The University of Southern California (USC) is under fire this week after announcing that it had a solution to the possible pro-Palestinian protests at the graduation: it cancelled the graduation. It is both enabling and irresponsible. Rather than protect students and their families at this important and well-earned event in their lives, the university is yielding to the mob. It is a feckless and feeble response to what should have been an easy decision for any administrator.
Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin reported, “USC announces it is cancelling its main stage commencement ceremony. Comments shut off. Brutal for the class of ‘24. Likely didn’t get a high school graduation during COVID in 2020, and now won’t get a traditional college graduation.”
Individual school commencement ceremonies, doctoral hooding ceremonies and other celebrations will still be held.
The cancellation came after USC shut down its campus over anti-Israel protests, including 93 arrests. The campus was the scene of a “Gaza Solidarity Occupation” protest in defiance of demands that the protesters leave the area.
The cancellation came after USC selected valedictorian, Muslim biomedical engineering student Asna Tabassum to give a commencement speech. That offer was then rescinded after her critics accused her of promoting anti-Israel rhetoric on social media. The school then announced that there would be no such student commencement address.
The decision to just cancel the ceremony is reminiscent of the recent decision of Columbia to “deactivate” the university ID of a professor for his own protection because his presence might cause a violent or threatening response from pro-Palestinian protesters on campus.
The problem of violent protests and threats on campus is not solved by removing the potential victims. To yield this ground is to surrender control over not just the campus but the academic operations of the school. Higher education has to aspire to be more than a mere mobocracy where threats not logic prevail.
Terminology correction:
They are not “pro-Palestinian”, they are pro-Hamas supporters of terrorism.
No, they are not
Uncurious George, there is no such thing as a “Pro-Palestinian” even among the dozens of Islamic rulers around the globe. The Islamic leaders have slaughtered Arab serfs en masse throughout history and in recent times as well. Even during this current M.E. war, they are celebrating it when they can get photos of dead Arab human shields they can use as propaganda tools, because that’s what they think of them as. Their real desire is to mass murder Jews and Christians. If they really cared about the so-called “Palestinians,” they would be forcing Hamas to return the hostages and surrender, setting up the possibility of a new “Palestinian” State, from which they could later launch a much more successful campaign to murder Jews and Chrisitians. But that requires long-term hatred of Jews and Chrisitians. And Nazis, Commies, Islamic Staters, and other on the Left that you cherish and adore, just have to have their mass murders of Jews and Christians right now, without waiting.
Of course, YOU get to decide for everyone what should be the correct label because YOU are the expert.
Christians are just a different Jewish sect since Jesus was always Jewish. You’re not Christian, you’re just a different flavor of the Jewish faith.
Palestinians are still Palestinians. Hamas is a political body. You seem so confused. You should ask your rabbi for clarification.
Exactly.
Professor Turley’s column is a failure to recognize censorship thru a hecklers veto. Turley mentions hecklers veto often in the wrong context which is odd because he’s a law professor and he shows often that he doesn’t understand what a hecklers veto is.
This whole issue about cancelling graduation because the school made a serious mistake by preventing the valedictorian from speaking who happened to be Muslim and feared she would use her speech to criticize Israel. Such a serious violator of free speech should have prompted Turley to defend her and chastise the school. But that didn’t happen. The professor chose to blame the mob instead. A mob that that he assumed would be violent because…it’s a mob. 1st law students noticed the distinction. But Turley didn’t? Turley may have a bias against Muslim speakers.
Do hecklers veto through the use of a heckler’s veto?
The use and abuse of words, language, is on full display once again. What is a ‘student?’ When the ‘authorities’ in Gaza (which means an entity whose communications to world-wide media totally controlled by individuals who are Hamas personnel, when those authorities state the current number of dead include largely ‘women and children,’ what are women and children? Women carrying a machine gun are just as lethal in the middle-East as the men; children as young as 9 or 10 years of age who carry machine guns are just as lethal as any man.
The press reports always add that ‘these numbers don’t differentiate who among the dead are actually Hamas terrorists versus women and children.
What exactly does it mean when a ‘protester’ in the United States is ‘Pro-Palestine’ or Pro-Palestinian. What is the definition of Palestine.
