or Tom Tancredo and the Tar Heels
I currently live in Colorado. I attended the University of North Carolina for seven straight years. (And I'm proud to say I am this close to getting a degree.)
Tancredo had been invited by a Carolina student group to speak. Of course, to those of us that live in Colorado, there is no need to mention the topic. Tancredo has only one: immigration.
Student protesters shouted him down and did not allow him to speak. When campus police moved some of the protesters outside the building, the protest continued outside. Eventually, a window separating the speech from the elements was broken by someone outside.
At that point, Tancredo reasonably concluded that he should call it a night.
According to the DTH, Tancredo was introduced "amid hissing, booing and shouts of 'racist' and 'white supremacist.'" One expects this level of discourse from kindergartners and Ann Coulter, and, of course, the wacky-lefties. It is good to know some things are so reliable.
Graduate student Jason Bowers said, “I’m here because I represent UNC-Chapel Hill and I don’t support racism or fascism in the institution in which I am an educator." The DTH did not say what Bowers is studying, but it probably is not etymology since he has no idea what either the word "racism" or "fascism" means.
Tancredo has never said he wants to keep all Mexicans out of the country. Only the illegal ones. That is not racist. In fact, he wants to keep out the illegal Swedes, too.
Fascism is "a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition."
The irony is undoubtedly lost on Bowers.
Also according to the DTH:
After Tancredo entered the room, protesters kept him from speaking by shouting insults and holding a sign declaring “no dialogue with hate” in front of his face.
Personally, I try to abide by the "no dialogue with idiots" philosophy, but it severely cramps my dating life. Especially since so many hippy chicks are cute. And, sometimes, more free with their favors than devout Baptists. Or so I have read.
According to the DTH, there were some well-mannered protesters among the punks. And by "punks" I mean the tolerant liberals that are tolerant of everything except dissent.
Sophomore Adrian Lopez, a member of the Carolina Hispanic Organization, attended the speech to protest Tancredo’s view, but said he did not agree with how the protest was handled.
“I feel very embarrassed about how the student body went about doing this,” Lopez said. “It got completely out of control.”
Big props to you, Adrian. I'd love to buy you a beer. (I would have said "tequila" but don't want to be called "racist.")
The anti-Tancredo lefties were last seen boarding a bus that read "Boulder or Bust - Reinstate Ward Churchill." They'll fit right in with the tolerant lefties up there.
My remarks were made to the DTH before any of the disruptive behavior occurred. I do not endorse it, nor did I participate in any of the unfortunate acts of vandalism/destruction. When the article was printed, I immediately sent a letter to the DTH editor denouncing the way the event was handled. Unfortunately, they did not print it. The irony was not lost on me, nor am I ignorant of the meanings of any terms I used in my comment. I agree with you that student behavior was disgraceful; I was among the well-mannered. Please do not post comments like this about me again. You do not know me, and you were not at the event.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Jason Bowers
Jason Bowers