More Timely Than Ever!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Free Speech and Antifederalism

My old friend Dave Barry is the center of controversy in a campus free-speech incident at Marquette University. A graduate student taped this Barry quotation to his office door:
As Americans we must always remember that we all have a common enemy, an enemy that is dangerous, powerful, and relentless. I refer, of course, to the federal government.
Pretty innocuous, but the department chairman informed the student that the quote had drawn complaints and that he had removed it:
While I am a strong supporter of academic freedom, I’m afraid that hallways and office doors are not "free-speech zones." If material is patently offensive and has no obvious academic import or university sanction, I have little choice but to take note.
Patently offensive? No obvious academic import? Read the sad details here.

Hat tip: David Boaz.

1 comment:

Thomas Bell said...

Like former presidential candidate Michael Badnarik said about "free-speech zones", "Everywhere I happen to be standing is a 'free-speech zone'." America is the "land of the free", right? Is America a free country? Yes? No? ... Not at Marquette University.