Bunches of words, language — often used by the media not to clarify, but to confuse.
“Protests are supposed to be disruptive or not follow rules.”
That sounds warm and fuzzy, until you look at the facts of the protests.
There is no such thing as the “right” to occupy property that you do not own — not Wall Street, not a city, not a Quad, administrator’s office or campus. There is no such thing as the “right” to violate a student’s right to the education, ceremonies, and campus facilities his tuition pays for.
To invoke such a “right” is the Left’s premise: Our protestors can do whatever they damn well please. And force the innocent to pay for the consequences of those (rotten) choices.
Further, such “rights” are in fact *crimes*: trespassing, disturbing the peace, resisting arrest, property theft.
Students are not trespassing. They are students who paid to be there. They are not disturbing the peace either. They are not resisting arrest either. No property theft. All of your claims are without evidence.
Protests are often held in streets, corners, public parks and yes even public, and private universities. What you want is to suppress their right to protest by falsely citing violence.
When students are expelled, they are criminally trespassing.
When students are informed by managers that they are disturbing the peace, students are disturbing the peace.
They haven’t been accused of such by university staff. In fact. They support students.
“Students are not . . .”
It is worse than pointless to argue with those suffering from self-induced blindness.
None have been charged with trespassing. University leadership has not declared students are trespassing. Maybe you should pay attention before making wild claims.
“None have been charged with trespassing.”
For those who still use their own two eyes:
That is laughably false. Countless of students throughout the country have been *arrested* for trespassing.
In 30 seconds one can learn all about the Hamas protests.
https://twitter.com/Osint613/status/1783167675037823382?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1783167675037823382%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=safari-reader%3A%2F%2Fwww.frontpagemag.com%2Fvideo-watch-protesters-at-nyu-answer-the-question-of-why-they-are-protesting%2F%3Futm_source%3DFrontPageMagazineutm_campaign%3Dc3355236c3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_04_26_04_23utm_medium%3Demailutm_term%3D0_57e32c1dad-c3355236c3-5BLIST_EMAIL_ID5Dmc_cid%3Dc3355236c3mc_eid%3Daad02e7205
New reports say the tent camp-ins are funded by George Soros. Too rich to tackle. Took down Glenn Beck and Carlson and a few others. When will he pay the piper?
Is there an allegation that Sorros is engaged in anything beyond legally spending his own money as he wishes ?
Look I think that what he is doing is stupid and damaging.
But no one has shown me that he is doing anything illegal.
If Geroge Sorros wants to find illegal immigrants transportation to the US – that is his business.
If he wants to by tents etc for pro-hamas protestors he is free to do so.
I do not want people dictating what Sorros can do with his money – because I do not want people dictating what I or anyone else can do with mine.
“Is there an allegation that Sorros is engaged in anything beyond legally spending his own money as he wishes ?”
John, I don’t know of anything illegal that Soros is directly engaged in, but indirectly, his actions can lead to outcomes that are not just illegal, but also wrong and hateful. I take a keen interest in any organization to ensure that he or his Open Society is not involved. This is a straightforward way of distinguishing between what’s beneficial and what’s potentially harmful.
Are the tents Soros funding helps supply for the good of people? No. They are enabling hate and violence against good people, but as you say, they are legal. It is Soros’s way of committing crimes. Let someone else do it.
The United States just taking out the garbage. National security.
Obama is running for his fourth term in a kangaroo courtroom.
Obama’s fourth term is unconstitutional so he employs the Biden ruse.
Obama, the wannabe tin-pot dictator, is hiding behind “fake” lawfare and banana republic corruption.
Oh, heck no, 2020 wasn’t “fixed.”
Jonathan: DJT has a “Pecker” problem. David Pecker’s testimony this week was compelling and devastating for DJT’s defense–that his hush money payments were only meant to keep Melania and the family from finding out. That wasn’t the reason.
When asked by the prosecutor whether DJT’s concern was about his family learning about the sex with McDougal and Daniels, Pecker said: “I thought it was for the campaign”. A follow up Q from the prosecutor asked Pecker whether DJT expressed any concern about how Melania would react to the stories about McDougal and Daniels, Pecker answered “No”. It’s pretty clear from Pecker’s testimony that DJT was only concerned about one thing–how voters would react to finding DJT was having sexual affairs with two women when his wife was at home with their newborn.
