The AntiLiberalism of a Liberal College

Posted on October 13, 2008
Filed Under CMU President Michael Rao, Campus Conservatives, Central Michigan University, Dan Quayle, David Horowitz, Dennis Lennox, Dick Cheney, FIRE, Forsyth County v. Nationalist Movement, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, Freedom of speech, George Allen, John Ashcroft, Michael Rao, Newt Gingrich, US Supreme Court, Vice President Dick Cheney, William F. Buckley Jr., YAF National Advisory Board, academia, appeasing IslamoFascism, arrogance, college, education, radical Islamic terrorism, suppression of free speech, universities | 3 Comments

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines Liberalism as:

1: the quality or state of being liberal
2a: a movement in modern Protestantism emphasizing intellectual liberty and the spiritual and ethical content of Christianity
2b: a theory in economics emphasizing individual freedom from restraint and usually based on free competition, the self-regulating market, and the gold standard
2c: a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties
2d: the principles and policies of a Liberal party

The FreeDictionary.com defines it:

1. The state or quality of being liberal.

2.
a. A political theory founded on the natural goodness of humans and the autonomy of the individual and favoring civil and political liberties, government by law with the consent of the governed, and protection from arbitrary authority.
b. The tenets or policies of a Liberal party.

3. An economic theory in favor of laissez-faire, the free market, and the gold standard.

4. Liberalism
a. A 19th-century Protestant movement that favored free intellectual inquiry, stressed the ethical and humanitarian content of Christianity, and de-emphasized dogmatic theology.
b. A 19th-century Roman Catholic movement that favored political democracy and ecclesiastical reform but was theologically orthodox.

Liberalism, in its purest, most form represents the free exchange of ideas of often competing, often contrary ideas. A college or university exists for the purpose of facilitating that exchange of ideas while educating its students by giving them the necessary tools to intelligently discuss them and make up their own minds. That, of course, is the classical liberal idea of what a college is meant to be. Now, gentle reader, advance forward to the 21st century… Today’s colleges, rather than foster the intellectual presentation, dissection and free discussions of ideas have decided to supplant their original role with political activism, misrepresentation of opposing views and the denial of any constitutional rights to those they (the administration) disagree with. Here is an interesting case in point, the Spartan Spectator published the following post, this past Friday:

Dennis Lennox
Spokesman,
Campus Conservatives/CMU-YAF
(xxx) xxx-xxxx

FIRE: CMU’s refusal to protect Horowitz’s safety is unconstitutional

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. (Oct. 10, 2008) – Central Michigan University President Michael Rao has been warned by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education legal advocacy group that the school’s refusal to provide police protection and event security for a speech by nationally-known commentator David Horowitz is unconstitutional and opens the school up to federal litigation.

University Events and CMU Police claim policy requires Campus Conservatives, the event’s organizers, to pay hundreds of dollars to guarantee the safety of Horowitz, who has received death threats and been physically attacked at previous speaking engagements, and the public attending the speech on radical Islamic terrorism.

FIRE sent Rao a letter Friday that advised the school is acting unconstitutionally if they don’t reverse their stance against keeping Horowitz and the public hoping to hear from him safe from those making threats of intimidation and physical violence.

“CMU is imposing unconstitutional restrictions on the right of students to freely express themselves and exchange ideas,” said Campus Conservatives spokesman Dennis Lennox. “Students should be able to come together to discuss critical issues without having to pay hundreds of dollars to be safe from hooligans.”

The school’s stance is unconstitutional under a U.S. Supreme Court ruling from 1992. It also conflicts with past practice, as CMU has routinely provided campus police officers free of charge for security at events.

“It is … unclear why CMU has decided to charge YAF for security now,” FIRE wrote in its letter to Rao. “Perhaps the most likely explanation is that David Horowitz has a reputation as a controversial speaker and often provokes strong reactions from those that disagree with his political views.”

In the case of Forsyth County v. Nationalist Movement, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that “speech cannot be financially burdened, any more than it can be punished or banned, simply because it might offend a hostile mob.”

“Forcing students to pay for the right to have a discussion on campus gives a veto to hecklers and thugs who was disrupt events in the university community,” said Lennox. “These hooligans will be able to turn violent and shut down events because student organizers can’t afford to pay for their safety.”

Campus Conservatives contacted FIRE for assistance after CMU was unwilling to guarantee public safety at Horowitz’s appearance on campus. He is scheduled to deliver a speech entitled “Stop the Jihad on Campus” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Plachta Auditorium.

This isn’t the first time FIRE has held CMU accountable for violating the constitutional rights of students. In FIRE’s ranking of universities, the school has a “red light” warning for restricting the rights of students.

In 2007, the school was forced to change its policy prohibiting belief-based student organizations from excluding members who don’t share the same beliefs. School administrators had said conservative groups couldn’t stop liberals from joining, just as homosexual groups would be required to accept homophobic students as members.

CMU was also challenged by FIRE shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, when employees in dorms banned the American flag from being displayed by students.

Campus Conservatives is the CMU chapter of Young Americans for Freedom, which was founded in 1960 by the late William F. Buckley Jr. and is the country’s oldest, largest and most active conservative youth organization. The YAF National Advisory Board includes Vice President Dick Cheney, former Vice President Dan Quayle, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Attorney General John Ashcroft and former U.S. Sen. George Allen.

The Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute was founded in 1892. After various name changes that reflected the ever developing philosophy, and constant growth of its educational vision the school was renamed, on June 1 1959, as Central Michigan University. This move reflected the complexity of the school’s academic offerings as well as its physical growth in the post-war period.

Today CMU boasts over 20,000 undergraduates out of 28,000 students enrolled, making it the fourth largest university in Michigan. The school certainly has a proud past, many of its alumni have excelled in in their respective fields. Can the trampling of constitutional rights and political indoctrination, however, continue to produce forward thinking professionals?!?!? If CMU chooses to drop the pretense of being a place where all types of ideas are freely presented and freely discussed it would behoove it to publicly announce such a change in its educational philosophy. At the current rates it charges, it is only fair students’ parents were apprised of the militant political activism by the school’s administration and its distinguished academics. Failure to do so is simply tantamount to false advertising and unabashed fraud!!!

Whatever happened to Voltaire, the ultimate classical liberal, who pronounced these immortal, far reaching words that represent everything fair and beautiful in a free society: “I disagree with evbery word you say, but I will defend even with my last drop of blood your right to say them.“ Yes, gentle, those words are the basis of a free and modern society, those words are the essence of what Liberalism meant. Those words are the exact antithesis of actions taken by indoctrination educational establishments like CMU. Unlike Merriam-Webster’s definition, these action do not stand for the protection of political and civil liberties. Nor do they stand for the FreeDictionary’s addendum of protection from arbitrary authority. Actually, CMU’s action represents the trampling of political and civil liberties while exercising arbitrary authority to stifle the free exchange of ideas. How unLiberal!!!

Chaim

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