A License To Speak Freely

College campuses have never been the bastion of free expression and the exchange of ideas that they are supposed to be. Only certain ideas are permitted on the college campus.
But rarely has there ever been a starker contrast between the ideal and the reality than is on display today with the disparate treatment of Ward Churchill and Larry Summmers.

Many Harvard professors are leading an academic insurrection against Summers, lobbying for a vote of no-confidence. On February 15, professors ripped into Summers at a one-sided meeting to discuss his comments. Summers has been forced to largely back down from his statements, writing a letter to the Harvard faculty in which he explains, “if I could turn back the clock, I would have spoken differently on matters so complex . . . . I should have left such speculation to those more expert in the relevant fields.”

Meanwhile, Ward Churchill, who should not only be fired for his statements but expelled from the country, has found the hearts of many in liberal academia. Deans and professors from all over the country have pledged their support. Ignorant college students who cite the First Amendment without ever having read it back Churchill all the way.