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| Fifth Column |
| "Offending Allah" Now A Crime At SFSU |
| 2007-02-10 |
| WHAT IS San Francisco State University teaching that makes student leaders think that if they don't like what other students say, they can use student organizations to stifle those with dissenting views? Do they even know about the First Amendment? This story starts with an "anti-terrorism rally" held last October on campus by the College Republicans. To emphasize their point, students stomped on Hezbollah and Hamas flags. According to the college paper, the Golden Gate (X)Press, members of Students Against War and the International Socialist Organization showed up to call the Republicans "racists," while the president of the General Union of Palestinian Students accused the Repubs of spreading false information about Muslims. In November, the Associated Students board passed a unanimous resolution, which the (X)Press reported, denounced the California Republicans for "hateful religious intolerance" and criticized those who "pre-meditated the stomping of the flags knowing it would offend some people and possibly incite violence." |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #11 |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-02-10 20:55 |
| #10 I think there is another level going on here. So somebody burns a US flag or Israeli flag. No big deal, no seething, no angry mobs no violence. Somebody burns a Hezbolla flag and the you-know-who |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2007-02-10 20:11 |
| #9 I was shopping for some flags to burn , for my own amusement of course. A decent sized Iranian flag'll set you back 35 smackers. |
| Posted by: J.D. Lux 2007-02-10 19:23 |
| #8 I could prohibit stepping on, say, paintings of Cthulhu at my place of business but I cannot do so as a public employee on public property. CTHULHUPHOBE!!! (Someone should try a simultaneous burning of an American, Hezbollah, and "rainbow" flag, just to see the reaction. For added cognitive dissonance, toss in an Israeli flag.) |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2007-02-10 17:25 |
| #7 Someone should sue to remove their funding citing separation of Church and State. Where is the ACLU? |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2007-02-10 16:45 |
| #6 yep, they shoulda' just burned an American flag & SFSU wouldn't of said boo...... AFAIC; SFSU CAN STFU |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2007-02-10 15:07 |
| #5 *giggle* |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-02-10 14:41 |
| #4 Q: How many Lesbian Inuit Moslem left-handed AHDD recovering alcoholic women does it take to change a light bulb? A: THAT'S NOT FUNNY!!!! |
| Posted by: DMFD 2007-02-10 14:35 |
| #3 3dc is correct. SFSU is a state institution with, among other things, a state police department to enforce its rulings. Its administrators and regents are public employees and officials, legally bound to uphold the federal and state constitutions in performing their duties. Making a special case of religious, as opposed to secular, symbols is an establishment of religion and clearly un-Constitutional. As a public institution, SFSU does not have the same latitude a private institution would have in waiving Constitutional requirements in favor of private choice. I could prohibit stepping on, say, paintings of Cthulhu at my place of business but I cannot do so as a public employee on public property. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2007-02-10 14:09 |
| #2 One could argue that a government owned and run university was an arm of the state. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-02-10 11:27 |
| #1 Do they even know about the First Amendment? Funny, this. The protection of Free Speech accorded by the First Amendment, only protects an individual from the Government abridging those rights. Corporations and Universities are free to stifle you as they see fit. Of course, the way to handle this would be to pull all government funding from Universities that practice this sort of thing. Oh, and pull their accreditation as well. |
| Posted by: Omolurt Elmeaper6990 2007-02-10 11:22 |