So at Georgetown University today the great spokesman for the Constitution, Jeff Sessions, was doing his part to speak out about “the right of free speech”. More specifically, that right on college campuses. As Reuters reported it
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Students and faculty at Georgetown Law School gathered on Tuesday to protest that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was delivering an address about the right of free speech on college campuses to an invitation-only audience without giving critics of the Trump administration an opportunity to ask questions.
[..]
In his address, Sessions focused on concerns about whether the rights of speakers on college campuses were being trampled by student protesters who find their views offensive.
Yes it was an invitation only event. The students protesting the event said that students who had RSVP’d and told that they would have a seat had their invitations withdrawn.
In his speech Sessions “mentioned recent violent protests at Berkeley”. Saying the school was
“was reportedly forced to spend more than $600,000 and have an overwhelming police presence simply to prove that the mob was not in control of the campus.”
Funny thing about that story though. I searched and found Daily Caller stories about the $600k spent and passed them by to read the U.S. News reporting on UC Berkeley event. They tell a bit of a different story. Yes they spent that for Brietbart’s Ben Shapiro. But here’s what the campus spokesman Dan Mogulof had to say about it-
"It's an incredible amount of money," campus spokesman Dan Mogulof said Friday, a day after the Shapiro event. "And while we don't regret that we spent it given the event was held peacefully, we certainly would have rather spent it on other purposes."
Yes he said it was “peaceful”. As the article notes-
Streets and nearby indoor parking lots were closed. A list of banned items Thursday included shields, masks, bandanas, poles and torches, and for the first time in two decades, the city council authorized city officers to use pepper spray to control violence.
City police said nine people were arrested mainly for having banned items. There were no injuries or property damage.
one should take note of the banned items btw.
And he also said-
"We can't turn a blind eye to recent events in the city, around the campus and the country," Mogulof said. "So we accept that we will need to continue to do what is necessary to support our non-negotiable commitment to the First Amendment and safety of our campus."
(all emphasis added)
I am sure they would rather spend that money in other ways. Campus Republicans invited Shapiro. It’s a great opportunity to put an emphasis on how badly colleges are affecting the MAGA-minds world. Bring a provocative speaker to a “liberal” campus and hope for some serious fireworks that you can point to to say “See what they do” and maybe in the process if you cost the schools some money- even better. And then the *rump minions can rail against the left wing some more.
A student at Georgetown said-
...We should have a role in deciding who comes to our school.” She added that liberal students had been excluded from attending the Sessions event...
It’s all about protecting “freedom of speech”- the question is whose?
I have a guess.