Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Protestors and commencement speaker choices.
First Amendment freedoms of speech and press are not only required to be respected at all government-sponsored institutions. They should also be respected at private institutions because they are consistent with the goals of higher education. Exceptions can be justified for non-governmental institutions that clearly have a specific missions (e.g. Catholic Universities). Most institutions are dominated by left-wing faculty and administrators. It is thus not surprising that students tend to lean left. One facet of this is faculty and students opposing commencement speakers who are not "politically correct." As the NYT states: "Most of the incidents have involved complaints from the left, usually aimed at conservative figures, but not all. " It is important to note that private and religious institutions (e.g. Catholic) are not covered by the First Amendment. However with regard to public institutions, on both the left and right, First Amendment violations are tolerated against the right "victims." However, the Amendment will be trotted out anytime the suppressors themselves are challenged. Hypocrisy aboutconstitutional rights is one of the factors that threatens the rights of everyone
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First amendment rights don't only recognize freedom of speech, but also the the exercise of one's religious tenets. Homosexuality is considered unnatural and immoral by Catholics. They're not violating anyone's inherent natural rights. Why should they cave to the whims of PC liberals and radical libertarians?
ReplyDeleteNothing has changed from the days of Mario Savio's "free speech" claque at CalBerzerkley. Speech is only free, in the mind of the Left, if the speech is in accord with their ideas.
ReplyDeleteArt
44 & Art: Thanks for the comments. Religious groups do not have to abide by the First Amendment. Their choice of speakers does not violate the First Amendment. Religious groups are protected by the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. For First Amendment purposes, The Catholic and public institution are not comparable. However, Thus, as 44 suggests, the Catholic institution does not violate anyone's right. I apologize for the confusion. As Art suggests, the First Amendment protects everyone, not just the speakers we like.
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