Glad To See A Nice Reasoned Debate By the Democrats

Powerline is one of many sites talking about the asinine actions of some left-of-center students at Columbia, who decided to disrupt a speech by Jim Gilchrist, the founder of the Minuteman Project and a guest who was invited to speak by the College Republicans. The New York Sun carries the best coverage...

On Wednesday evening, the gathering came to an untimely demise when, a minute into the remarks by the founder of the Minuteman Project, Jim Gilchrist, students stormed the stage, overturning tables and chairs and attacking Mr. Gilchrist and fellow Minutemen Marvin Stewart and Jerome Corsi. Having taken control of the stage, the students, led by the student chapter of the International Socialist Organization, unfurled a banner that read, in both Arabic and English, "Nobody is Illegal."

Although the hired security did little to prevent the students from shouting down or physically intimidating the invited guests, they escorted the Minutemen out, unharmed, through a back door.The protesters savored their victory before security ushered the audience out of the auditorium. Students jumped from the stage, chanting in Spanish and pumping their fists triumphantly. "These are racist individuals heading a project that terrorizes immigrants on the U.S.-Mexican border," a Columbia junior who took part in the protest, Ryan Fukumori, said. "They have no right to be able to speak here."

Okay, I've had it.

First of all, the schmuck quoted in the last paragraph doesn't seem to understand the nature of free speech (I feel sorry for whoever's paying for his education). I don't actually know much about the Minuteman Project, and I don't know what Gilcrhist was saying. Obviously, the folks in the audience who jumped on stage didn't like what he said. But their actions simply lead me to conclude that they don't have an effective counter to the reasoning of Gilchrist, whatever it is -- all they have is violence, noise and chaos. Believe it or not, such tactics don't usually persuade people that you're right. In America, we tend to have to put up with liars, crooks, racists, and people with annoying nasally voices, among other things. It's the nature of a free society,

Next, do these idiots really want to be unfurling a banner that's written partly in Arabic, for seemingly no reason whatsoever? Seriously, I don't understand what they're trying to say here. Then again, they're not really communicating so much as they are screaming and chanting.

Also, maybe it's just me, but it does seem awfully rude to do this to an invited guest. Perhaps they would have been better served asking to debate Gilchrist, instaed of acting like the thugs of political correctness run amok.

Ace and Michelle Malkin both have a video of the incident. You know, one of these days someone's going to pull a stunt like this at the wrong rally, where some of the GOP folks opt to fight back. And when it happens... well, let's just say I'd rather put my money on the party whose members hail from the Red States and support the Second Amendment.