University of Michigan and Free Speech
University of Michigan President Schlissel told the Detroit Economic Club that he intends to allow the “white supremacist” to speak at the University.
The Detroit News is reporting that the U of M President stated the following at the Detroit Economic Club:
If the University of Michigan does not allow Richard Spencer to speak, we will surely be sued and we will lose and (that) would make Spencer more of a hero in his community…If we were to say no, we’d be sued and we would surely lose ... and what we would do is turn this person into more of a hero in his own community…We’d lift him up.
Apparently U of M students, who appear to have no idea what the First Amendment of the Constitution states or means, have been pushing U of M to not allow Mr. Spencer to speak. They believe that someone “like him” should not be given a platform to promote his beliefs because they clash with the University of Michigan values.
The U of M President then stated to the Detroit Economic Club:
Our strength as a nation is we have an outstanding Constitution and a Bill of Rights to rely on in times of crisis but also every day, to guide us and express our shared values…The Constitution is incredibly important, maybe more so now than some other recent decades.
Interesting statement, it appears the Mr. Schlissel had no problem with the Constitution being trampled over the last 8 years but only now speaks of the greatness of our Constitution today. Today he holds the Constitution in high esteem because someone is in the oval office with different ideas then he has.
Also interesting is that Mr. Schlissel never addressed, during his entire speech at the Detroit Economic Club, what would happen if a person requested a platform to speak at U of M and had the same ideals of the protesters but other students at the school felt that those beliefs were against their own. If he were to deny Mr. Spencer the ability to speak he would have to deny others the ability to speak, thus the First Amendment would hold little value.
I would also ask the protesters if it would be OK for the U of M President to deny people the ability to speak at the University who had the same ideals as their own, but others at the school do not like their ideals. If they were smart enough to understand the trap their heads would explode.
Seeing that they do not seem to understand what the First Amendment is and why it is there, do not worry their heads would not explode.
Maybe they should require a class at U of M explaining what the U.S. Constitution is and why it was written.