"Bigots are not welcome in Colorado": Greeting David Horowitz, part II

[angka]

DAVID HOROWITZ

Reactionary

Intellectual bigot

Beset with childhood psychological issues

Demagogue

Racial provocateur

Corporate apologist

Litigious blowhard

Karl Rove's right-hand man

NOT YOUR FRIEND



Operation Choda Boy, part II: D-day

The Denver Broncos have a natural advantage at every home game because they play at about 5,300 feet above sea level. These guys come up from, say, California, and get their asses handed to them. This will become more important in a minute.

A half hour before the main event, there was a small demonstration against Horowitz's visit on the east side of the Tivoli building. It was of some initial comfort to see multiple media cameras filming the protest, but they never asked any of the several excellent speakers a question when given the chance to. They appear to have been strictly interested in some stock footage to roll behind whatever report they plan to make. I'll be watching 7 News here in about fifteen minutes to see what they report. GOP hecklers made this a fairly raucous event.

Now, the Tivoli Turnhalle is a wonderful venue for speakers, and as I took my seat in the upper balcony for the main event, along with the redoubtable DUer Hawkeyex (any others there?), I saw that they really had set up a fine stage. Complete with bouquets of white flowers around the podium—it was like Sunday morning.

There were a significant number of conservatives in attendance. Some were easy to spot: Elderly, angry looking people and bald white guys wearing dress slacks. Others looked just like the rest if the diverse student body. They were only identifiable when they started telling the vocal majority to shut up.

Because for all of the preparations; the nice venue, the nosh platters, the multiple projectors and live internet stream, Mr. Horowitz got the kind of greeting he deserved. And he was not up to the challenge.

He began his remarks by noting that the altitude was getting to him. He was wheezy and breathless. I cannot believe that the rambling, hour and a half of unfocused demagoguery was what he planned to talk about. And it took him many precious seconds to get the crowd back after making such hysterical claims as history professors who publicly opposed the war in Iraq were harming their 'professional credibility.'

After which, of course, he made the mistake of taking questions. A huge line instantly appeared. There were a couple of weak-minded dittohead solidarity nonquestions, and the rest of the people tore him up one side and down the other. Possibly the best one was the reporter for the CU advocate, who pointed out that in thirty years of operation, neither MSCD nor UCD had ever had a single grievance filed by a student alleging discrimination over political ideology.

Horowitz responded by saying the right wing students were probably 'too afraid' to file a grievance for fear of retaliation. And that total bullshit fearmongering statement pretty much sums up what's going on here—Horowitz and his GOP legislator cronies want to create a problem where there is none; then use that manufactured problem to, as Mike Littwin put it, 'storm the liberal ivory tower' of academia and ensure that their corporate apologist, doublespeaking propaganda is given equal weight with the truer facts of history.

Nobody threw anything, except for a few of us who made confetti of his so-called 'Academic Bill of Rights.'

Here's the point: Horowitz is not some impartial intellectual arguing for any real diversity of thought. He is just another shill for the GOP culture warriors who are presently running our country. His is the same stock and trade as the book burner and 'gospel of wealth' social Darwinists. He is a hack for Karl Rove. And they already have too much power. They own the governments, state and federal. They control the commercial media that everyone depends on. They're NOT GETTING MY SCHOOL, TOO. The next few weeks will be very interesting, as many concerned students begin expressing to the Board of Trustees just what 'academic freedom' means to them.

In the meantime, I can look back fondly at this event. He did not get a pass. His presence and despicable statements served to remind many in attendance just how important it is to be a strident progressive right now.

[RandomKoolzip]

1. Good for you! Horowitz is a putz.

I read about that "Academic Bill f Rights" in last week's Wall Street Journal, and almost barfed. Ex-Marxist turned Slave Trade Apologist...ewww.

Too bad this guy is such an asshole; he's a big influence on the writer of one of my favorite books: "Rock and the Pop Narcotic" by Joe Carducci.

[LoneStarLiberal]

2. Conservatives Just Don't Want To Abide By Their Social Contract

They get the big salaries and the corporate board room, we get enough to get by and higher education. Screw them. If they don't like, they can learn to be liberal.

To anyone who spouts Horowitz's monkey mongering at you, just ask them if they've ever been to Texas A&M. Now there's a repressive liberal school! NOT!

[curse10]

3. What a schmuck

Who hosted the event? MSCD? UCD?

I totally would have gone and heckled him if I were still in attendance there! :-)

[angka]

4. pretty sure it was MSCD student affairs.

but mostly i would thank senator john andrews and governor owens.

and i did try to let folks know:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=436742

:)

[angka]

5. bump

:kick:

[angka]

6. AM bump: and some anecdotes from the morning after:

1) alot of good progressives, both in student government and out got to meet each other and network a bit over this. since this was just the first volley in what will likely be a prolonged fight over this orwellian academic 'bill of rights,' that's probably a good thing.

2) Haven't looked at the paper yet this morning, but the TV news coverage was generally very poor. Short bumpers of the outside protests, long examinations of the issue with Horowitz and his on-camera supporters.

3) Some people out there are just never going to get the simple fact that an objective examination of history tends to make people liberal.

[IrateCitizen]

7. Thanks for your account, but I have one comment

3) Some people out there are just never going to get the simple fact that an objective examination of history tends to make people liberal.

First thing, there is really no such thing as an "objective" examination of history. If you don't believe me, read Howard Zinn's intro to A People's History of the United States. All historians (and people) come to the study of history with their own preconceptions, and largely seek out those things that confirm their preconceptions. For example, I am a big "history hobbyist", but the majority of stuff I read presents a more liberal view of history.

Secondly, I'm not so certain that this examination tends to make a person more "liberal" -- but it DOES tend to make them less of an unthinking automaton. I have no problem with people who are conservatives, so long as they are THINKING conservatives with whom you can have a rational debate and just agree to disagree on conclusions (or, in some instances, find areas of mutual agreement). But thinking conservatives is not what the likes of Horowitz are after. They want dittoheads -- people who will not question what they are told, and will only react with visceral hatred toward anything that challenges their narrow worldview.

[angka]

8. less of an 'unthinking automaton'=more liberal

i don't think we really disagree here, except to say that as a history major, i think there are facts of history which are not subject to relativism or equivocation. they can only be distorted by people with an agenda.

distortions work because even many college graduates fail to learn anything from their history classes...

[revcarol]

9. Big difference between the Kucinich reception

and Horowitz's?