Slippery Slope
One of the things about writing this column is that I periodically go over familiar ground. Hopefully, the follow ups aren’t a regurgitation of the original thoughts but sometimes, you just can’t help it. Points need to be made and sometimes those points need to be repeated.
This is sort of that type of column.
The commotion that we are seeing on college campuses over the past few weeks can bring out some pretty strong feelings.
You may feel that these elitist schools are just allowing the progressive, near socialist wing of the Liberal movement to rile up students who already feel that the mainstream in this country does not hear them or respect them.
You may feel that these students are allowed to vent their frustration (sometimes rage) at America’s response to what is happening in the Gaza Strip.
You may feel that these students should stop defending a terrorist organization and get back to class. Classes that are indirectly paid for by US taxpayer money.
No matter where you stand, it is definitely a slippery slope. Every American has the right (some say the duty) to voice their opinion about injustices that are happening in this country or outside of our borders. Freedom of Speech is a real thing and I believe in it almost without reservation.
I sound like a Liberal, I know, but I do believe that we all have a right to say what we feel as long as it is not libelous or hateful. We have protections under the US Constitution.
Yet, we have protestors supporting Palestine (which is fine) and Hamas (which is not).
I have said it before and I will say it again, I support Israel’s right to defend itself and that is where things get very muddy.
I will give an example of something that won’t ever happen but if it did, how would the US react?
Just suppose that an armed group of Narco terrorists invaded a town or a few towns on the Texas border. These Mexican Nationals came in and killed Border Patrol agents, killed babies and raped dozens of women and took hostages, let’s say 200 men, women and children. These narco terrorists want an open border and want to be able to move large caches of drugs into the US.
What do you think the American response would be? Forget the US Army or Marines, the good old boys from Texas would load up their Ford F-250’s with ammo and Lone Star Beer and they would go about setting things straight with our Mexican neighbors. Would they be able to find those hostages right away? No, because the narco terrorists have them hidden and the general population is deathly afraid of what the terrorists would do to them and their families. Yet, those Texans would go about rousting whole towns. Gunfights? Sure, but any Texan worth his salt who can plug a deer at 800 yards, would take care of business. While the spineless fools in Washington would sanction avocados, these men and women from Texas would find their brothers and sisters.
Would these elitist at all those overpriced Ivy league schools protest? Their probably would be some protests because these pampered kids have zero clue about the World and they would be shut down quickly.
Knowing nothing about the World is the key here.
I am going to take a guess here and say that the majority of these protestors are Americans with zero affiliation with Palestine. They may have a Muslim friend or a friend who is actually from Gaza but the chances are it’s a Kevin Bacon Six Degrees of Separation thing.
Does one of these students actually believe that Hamas is a bonafide terrorist organization that uses civilians as human shields? Do they actually believe that the Hamas group is right? Killing babies, raping young women and killing unarmed civilians, that’s all ok?
What about the threats to Jewish students at these prestigious colleges? That’s ok too?
I have yet to hear one student get up and actually have a legitimate explanation of why they feel the need to protest?
The Israelis are killing innocent men, women and children. Yes, unfortunately that is true and that is what happens in times of war. Innocent people suffer more than the guilty ones.
If Hamas was fighting for the Palestinians, they would not allow their own innocent people to feel the pain that they themselves initiated. The message should be sent and the hostages should be freed. The World is already looking at Israel as big bad bullies and if the hostages were freed, the Israeli’s would have no choice but to back off.
No, Hamas continues to allow the slaughter of it’s own people so that Israel will continue to look bad in the World’s eye.
You know what? The Israeli leadership could care less what they look like. They are fighting for their lives and the only way to stay safe is to eradicate the disease that Hamas is.
Some moron on NBC or was it CBS compared these protests to the protests that rocked campuses back in 1969 and 1970. Ugh.
The difference was that the protestors in 69-70 were protesting an unjust war that the United States was directly involved in. These students were fighting for a peace that would eventually come at the expense of over 54,000 American lives. Big difference when you are fighting to save your brother or sister from going over and fighting a war no one wants or understands.
I will not say that the Palestinian students here in the US do not have a right to peacefully protest what is going on in Gaza. They do. Many of them are here on student Visas and with those Visas there are certain rights that they have. If they violate those rights they can be sent back to Palestine. If you get arrested for disorderly conduct or trespassing is that enough to send you back? I don’t think so and even if it was, no one is being sent back to Palestine at this time so it’s almost as if they have carte blanche’ to protest and disrupt. Again, a slippery slope.
What I can’t seem to fathom is that at Columbia, for example, how many students are Palestinian? I would think it’s a very small minority, yet, somehow there are thousands of protestors there and all throughout New York City. Interesting
As a side note: Ask Google how many Palestinians attend Columbia? Google can’t answer it or won’t. Ask Google how many hairs on a tarantulas body and it will tell you to the nearest 10th. Another interesting thing.
The protests are happening all over the country and administrations are perplexed as to what to do. Campuses around the country say the students have a right to free speech and peaceful protests are always welcome and yet college after college has shut down Conservative commentators before they even have a chance to speak.
Espousing the good deeds of a terrorist group is free speech while a Charlie Kirk is told go away because his opinion on Transgender rights is too hurtful to the student body?
You can’t invoke free speech when you want to.
I do not have an answer for the protests. I can see that chanting “Death to Israel” from some kid who comes from Short Hills New Jersey is a load of shit. I am pretty sure if you had a group of protestors carrying placards saying “Death to Gays” the response would be totally different.
Hate speech is hate speech and no matter where it comes from or where it is directed it is wrong and I do believe you lose some protections under the Constitution once you breech certain spaces.
Again, it’s a very slippery slope we are at.