The Volokh Conspiracy

Money. It's definitely hard to spin this without lying, i.e., "They attacked *us*."

More even-handed mockery like this and I might start watching regularly again. Hell, I'd settle for a daily Howard Dean minute.

Heh,

Shorter Columbia protesters: "We tried our best, you know the rest"

I'm telling you, when the Dems take power back, the Daily Show will start mocking them. The left will cry betrayal, but the ratings will hold steady in the long term.

Hasn't Jon Stewart said as much himself, and pretty explicitly? I forget the context, but I remember him pointing out that satire is only satisfying when it's aimed at the powerful.

He'll mock the Democrats, but the crux of the jokes will probably be how they sell out their liberal values, like the far left mocked Clinton.

"Does Colmes really exist?"

Yes, he exists, frightening though he may occasionally be. I Like him though anyway, he's funny.

Straight from the mouths of Columbia students:
"They attacked us."
"We didn't shut them down, they shut themselves down."

I guess these kids view "1984" as a "how-to" book.

He'll mock the Democrats, but the crux of the jokes will probably be how they sell out their liberal values

A fair bet considering many of the jokes against Republicans are that they sell out their conservative values. Hypocrisy is highly mockable.

Life imitates fiction. Last night Columbia U cancelled a meeting where former terrorist Walid Shoebat was to appear. Now the protestors do not have to protest to stifle free speech.

I would note that if hard core leftists went to some red-blooded rural red-state area and started spouting out their radical beliefs I reckon they might face some physical intimidation as well (see Mississippi burning). I imagine a socialist party storefront would get attacked pretty darn quick in most small towns in the heartland, where all the supposed "freedom-loving" Americans live. Chomsky might reasonably fear for his safety in a VFW bar or at a christian university in small town, mid-america.

I am disappointed that the columbia audience couldn't create a contrast, but when you go to a diverse area proud of its many ethnicities and spout blatantly racist beliefs, it is not out of the quesiton that you would be in a sticky situation. People tend to take those sorts of opinions very personally. It's sad but true.

We're all for free speech but no one honestly expects the KKK will ever be able to exercise that right in S Central LA without police protection. that's just human nature, unfortunately, no matter how "big" all us intellectuals are. I wuold also note, no one here seems to be defending the minutemen's views--they beef isnt with "illegal" immigration, they believe these brown people are ruining the whiteness that made America great (see Buchanan's book).

I seem to remember a hypothetical in torts class where a jewish man or black man might have a defense against a battery charge induced by a especially vicious racial provocation. I am not defending such violence and the kids at columbia made a stupid decision and have no such defense. My point is that everyone--conservatives and liberals tend to react violently, even physically violently--to strong provocations that cut to their very self-identity (ethnicity, anti-communism). Academics, professors, and intellectuals tend not to have those violent reactions and do not fully understand them in others.

And bring Chomsky to my "Christian University" and I guarantee there will be no cause for concern regarding his safety. There would be no violence, no rushing the stage.

Devil's Advocate,
You say a number of true things, but what's your point?

Sure, people aren't discussing the minutemen's message while also discussing violent assault by the Columbia protestors. The Columbia Protestors orchestrated assault conducted to surpress free speech. Both the assault and attempt to surpress free speech were wrong-- irrespective of the minutemen's message. We don't discuss the message because it is irrelevant in this context. (Advice to those who want to discuss the minutemen's message: discuss it!)

Sure many people are inclined to supress free speech, some, like the protestors at Columbia actually do so. Sure, police protection would be required if the KKK chose to protest in Central LA. That's why competent administrators and elected officials arrange the police protection often at the city's cost. When administrators and authorities fail to forsee these mini-riots, they try to identify those who committed crimes, arrest and punish them. (If the administrators don't do any of these things, the are criticized and often booted out of their jobs or political offices.)

Few buy the argument, "Well, the people who were assaulted might, hypothetically, have done the same under other circumstances. So, it's all right then."

Libertarians may wish for a small government that does as little as necessary to permit smooth functioning of society, but I don't think they want it quite that small! ( I think the term for those who want zero government is anarchists?)

I always thought right wingers should organize a quarterstaff corps just for these events. A dozen guys with quarterstaffs could really suppress the commies. And they're street legal.

That makes me think of the old internet favorite involving "I put on my wizard cap and robe..."

Stewart has been making fun of both parties for years. The goal of his show is comedy, and lord knows both sides do plenty of things that are ripe for satire or jokes. Doesn't really even matter who the host is either, they made fun of everyone when Kilborn hosted it too.

These violent protestors think they can do this crap because they know there won't be any consequences. Who will punish them? Some pencil-necked administrator at Columbia who agrees with them? Get real. A baseball bat to these protesters' mellons would scare the rest off pretty quickly and it would be totally justified as self-defense and defense of others. These spoiled little peons who've never worked a day in their lives would get what they deserve, too.

Shorter Columbia protesters: "We tried our best, you know the rest"

If the Columbia protesters had just sat in the audience (apparently, they took up more than a few of the seats) and remained quiet, this would not have become a cause celebre among the wingnuts. One might almost wonder if the wingnust paid them to make a scene.