keshik]

I have no idea who the Minutemen are, so perhaps I can look at this without too much local bias...

First, there isn't much violence on the vid, the 'stage-stormers' look pretty weedy to me and are not eaxctly laying about themselves with baseball bats - a far cry from the NF v ANL rumbles in the UK! 'Thugs' seems a pretty ridiculous way to label them.

Second, denying free speech in the name of free speech is pretty damn stupid, although Columbia Uni students surely don't have a monopoly on 'dumb', college students everywhere are often pretty short on practical logic.

Third trying to pin this on to the 'liberal' tag is laughable - these guys make no claim in the piece to be liberal, and they act in the most un-liberal manner. Radical anti-racist activists are not liberals by default, unless you don't understand what a liberal is of course!

These guys are doing something you don't like + you don't like liberal =/= these guys are liberals!
BFR[/QUOTE

This is a typical activity of American "liberals" which is why he labels them so. I'm sure they would gladly admit to being liberals if asked. I think the term may be used differently in our respective countries.

On the topic: Our college campuses are supposed to be where the free exchange of ideas takes place. This event was pretty typical of how conservative speakers are treated sometimes.

 

[warpus]

Why is it that from some people's point of view (but especially conservative Americans) politics are a simple matter of liberal vs conservative?

What an incredibly simplistic approach to politics!

 

[Erik Mesoy]

The liberal patriotic Minutemen are defending our border against foreign terrorists, I think it's disgusting that the students at this obviously right-wing university stormed the stage. Thugs indeed. Kick them out.

 

[Keshik]

Why is it that from some people's point of view (but especially conservative Americans) politics are a simple matter of liberal vs conservative?

What an incredibly simplistic approach to politics!

Probably because we have two main parties one basically liberal and the other basically conservative.

 

[Godwynn]

I gotta agree with Sean Hannity on this one.

 

[Kosez]

Freedom of speech is one thing, but hate-speech is something different. It's actually illegal in most of Europe, but nowadays it's rarely oppressed enough. It seems that corporate capitalism (which is more and more powerful) goes hand in hand with right wing spamming, which kind of surprises me. I thought capital does not acknowledge any borders, whether they are based on countries, people or their belief.

Anyways, I don't know why people are so afraid to label groups like Minuteman with fascist tag. Now I don't claim that minuteman are really enough off right-wing to call them fascist, but students from Columbia apparently thought so, and in this case I think they had a moral right to warn audience about the case.

 

[Masquerouge]

Looks like when the two stupid groups met, the critical stupidity mass was reached and it resulted in a stupid meltdown.

 

[Bad Player]

The Minutemen are a bunch of idiots whose organization is founded on bigotry and hypocrisy. I condone all efforts to marginalize them.

Pasi - more like Stasi.



*I'll never tire of that line!