Soccer Dad alerted me to a transcript of a graduation speech given by Chris Hedges -- author of American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America and the subject of my post yesterday.
Frankly, it is bewildering that a college would want someone like Hedges to deliver a commencement address. Shouldn't commencement be a time of uplift and motivation? Nothing like a radical like Hedges to spew his cultural hatred upon those entering the real world. Oh, wait -- we're talking about a college. At least some of the crowd took exception to such a lecture at their graduation and booed. And this prompted Rockford College President Paul Pribbenow to grab the microphone and state
My friends, one of the wonders of a liberal arts college is its ability and its deeply held commitment to academic freedom and the decision to listen to each other's opinions. (Crowd Cheers) If you wish to protest the speaker's remarks, I ask that you do it in silence, as some of you are doing in the back. That is perfectly appropriate but he has the right to offer his opinion here and we would like him to continue his remarks.
This would be nice -- if it were really a belief of college administrators. In fact, too often it is the belief of college administrators when the speaker is of like political philosophy ... like Hedges. Do you think a speaker for the Minutemen would be [verbally] defended by a college administrator in the middle of a protest? Hell, Ivy League Columbia didn't even do that! The protestors were permitted to stop the Minutemen's speech and force them off the stage. One was even attacked. Conservative speakers are the targets of this quite often on campuses. Major disruptions of talks/speeches. Pies and other food items thrown at them.
It'd actually be a refreshing change if conservative speakers were "merely" met by boos and hisses. At least then, they'd probably be able to finish what they have to say. But remember why "mere" boos and hisses are insufficient protest for leftists against conservative speakers: What conservatives say isn't just wrong, it's evil and wicked. And as such, it must be halted at all costs.
Wikipedia info states Hedges' father was a minister and Hedges himself has a doctorate in divinity.
I bet he is an acknowledged atheist today. Any takers?
Posted by: AJ Lynch at January 9, 2007 04:56 PMBut interestingly enough, Hedges' entire proposition is that some folks do not have a right to be heard -- especially the sort of folks in the back making the silent protest.
I'm curious -- would a speaker advocating the silencing of radical Islamists be invited to give a commencement speech? Would the school president attempt to stop a protest against them? Dare i suggest we know the answers?
Posted by: Rhymes With Right at January 9, 2007 07:15 PMI bet he is an acknowledged atheist today. Any takers?
I'd give even odds that Hedges is involved with one of the left-leaning denominations, maybe PCUSA like his father. Hedges got his M.Div from Harvard. Harvard, like all the Ivy league seminaries except for Princeton, is theologically liberal. Remember, Hedges is demonizing the Christian Right because they're on the right, not because they're Christian.
Posted by: Jeff the Baptist at January 10, 2007 11:29 AMHe's lucky he got that speech in under the wire. Pat Robertson's Dissent Squashing Brigades (Cheyney division) were on their way. He has since been sent for re-education at Liberty University.
Posted by: Duffy at January 11, 2007 09:28 AM