October 13, 2006

The Left's One-Sided View Of Free Speech

Peggy Noonan's column this morning is a must-read. She looks at several stark examples this week of how the Left doesn't want to debate but rather educate. Because, you see, so many of us out there are just uninformed idiots. And God forbid you disagree.

Let us be more pointed. Students, stars, media movers, academics: They are always saying they want debate, but they don't. They want their vision imposed. They want to win. And if the win doesn't come quickly, they'll rush the stage, curse you out, attempt to intimidate.

And they don't always recognize themselves to be bullying. So full of their righteousness are they that they have lost the ability to judge themselves and their manner.

And all this continues to come more from the left than the right in America.

Which is, at least in terms of timing, strange. The left in America--Democrats, liberals, Bush haters, skeptics of many sorts--seems to be poised for a significant electoral victory. Do they understand that if it comes it will be not because of Columbia, Streisand, O'Donnell, et al., but in spite of them?

What is most missing from the left in America is an element of grace--of civic grace, democratic grace, the kind that assumes disagreements are part of the fabric, but we can make the fabric hold together. The Democratic Party hasn't had enough of this kind of thing since Bobby Kennedy died. What also seems missing is the courage to ask a question. Conservatives these days are asking themselves very many questions, but I wonder if the left could tolerate asking itself even a few. Such as: Why are we producing so many adherents who defy the old liberal virtues of free and open inquiry, free and open speech? Why are we producing so many bullies? And dim dullard ones, at that.

Read the whole thing here.

UPDATE:
Former Nazi looks at today's young Leftists and basically says Hitler would have been proud. Gateway Pundit has the story.

Posted by: Gary at 07:17 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Absolutely, hitler would have been proud, today's liberal or leftist's are the philosophical decendents of the NSDAP The 25 platforms of the Nazi party closely parallel the political and social beliefs of modern day liberals. And they call conservatives Nazi's.....

Posted by: Skye at October 13, 2006 06:38 PM (/qf75)

2 The Left live by a double standard on everything, it makes me sick and angry.

Posted by: Wild Thing at October 14, 2006 11:43 AM (tj1zH)

3 After seeing this manner of disparity crop up at my alma mater, Mrs. Noonan is absolutely correct... The sheer amount of hypocrisy evident in the Left today would be distressing if it were not so very frightening.

Posted by: Linoge at October 15, 2006 10:07 PM (HoGA+)

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