I have a friend who is a criminal defense attorney. He says Pecker is the gift from heaven for DA Bragg’s legal team. Pecker’s testimony alone will sink DJT and turn what ordinarily would be a misdemeanor into a felony. All the following witnesses will simply corroborate what Pecker said during the first week of trial. Pecker is the whole enchilada and DJT knows it!
Dennis,
Yeah, I know, I’m feeding a troll, but I feel compelled to say something very short and to the point.
If people of your ilk hated Adolph Hitler as much as you hate Trump, would WWII have even happened at all?
Ron J. : Sorry, but I’m not a “troll”. But as to your Q had the German people and the international community stood up to Hitler from the very beginning he perhaps wouldn’t have become chancellor or later dictator. Hitler was backed financially by German financiers, the wealthy and the arms manufacturers. Without that financial support Hitler would probably not have succeeded. These were the same kind of forces that backed DJT in 2016. They wanted a more “business friendly” environment–lower taxes, freedom from regulation, etc. DJT gave them that. This year not so much. Bankers and other wealthy power brokers have pretty much deserted DJT because of all his legal scandals and especially his ongoing criminal trial. They pretty much support Biden and his handling of the economy–so they don’t want to upset the apple cart by siding with DJT.
“. Without that financial support Hitler would probably not have succeeded. These were the same kind of forces that backed DJT in 2016.”
You have to look again, Dennis. DJT’s appeal to many was as a populist. Most of the wealthiest voted Democrat. Why are you wrong about nearly everything?
“They wanted a more “business friendly” environment–lower taxes, freedom from regulation, etc. DJT gave them that.”
DJT’s policies led to a robust economy, with the working class benefiting from lower taxes and increased incomes. In stark contrast, Biden’s policy reversals have plunged our country into decline. It’s hard to ignore these facts.
“Bankers and other wealthy power brokers have pretty much deserted DJT because of all his legal scandals and especially his ongoing criminal trial.”
Contrary to your belief, few, if any, are abandoning Trump. In fact, many who initially voted for Biden are reconsidering their choice and returning to Trump. The wealthy individuals you refer to are those who advocate for corporatism. They saw Biden as a means to exploit more, disregarding the welfare of American workers and the environment. Their support for undocumented immigrants stems from their desire for cheap labor.
It seems like you might be influenced by individuals like Zuckerberg, or on his payroll. He reportedly spent hundreds of millions of dollars in support of Biden and his policies. This kind of influence can skew the political landscape.
Pecker’s testimony is meaningless to the Trial. It never touched on the indictment charges.
Yesterday the NY top appellate court tossed the rape conviction of that hollywood rapist. Why. the trial judge allowed testimony that never touched on the charges before the court.
No sentient lawyer thinks Pecker did anything but harm Colangelos’s prosecution.
Actually it was damanging to Bragg/Colangello.
Pecker testified that “catch and Kill” is normal. That he has been doing ti for years.
That even the “paper of record” does it.
That Trump has been doing it for years BEFORE he ran for president.
That a long list of Democrats and republicans and wealthy people and Celebrities have hired him to do this.
That the deal over MacDougal was with Cohen not Trump, and that Cohen never paid him.
In truth though Pecker fleshed out details of how news stories are bought – sometime to run the story and sometimes to kill the story.
Proving details most of us did not know.
He did NOT reveal anthing new from a criminal perspective.
It is not a Crime when a celebrity pays to kill a story.
It is not a Crime when a politician pays to kill a story.
It is not a Crime when a wealthy person pays to kill a story.
It is not a crime when National Enquirer kills a story.
It is not a crime when the entire MSM conspires to kill a story.
It may be sleazy – but if that does not make it a crime.
If you want to chose not to vote for Trump over this – you are free to do so.
But if that is a principle for you – then you can not vote for Biden or Clinton either.
Nah
Pecker said, “I thought it was for the campaign.”
Speculation much–?!!?
Pecker may have ESPN but he does not have ESP
Nor is he a mindreader
Pecker should have brought his Magic 8-Ball to court
The details are making this case even weaker.
