Posted on 08/31/2012 8:10:37 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
If a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged, you might say that James Taranto became solidly conservative when his free speech was mugged by liberals.
Taranto is the author of the inimitable Best of the Web Today column at the online edition of the Wall Street Journal. In a wide-ranging interview with NewsBusters at the RNC yesterday, Tarantoasked how he became a conservativedescribed his experience as a college student-newspaper editor. He had written a column defending the free speech rights of a college journalist at another university who had been suspended for published a politically-incorrect cartoon regarding affirmative action. Taranto soon found himself suspended as well. It was the realization, contrary to his previous assumptions, that liberals often do not support free speech that, in Taranto's words, "solidified me on the right." View the video here.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsbusters.org ...
Getting mugged by the liberal thought police helped make a conservative out of the Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto. Ping to the Today show list.
I guess a LIBERAL is an “individual who will proudly defend to the death your “right” to say anything that HE/SHE agrees with. Do not think that “right” extends to anything they do not agree with, if you know what is good for you.
Ha! I went through that in college years ago.
I had a professor who docked me a whole letter grade because I was not Liberal!
That guy invented a life-long and rabid Conservative that day!
He’d best watchout.
There are anti-free speech enthusiasts on both sides of the political spectrum
Had that same experience in a Sociology class back in the day.
I thought I was a liberal until college. I had a leftist girlfriend. Attended a few “divest South Africa” rallies, which was the issue on campus at the time. Couldn’t stand the mindless cliches and closed-mindedness of the participants.
Also, I saw that many of the people attending were clearly not from our school. Its the first I started to understand that the concept of agitation and outside organization the Left uses as well.
Here's the cartoon in question:
In my freshman writing class, I wrote one paper supporting getting rid of the now dead 55 mph speed limit. This was in 1986 and even before 65 mph was permitted on rural interstates. I was given a low grade on the paper and a lecture on top of that supporting the hated 55 mph limit.
> Ha! I went through that in college years ago.
> I had a professor who docked me a whole letter grade because I was not Liberal!
> That guy invented a life-long and rabid Conservative that day!
here in the detroit area, many years ago, was a comedian on radio who did his schtick as the voice of dick the bruiser....
one day he was commenting on the 55 speed limit. he said “ It’s not 55 saves lives, it’s draggin ass saves gas”...
I miss richard t. bruiser...
In 7th grade we had to write a paper on what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wrote a (at least I thought) great paper, on what I wanted to be, why, what I would be doing, etc.
The teacher told me to do it over. Not for mistakes in organization, grammer, bad handwriting, or anything like that. She just didn’t like the career that I (at that time) wanted.
Not a liberal/conservative thing, but who was she to decide what I should or should not do with my life?
It’s a mind-set that must be sternly suppressed.
I have to ask, what was the horrible career that shocked your teacher?
I wanted to be an officer in the US Army
Fifty Five and stay alive.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.