Dartblog

The familiar drone of “Si se pudo,” which was the foreign herald of the nationwide immigration rallies some months ago, has returned to New York—this time at Columbia University. Ginning up perceived persecution, as though the application of standing statutes were a crime, students mobbed the stage after the College Republicans group introduced Jim Gilchrist, the founder of the Minuteman Project. Gilchrist was to give a speech on immigration policy and on the activities of his grassroots group. But it was not to be.

Eliana Johnson was there, and reports for the New York Sun:

Students stormed the stage at Columbia University’s Roone auditorium yesterday, knocking over chairs and tables and attacking Jim Gilchrist, the founder of the Minutemen, a group that patrols the border between America and Mexico.

Mr. Gilchrist and Marvin Stewart, another member of his group, were in the process of giving a speech at the invitation of the Columbia College Republicans. They were escorted off the stage unharmed and exited the auditorium by a back door.

Having wreaked havoc onstage, the students unrolled a banner that read, in both Arabic and English, “No one is ever illegal.” As security guards closed the curtains and began escorting people from the auditorium, the students jumped from the stage, pumping their fists, chanting victoriously, “Si se pudo, si se pudo,” Spanish for “Yes we could!”

Gosh, what rogues. Can you imagine the scene? A man is prepared to give a speech, and a band of students set upon him, forcing him to leave the stage, waving nonsensical banners every which way, and sowing general chaos. The police are forced to rush in, and escort the target to the street and to safety through a back door. Their victory achieved—their enemy silenced—the activists shout, “Yes, we could! Yes, we could! Yes, we could!” from the pulpit which was to be the forum for a college-sanctioned address.

What spineless people. Do they have no argument but noise? No cause unless they misrepresent their opponent’s position? No raison d’être but to prevent others from voicing theirs?

Maybe Columbia could add a course in maturity to its core curriculum.

UPDATE: One more quote, if I may. See, Eliana is so expert at getting just the right quips. Read this, also from the Sun story:

“These are racist individuals heading a project that terrorizes immigrants on the U.S.-Mexican border,” Ryan Fukumori, a Columbia junior who took part in the protest, told The New York Sun. “They have no right to be able to speak here.”

Give that man a medal! He’s standing up for the core American values! He knows what it means to be an American!

ANOTHER UPDATE: To be fair, I should note that the last time I was at Columbia, I was at the law school for a Federalist Society event. John Bolton the Terrible was there. And yet, no protests, and no attempts to silence anyone.