Academia Was Once The Locus For Free Speech

By Semperpapa

It is a fact that the very purpose of Academia is, or at least it should be, the sharing and analysis of opinions. University folks have historically prided themselves in being inherently progressive in their approach to thinking, self appointed guarantors of the freedom of speech we all enjoy in this country.

But in the pursuit of such progressivism, something appears to have gone terribly wrong.

In my previous post http://semperpapa.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-world-of-academia-really-is-today.html

I showed how university crowd, both students and faculty, seem to have a very selective idea regarding the First Amendment, at least those who actually know what the First Amendment is and guarantees.

Here is another telling video, which I am sure the apologists for Academia denounce as a slanted, partisan misconstruction of reality.

http://www.mrctv.org/videos/dc-liberals-sign-petition-ban-conservative-websites

Just another nail in the survival of the Republic, compliments of a basic anti-American culture that the Left has been able to foster in the halls of Academia.

Hypocrisy or brain washing? I believe a little bit of both.

Free speech is an absolute right in our country, guaranteed by the United States Constitution. I understand that for the Left the Constitution is a “living, breathing” document, but in reality such position is dictated by an underlining rejection of our founding document.

The Bill of Rights is not a changeable set of rules, but it is a very specifically defined guarantor of liberties that are at the foundations of our entire Nation. And they are rights that millions of Americans paid with their lives for their enforcement. By addressing those rights as elements that are subjected to arbitrary changes according to anyone’s socio-political agenda, is in reality a denunciation of the entire document.

Our political system allows the amendment of the Constitution via a very specific process, designed to guarantee that the change to the Constitution is a change that is supported by the majority of the American people, not just by the political elite.

Changing the Constitution by allowing activist judges to impose their radical views is a violation of the oath that such individuals took when appointed to the bench.

The First Amendment is not to be interpreted as selective, provided that we agree with the message.

There are few people on the face of the Earth I despise more than the scum from the Westboro Baptist Church, few people I would not cry over their sudden and complete disappearance. If the ground would open and swallow the lot, never to be seen or heard from, it would cause me to celebrate. On the other hand, even those poor excuses for human beings have the right to express their vile message as long as they do not cause harm to anyone.

The moron who wanted to burn the American flag and about whom I wrote my past blog http://semperpapa.blogspot.com/2011/05/case-of-flag-burning-at-lsu.html may be deserving of all our contempt and rejection, but, as I wrote, he still has the right to commit the act as long as he uses his own property.

Just because we loath the message does not mean that we have the right to curtail someone else freedom of expression, a concept that the Leftist Academia is conveniently steering clear from in their brainwashing of the young, brainless students.

In the video from Georgetown University, we saw examples of two of the basic cancers afflicting America today: indoctrination and apathy.

Indoctrination is creating a generation of spineless youth who cannot think on their own if their lives depended on it. Kids who are ready to disregard the basic principles of our country in favor of a progressive approach to the Marxist Utopia their indoctrinators impose on them.

Apathy, showing up in the form of a complete detachment from the issues that are afflicting our Nation, has dire consequences for the future of our country. We heard one student who stated he was interested only in sports and not in politics. But these are individuals who go cast their ballots without any understanding of the consequences their ignorance may cause.

The First Amendment has been violated for years now by the scourge of humanity called Political Correctness. This practice has been used by minorities and activists to curtail the freedom of expression of the people, in clear violation of the Amendment.

When political correctness imposes rules upon freedom of expression it is a direct attack against our liberties.

May it be the removal of religious symbols, only Christian symbols to be specific, from school commencement ceremonies to the removal of a lonely memorial cross in the middle of the Mojave Desert, political correctness has violated the freedom of expression of the American people via the new concept of being “offensive” to someone.

The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech, but it does not safeguards the Individual from being offended. All it takes these days to violate someone right is a complaint on the part of someone to have been offended. I say: if a Cross offends you, don’t look at it!

I find Rosie O’Donnell highly offensive. Would I be justified in wanting her removal?

I find many leftist drones offensive. Would I be justified in wanting them to be silenced?

The principles of Academia have gone hopelessly wrong. It used to be a place where opinions were discussed and analyzed, where thought and ideas could be discussed, debated. Now it has become just another venue for the enemies of our country to attack our basic rights, institutions and principles.

Just my thoughts!