Posted on 12/16/2001 12:40:10 PM PST by 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
If the speaker was being booed for the reasons you say, I have a hard time understanding, then, what she meant by the comment, "Heaphy told The Sacramento Bee afterward that the hecklers were merely blaming the messenger." If the hecklers liked the "message" (i.e. crackdown on terrorism, etc.) then what would they have "blamed" the messenger for?
Of course maybe Ms. Heaphy's comment just means that she's a delusional leftist who has no clue. ;)
... The last finalist is Donald Gerth, president of California State University-Sacramento, where 3,000 copies of the State Hornet were stolen in October. But first, a quiz: Suppose a campus has bomb threats, four outbreaks of violence at the football game (one of them fatal), and a picture in the campus paper of a dangerous chokehold being applied to a man who resisted arrest at the game. Which of these events would cause the campus to erupt? Answer: none of the above. A major eruption came because the man shown resisting arrest was a Latino, thus reflecting badly on all Hispanic-Americans. Because of this editorial insensitivity, Latino students stole the papers, used them to barricade the editorial offices, then presented a list of nonnegotiable demands, including a permanent ban on publication of any material depicting minorities in a negative light.During this uproar, President Gerth said nothing. When the State Hornet got a bomb threat and death threats, he did nothing. But a month later, when the ethnic studies department received a bomb threat, he whirled into action. He called out campus police and contacted the FBI. He sent out a stern campuswide letter condemning the threat and demanding tolerance.
Citing the obvious double standard, a faculty member said, "I think we've got your man for the Sheldon." Yes, you do. Congratulations, Donald Gerth, Sheldon laureate 1999.
Heh, precisely! Though I wouldn't put it so kindly. I'd say she knew exactly what the score is, and is simply spinning to avoid embarrassment and shift the blame, as leftists always do.
In any case, I'm sure video of this will show up online somewhere very shortly, and we can find out what really went down!
applause
Thanks for letting the Waspman see this Ernest_in_the_Breach. You sure brightened up this "Gray" day in the Sierra. Git yer skis on an git offa dat beach!!!
Nothing new there!
You got that right VOYAGER!!!! Then tonight on KCRA channel 3, out of Sacramento, they gave a perspective of the incident "typical" of the "liberal" media. They showed it on TV. It was like they "had" to report it...but tried really hard to lessen the impact of it. They had to admit that it was an "in appropriate" subject matter for a graduation speech. But the Publisher/President of the Sacramento Bee, said she would endeavor to get her message out. (should have warned you it was a "barf" alert in some parts :o) The tv report showed a lot of people LEAVING The ARCO Arena!!!! :o)
I remember when a bunch of us rallied at the capitol to support George Bush the candidate. We saw a TON of anti- Sac Bee posters. Seems that newspaper is a big supporter of Al Gore. So her stand is no surprize to many of us in the Northern part of the State. But we came out in FORCE to oppose stands like that of the Sacramento Bee.
Trust me.. if you look at the county map of the United States.. President Bush took the state!!! I can tell you.. you will see a TON of President Bush stickers in this farming community. Farmers generally "get" it!! :o)
FRegards friend!!
Those who have large "ping lists" could ya ping some people to reply 28? There is an e-mail link to the University President,..and to the Sacramento Bee President. I think these people need "Freeped" in the worst way!!!
She reports,. SHE decides!!!
People in this area are very aware of her leanings. And it looks like they just aren't gonna take it anymore :o)
At least it would be nice for a change.
She should go talk to David Horowitz. Seems they have the same problem. Oh, I'm sorry. He's on the right, different problem.
Ya, they just did a promo for "film at 11:00" cause they are gonna show it again.
Hey, did I see you down at the Crapitol for the Demonicrat attempted election theft? The bumper sticker was:"I DON'T TRUST THE SACRAMENTO BEE!"
I got a handful and put one on my car and on the way home I got a ticket for not having my 2001 license sticker put on yet... Dang! $10 fixit ticket. I got so paranoid, I took the bumpersticker off!!! Figured I was a marked man.(grin)
Nuthin on TV but Bart Simpson, Charlie Brown and ANTS!!! Heard one ant tellin another, "We don't think much of individualism around these parts... kinda makes one vulnerable!" The Simpsons are full of blasphemy and Lucy as a shrink reminds me of too many liberals I know... YUCK!!!
The disturbing thing to me is... people calling themselves conservatives on this site that act the same way. They only want to read what they want to read in the replies or comments and no one dare give them an opposing viewpoint without getting all the hair singed offa the body.
Have you seen the latest liberal bumpersticker? It just says... "WHATEVER" And so it goes...
No, its not. It's childish, rude, Nazi-like and stems from ignorance and arrogance same as it always has.
Its disruption, and security should put an end to it, 5 minutes of foot stomping is far beyond civilized expression.
Its a crime, called disturbing the peace. See #59
Theres a threshold where civilized expression of dissent in such a forum is breached and you ARE disturbing the peace. A nice democratic, random sample, of these people need to be made an example of via the LAW to yank a knot in the tail of this lunacy. Any objection to that I would consider to be an affirmation towards the trend of political barbarism that is engulfing our campuses.
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