“Who’s Afraid to Listen?”

By William L. Garvin

One of the most precious freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution is freedom of speech. Unfortunately for our Country, there are increasing numbers of people who believe that you only have freedom of speech when it agrees with them. They will not listen to opposing viewpoints. Even worse, they will not allow others to listen to dissenting viewpoints!

One of the more bizarre examples occurred with our northern neighbors at the University of Ottawa. The University had contracted with conservative commentator Ann Coulter for an evening speech. This was not a mandated requirement for students; it was a purely voluntary function. The first indicator of liberal resistance was when the University president sent a letter to Ms. Coulter “reminding” her of Canada’s strict laws against hate speech. This blatant attempt at intimidation was leaked to the press which quickly began fomenting leftist students to protest. Eventually, Ms. Coulter was forced to cancel her speaking engagement after local law enforcement expressed concerns about her personal safety. It would of course be interesting to know whether or not the University president had ever sent similar missives to liberal speakers and whether or not a conservative student uprising had ever cancelled a liberal speaker’s right to free speech.

We need not venture north of the border to see similar examples of intolerance. In fact, we need not venture out of our own state. Governor Sarah Palin recently contracted to deliver a fund raising speech for the California State University Stanislaus Foundation. The Foundation is independent of the University and is a non-profit corporation. Since the new President was appointed, donations to the Foundation have declined and the Foundation estimated that Governor Palin’s speech would raise between $100,000-$200,000 for the cash strapped University. This drew the attention and the ire of State Senator Leland Yee of San Francisco.

Senator Yee approached the Foundation and demanded to know the fees and details of Governor Palin’s speaking engagement. When he was informed by the Foundation that the details of the contract were a private matter between them and the agency that handles Governor Palin’s engagements, Senator Yee went full metal jacket ballistic. Not only did he mount a fevered public campaign excoriating the Foundation for their “secrecy” but he also introduced legislation to allow greater senatorial access and oversight of Foundations. Maybe if the legislature had done a better job of funding the University of California and the California State University systems, there would not be a need for Foundations and their additional funding!

Nonetheless, egged on by the aforementioned Senator Yee, leftist students are now protesting Governor Palin’s appearance because they do not “feel” she is appropriate for the fiftieth anniversary of the campus. Once again, the intolerance of the left for conservative viewpoints and speakers is readily apparent. Remember, they do NOT have to attend the speech; they do NOT have to purchase a ticket; they do NOT have to make a donation. The Foundation is NOT using any University or student funds, but that is not enough. They want to prevent others who want to participate in those aforementioned activities from both freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

The question remains: when has Senator Yee ever demanded the terms and contracts of liberal speakers? When has the States Attorney General ever investigated a private contract with a liberal speaker? When have students ever demanded the terms and contracts of liberal speakers? How many times have they gone “dumpster diving” to ferret out details? Horror of horrors, Governor Palin wants “two bottles of water with flexible straws.” Shudder, shudder, shudder, she even wants first class plane tickets or private jet transportation because of her busy schedule. Nancy Pelosi should explain this necessity for Senator Yee’s benefit. As for room accommodations, it’s not like there are a lot of Four Season penthouse suites in Turlock!

These examples of academic intolerance are merely reflective of the reality that liberal professors outnumber conservative professors on America’s campuses on the order of twelve or fifteen to one. Despite their overwhelming numerical superiority, they still fear any competition from alternative viewpoints. That’s why dissent must be stifled. They fear that in free and open competition, they will lose. They know that the highly touted liberal Air America radio was an unmitigated disaster and the ratings for conservative talk radio are much higher. The same is true for the cable news stations where Fox dominates MSNBC. Nobody is forced to watch; nobody is forced to listen. The market forces have decided.

Leftist dogma cannot stand up to rational analysis and discussion in a free and open market. That’s why conservative viewpoints must not be allowed. Expect leftists and some liberals to continue to attempt to stifle rational debate. Expect them to continue to vilify and demean any contrarian view. It will be personal name calling and insults; it will not be a discussion of ideas. When it comes to freedom of speech, they are the “party of no” and they will practice the “politics of destruction.” They are unable to kill the message so now they will do everything they can to kill the messengers!