We keep getting deluged with letters about Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist’s visit last week. Many of them are from the Conservative Student Union, actually from 20 percent of its entire membership (the president and vice president), claiming Gilchrist’s First Amendment rights were denied.
Really? We were under the impression Gilchrist was afforded twice the amount of time to speak than was originally planned.
It’s difficult to imagine why somebody would show up to Cal State Long Beach for an open forum wearing bulletproof vest in the first place. To top off that show-stopper, he made a sweeping gesture of bravado by taking the vest off.
Wow, what courage.
No freedom of speech was breached when he made his valiant announcement, while removing the vest, “I’d rather live free or die.” Now that free speech made for some real “dramedy.” Many of us laughed so hard we missed our regular classes.
The vest looked more like a hospital bib than protective covering. Perhaps if Gilchrist had visited a haberdasher first, he would have learned that vests should be worn under the suit coat, not on top.
The truth is, everybody last Tuesday was afforded the great demands of the First Amendment, which is not only a right, but a responsibility. The hefty portion of the audience, including Border Angels founder Enrique Morones, decided to practice their First Amendment right by not engaging or listening to Gilchrist.
Isn’t it ironic that we have the right to say what we want on a university campus? The irony plays out that we also have the right not to listen to what we choose to ignore.
Back to the flak vest. It seemed that not only was there no imminent danger from heavily armed CSULB ruffians, but nobody even brought their straws and spitballs.
With the CSU and the Minuteman volumes of information on the CSU’s favorite academic research resource – Google – how could students and faculty of our institution not take offense? Especially when they are the ones who sent it to everybody on the planet via list servers and e-mails? Hilarious, huh?
With everything that’s been published, including Gilchrist’s fiasco at Columbia University, the CSULB community showed valiant restraint by avoiding confrontation. Instead of minimizing and separating groups on our campus, Gilchrist managed to wake up a sleeping giant of dissent. For that, we must thank him.
Students and faculty formed an eclectic coalition to represent every underrepresented group who cared to join. Their purpose was to protest peacefully. They achieved that purpose.
The First Amendment is a double-edged sword. Among the things not covered by freedom of speech and assembly are the famous, “You can’t shout fire in a crowded theater.” Nobody shouted “fire” in the Beach Auditorium. They simply walked outside.
The only way to imagine Gilchrist’s freedom of speech was jeopardized is if it’s illegal to speak to the crickets. That’s apparently what got his flak vest in a bind.
By spewing anti-immigrant rhetoric on campuses across the U.S., Gilchrist could hardly have been expecting a 35,000-plus community to provide him with a collective lap dance, now could he?
The crowd that went outside and exercised their First Amendment rights did Gilchrist and the CSU a huge favor. They gave them double the allotted speaking time.
Unfortunately, for both groups, it was to a near empty auditorium.
Isn’t free speech and freedom to assemble grand?
