News Publisher Booed During Speech

AP ^ | December 16, 2001 | Associated Press

[Mushinronshasan]

News Publisher Booed During Speech
By Associated Press
December 16, 2001, 4:14 PM EST

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A newspaper publisher's commencement speech was drowned out by hecklers when she mentioned threats to civil liberties posed by the federal government's investigation of the terrorist attacks.

Janis Besler Heaphy, president and publisher of The Sacramento Bee, was delivering the midyear graduation address Saturday to about 17,000 people at California State University in Sacramento.

When Heaphy raised questions about racial profiling, limits on civil rights and the establishment of military tribunals, the audience interrupted by clapping and stomping their feet for five minutes.

University President Don Gerth tried to quiet the audience, but Heaphy stopped speaking after more loud heckling erupted.

Heaphy told The Sacramento Bee afterward that the hecklers were merely blaming the messenger.

"This was a message about civil liberties and our acceptance of differing points of view in American society," she said. "It's a message that needs to continue to be heard."

Gerth blamed the interruption on students' family members and friends and said some students apologized to Heaphy after the ceremony.

"Our students have a right to hear our speaker," Gerth said. "It is a day I will never forget. I am not proud of it."

Heaphy's speech will be posted in its entirety Monday on the university's Web site, Gerth said.

Heaphy said she plans to continue to voice her concerns about potential civil liberties violations.

Copyright © 2001, The Associated Press

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Most interesting!

[Lizavetta]

Where are these civil liberties clowns when government seizures of people's property is going on? When hate crimes laws are passed? When helmet and seatbelt laws are passed?

By the way, the Sacramento Bee is a liberal piece of ****.

[Mushinronshasan]

"Our students have a right to hear our speaker," Gerth said.

She has a right to speak. There is no right to be listened to.

[Ben Bolt]

Bump !

[ambrose]

Believe it or not, we are fighting now so we can preserve the rights of these ding dongs to give these types of speeches.

[mewzilla]

Since when are newspaper publishers supposed to be in the buisness of delivering messages? If Roger Ailes or Rupert Murdoch had done this, Katie Couric et al would have been screaming bloody murder.

[ccmay]

Nice to see a liberal shouted down on a college campus, for once. They've been doing it to conservatives for thirty years.

-ccm

[livius]

Actually, the left has been stomping, whistling and drowning out speakers on university campuses for years now. Odd how they don't like the same tactics turned against them and their sacred utterances....

[altura]

Just ask David Horowitz.

[Sueann]

You forgot - campaign finance reform. Would you believe Daschle was trying to bring it up on Meet the Press today? Amazing, just amazing!

[Husker24]

Im shocked, almost speachless, id never thought that id see the day that this would happen on an American college campus. Its awsome.

[Freedom of Speech Wins]

Some liberals like inserting political views into graduation speeches, trying to imply the entire graduating class will agree or should agree with their politics.

Also a situation with a captive audience that doesn't have a choice as far as whether they wish to hear them.

[TomGuy]

"Our students have a right to hear our speaker,"

And the speaker, Janis Besler Heaphy, president and publisher of The Sacramento Bee, has a right to hear the students. They apparently made themselves heard...and she didn't like it. It wasn't the messenger--it was the message.

Now, Janis Besler Heaphy, president and publisher of The Sacramento Bee, can proudly stand up with Hillary C as another victim of right-wing radicalism (/sarcasm).

I'm not so interested in seeing her comments (to be posted Monday), but I would sure enjoy watching the tape.
That way America could be able to do a comparative analysis of Ms Heaphly's booing and Hillary's booing.
I might be wrong--it might be the messenger(s).

Opps...ended sarcasm earlier, but fingers continued at the keyboard.

[Ditto]

"Our students have a right to hear our speaker," Gerth said. "It is a day I will never forget. I am not proud of it."

This putz should tell it to Ward Conneley, David Horowitz, Robert Bork, Clarence Thomas, Chuck Heston or any of the dozens of conservatives that have been booed, heckled, threatened and worse on ‘illiberal’ college campuses over the years.

[MeekOneGOP]

BUMP to the RIGHT a little more, thank you!

[thinktwice]

Good for the demonstrators ...

Some years ago, I walked out of my son's graduation from Foothill, Junior College near Stanford, California. The black speaker was presenting the most disgusting, waste of time, multicultural speech I'd ever heard.

[Ligeia]

I'm confused. Were the students booing the fact she was criticizing the measures, or the more restrictive measures themselves?

[schaketo]

“Heaphy said she plans to continue to voice her concerns about potential civil liberties violations.“

Do you suppose she was also referring to the 2nd amendment or just civil liberties that met her and her ilk’s litmus test?