But the truth is Bragg’s strongest case is STILL not a crime.
If Trump paid Clifford directly for the NDA – if it is beyond any doubt it was for the campaign.
Trump is free to personally spend as much as he wants on his own campaign.
Decades ago SCOTUS shot down all laws restricting what candidates could do with their own money in a campaign.
Even when the money does NOT come from the candidate – Federal election law is generally very weak – that is why no one is ever prosecuted for campaign finance violations. Campaign finance is NOT in the powers of the federal government.
The way that the Federal government gets its foot in the door is by providning matching funds.
This is often the way the federal government works arround the fact that the constitution does not give it some power.
Dream on, deludinoid.
I would suggest reading the transcript – it should be available now.
Pecker ended up being a powerful Trump witness.
According to Pecker –
1). he does this all the time.
For Republican candidates, for democratic candidates, for celebrities, for wealthy people.
2). The rest of the media does this too.
3). He has been doing this with Trump for years.
4). Trump was not involved with Cohen’s efforts to get an NDA from Stormy Daniels.
Pecker has disconnected Trump from direct involvement with Cohen. To be clear that does not mean Trump did not pay Cohen to solve the problem of embarrassing stories becoming public. It means that Trump did NOT direct Cohen how to do that nor was he aware of exactly what Cohen was doing.
Pecker billed Cohen – not Trump for the McDougal story. Cohen never paid.
Pecker just testified that either this case is stupid – because there is no crime,
Or this case is stupid because if this is a crime pretty much everyone in politics (and clebrities, and wealhty people) is doing it.
What is it that you think Pecker testified to that is damaging to Trump ?
One of the core problems you left wing nuts have is
It is NOT a crime for Republicans to try to win elections.
It is ludicrous for idiots like you to be trying to claim there is some special exception to the law for Trump’s conduct,
such that if Rahm Emanueal or Hillary Clinto or Bill Clinton does it, it is legal, but if Trump does it, it is a crime.
The ACTUAL take away from Peckers testimony is:
There was an actual conspiracy to “influence the 2016 election” – by engaging in perfectly legal activities that
all or nearly all candidates do, that much of the media does.
Did the Biden campaign engage in Federal Election law violations by trying to kill the NY POST hunter Biden Laptop story ?
Did Hillary engage in Federal Election law violations when she had Blumenthal plant the Ukraine/Burisma story in 2015 to get Biden to chose not to run ?
Next, while Trump had a friendly relationship with Pecker and Pecker placed stories favorable to Trump, and disfavorable to Trump oponents throughout the campaign – and before – again something that goes on all the time.
Trump was out of the loop regarding much of what Cohen was doing for his fee.
Pecker COULD be wrong about communications between Trump and Cohen.
Obviously he only knows what Cohen told him, and what Trump told him.
But the FACTS – such as that the NDA was between Cohen and Clifford – not Trump and Clifford, and that Pecker billed Cohen not Trump
strongly suggest that Trump directed Cohen to as a lawyer go out and kill off potentially unfavorable stories.
That Trump paid Cohen an arranged monthly retainer to do so, and was NOT involved in the details of What Cohen did.
That he likely did not even know whether Cohen was using Pecker to buy stories – as with McDougal, or whether Cohen was getting NDA’s as with Clifford.
It does not make Braggs case if that is wrong – he still has no case.
But if you can not connect Trump to the decision making even the alleged misdemeanor becomes untenable – not that it was ever solid.
John Say: We can agree on one thing when you say “There was an actual conspiracy to ‘influence the 2016 election'”. That conspiracy involved both the Pecker/Cohen/DJT “catch and kill” plan but also the secret hush money payments. If DJT thought he was doing nothing illegal why did he disguise the payments to Cohen as “legal expenses”. Why didn’t he just label them “campaign reimbursements”? No, DJT knew what he was doing was a violation of campaign finance laws. That’s why he is being charged with a felony. That’s really at the heart of the case.
As to your other claims:
–That DJT “was NOT involved in the details of What Cohen did”. FALSE: DJT had almost daily calls with Cohen over the handling of the Daniels’ payments.
