PSU Republicans Accuse Campus Liberals of Bias Criimes; Embrace Alinsky Rule #4

November 12, 2012

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Portland State’s College Republicans have filed grievances with three University Departments alleging harassment and bias crimes during the past election.

The complaints to the Dean, “Bias Response Team” and Campus Security allege harassment, threat of bodily harm (see previous post here), vandalism and hate speech directed at College Republicans via email and on their posters displayed on campus.

From PSU CR President Julia Rabadi:

Attached are two pics I found today. In case it’s hard to see, the first one has “f*** your cause” and on the second pic, someone carefully tore off the word “never” before the words “give up” to send us a message. 

Many college campuses are free-speech-free zones, imposing what have become known as ‘speech codes’ in an effort to keep students from being offended. For


a primer, head over to this web page by FIRE (Foundation for Individual Rights in Education).

Portland State’s speech code appears to be a moving target. A  2011 complaint targeting a student who complained via phone message about the professionalism of the library staff. The student, Rachel Cain, appealed and won. 

Here’s the problem with ‘speech codes’ according to FIRE:

These attitudes stay with students long after graduation. If students on our nation’s campuses learn that jokes, remarks, and visual displays that “offend” someone may rightly be banned, they will not find it odd or dangerous when the government itself seeks to censor and to demand moral conformity in the expression of its citizens. A nation that does not educate in freedom will not survive in freedom, and will not even know when it has lost it. It is to prevent this unspeakable loss of freedom that FIRE has created the Speech Code Rating System featured in FIRE’s Spotlight

That the PSU’s CR’s posters were pocked with hate speech is one thing, the threat of bodily harm is quite another.

As you see from this email to the President of the College Republicans, this, ah, ‘student,’ physical threats are par for the course:

From: m**** gibson <m***.gibson1@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 10:07 AM
Subject: Re: Never give up on your country – Meeting Today
To: PSU CR President

your so dumb serously the romby appoclypse has been avoided this is a day to celebrate. Also trasnform is synonym of change. republicans do not want change. f*** yourself i hope you die your mom should have had an abortion removed me from your mailing list

I’m told this ‘student’ is in at least his 6th year at PSU. His parents should demand a refund.
 
But the College Republicans are now using the left’s own rules against them. That would be Alinsky’s fourth rule in Rules for Radicals:

Rule 4: Make opponents live up to their own book of rules.

The University is supposedly “investigating” the incidents. We’re not holding out much hope, though. Portland State University has allowed its buildings to be used by the violent Occupy Portland group and has ignored requests for investigations into the members of the International Socialist Organization group which meets on campus. Members of that group issued anti black and anti gay epithets at Tea Party members on April 11, 2011 (here, here, here).

Tell ’em where you saw it. Http://www.victoriataft.com