–that DJT “did not even know whether Cohen was using Pecker to buy stories”. FALSE: First, it was DJT who giving false stories to Pecker to publish. But Cohen/Pecker/DJT were all aware of the plan and discussed it frequently.
Despite all your feeble attempts at false narratives you have offered no facts to prove Bragg “still has no case”!
Bragg has no case. Your handlers are getting ripped off by retaining you on their payroll
Your friends clients need to find another attorney.
Colangelo’s first witness turned out to be a Trump witness, undermining large parts of the case pretty much fatally for 3 days.
Pecker is “the whole enchalada” – Pecker proved a trump conspired to legally win the election.
You still do not understand – that while Pecker actually distanced Trump from much of this,
Everything that was done was LEGAL. It was also NORMAL. It was not unusual.
“I thought it was for the campaign”.
So what?
The Left’s theory of the “crime” (at least today) is: It is illegal for a candidate to kill a story for the purpose of influencing an election.
If that’s now a crime, we’ll need a new penitentiary for the journalists, social media execs, bureaucrats, and federal officers who “hushed” the laptop story and who now “hush” Biden’s dementia.
Cowards, all.
Israel is an ally of the United States.
Hamas members who are Palestinian are enemies of Israel.
Enemies of America’s allies are America’s enemies.
So-called pro-Palestinian protestors commit constitutional treason “in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.”
Pro-Palestinian protestors who are citizens and visitors on visas in America are direct and mortal enemies of the American thesis of Freedom and Self-Reliance, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, actual Americans, and America.
Nothing is more insane than a bunch of spoiled university students who are gullible and malleable to propaganda and who allow themselves to be lead by the nose in a pointless exercise of supporting terrorism and terrorists that will lead to their arrest and expulsion from the university. For what? It is not their cause. Even if it were, they are hurting the cause.
Meanwhile, the top leaders of Hamas are billionaires living the good life in countries outside of Gaza, jetting around the world living in the lap of luxury. This is the same story that has played out for years. Funds intended for the folks are funneled away from their intended use.
they wanted to do some good, shine a spotlight on these criminals and the terrorists pulling the levers of power.
Regarding the authorities. If they had to will, they could make short work of the mob and of crime. But isn’t that the point of terrorism? To disrupt life?
Weirdly, universities seem to have no Operational Space when dealing w/ these protests
Cancelling commencement–?!!?
Universities are confirming they have no Plan A & no Plan B when it comes to an energized mob
This is the response to those who felt the pro life guy in Seattle should have just taken his protest somewhere more convenient. When you bow to the mob, it’s over.
Jewish students should take a firearms instruction course as required in NY in order to apply for a concealed carry permit for their own protection. While New York law allows for private entities (such as a university) to prohibit firearms ion their property, perhaps if the State and City were inundated with concealed carry applications the Governor and the Mayor would then get the message and step up to protect Jewish students.
Many of the protesters are ‘Jewish students’.
*and criticizing Israel/U.S. policy in Gaza, Bibi/Biden in particular, is not ‘antisemitic’.
When the Nazis came for the Jews, they didn’t ask if they were religiously observant or zionists.
History. Full of inconvenient facts.
That is correct, But chanting death to Jews is antisemitic.
Chanting 10,000 Oct 7ths is antisemitic.
Antisemetic speech si still legal protected first amendment speech.
But if my kids were on campus doing this – they would be financially cut off.
And if this were my alamater – that would be the end of my donations.
Beyond being anti-semetic, this is also pro-terrorist, and pro acts of terrorism.
I would further note that what is offensive about this is not specifically about Israel.
If Students were protesting and chanting 10,000 9/11’s – that would not be antisemetic.
But it would be very wrong.
Whatever the US flaws – 9/11 was not justified. It was immoral – it was an act of war, and the result was a war.
Whatever Israel’s flaws – 10/7 was not justified – it was immoral – it was an act of war and the result was a war.
You are free to oppose just wars. None of us much like wars.
But if a nation does not protect its own people – it will not last long.
The response to acts of war is War.
USC’s decision to give cancel graduation falls right in line with many Universities who have yielded to student demands that they be given A’s in all of their courses. The tail is officially wagging the dog in today’s Amerika.