Benjamin Franklin once wrote “Love your Enemies, for they tell you your Faults.” Yet, Franklin might be a bit confused by his critics at the University of Pennsylvania. Anti-Israel activists vandalized his statue as a symbol of colonialism. The man who was instrumental in the Declaration of Independence against the British Empire is being denounced as an “imperial” colonizing figure. 
Franklin would likely fess up to any number of “faults” over the excesses of his personal life, but being an imperial colonizer would not be one of them. Indeed, he was estranged from his son, William Franklin (right), who was the last Royal Governor of New Jersey.
Nevertheless, the group Up Against the Occupation, or (u)PAO, posted pictures to Instagram of defacing the statue with red paint. The group called the statue “a symbol of imperial violence and colonialism.”
The red paint was meant to be a “visual reminder of the over 186,000 martyrs and the university’s complicity in genocide.” They also objected that “the University has tried to supress [sic] the student intifada, supressing [sic] Palestinian voices, all in the name of ‘campus safety.’ There are NO Universities left in Gaza. There are NO first days. The education system of Gaza has been systematically destroyed, and the genocide has only expanded.”
This is the Benjamin Franklin who noted in Paris that “It is a common observation here (Paris) that our cause is the cause of all mankind, and that we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own.” That does not quite sound like a supporter of imperial colonial ambitions.
The “colonizer” accusation is reminiscent of the ahistorical objections to GW being called the “Colonials.”
Franklin was a loyal British citizen but then, like many, came to support the cause of “independency.”
He was also not an advocate of violence. This was the figure who declared “May we never see another War! for in my Opinion there never was a good War, or a bad Peace.”
And now for a singing Franklin to wipe away the memory of radicals defacing the statue of one of the greatest American figures in history:
Weren’t we promised this sort of thing would stop with the evil Confederates?
antonio
@Antonio
No doubt. I guess ‘elites’ (i.e. generationally rich clowns) will always think they are somehow better. Let us all present our posteriors for them to pucker up and kiss, and pray we don’t have to actually shoot them in said backsides.
Dear Prof Turley,
Gotta love Ben Franklin. Definitely ahead of his time, he has aged well. I particularly like some of Franklin’s musical instrument inventions!
*the irony, of course, is that Ben Franklin would almost certainly be ‘anti-Israel’ too right now.
Israel is America in establishing a nation in unincorporated territory. Even more so following the fall of the Ottoman/Islamic empire. Would Franklin support the Hamasidal cause pursued through murder, rape, rape-rape, torture-torture, and abduction? He only supported slavery in order to avoid alienating Democratic forces during the revolutionary war.
@ DGSnowden: Why don’t you state why Franklin would be anti-Israel? It is a democracy; Muslims, Christians and Jews vote, and some of each religion are on or were in the Knesset and Supreme Court. It has a market economy, and the culture originates from the same place: Jews, Greeks and Romans.
This demonstrates that even morons can attend university and claim to be highly educated! The future of America is now certain – idiocy will be the dominant trait in the next generation of leadership over the enlightened cultists. On cannot hope to be a leader unless you are a true believer in select revisionist history so as to motivate fellow nit wits!
Nothing will change until these people are arrested and charged like the J6ers.
But not BLM, Antifa, Occupy, abortionists, environmentalists, immigration reformists, Diversitists (e.g. racists, sexists) et al, who actually originated, and didn’t merely respond, to violence.
That said, murder, rape, rape-rape, torture-torture, and abduction in the pursuit of social justice is no ethical vice. Another [ethnic] Spring is in the air.
Regarding the “genocide”, which now seems to total 186,000. Where are the pics of the cemeteries? Still waiting for those pics. Anyone?
J
These little Maoist should be required to spend a semester abroad, preferably in Gaza or Sudan. I am a graduate of Penn and I would set my money on fire before donating to that formerly fine institution
Let’s just face the fact that almost 50% of our citizens have been indoctrinated to hate this country. The far worse fact is what to do with such incendiary tools. They, if left to their own devices, will destroy this nation. What is our obligation, as citizens, to protect our nation and ourselves from them?
“What is our obligation…to protect our nation and ourselves from them?” Ma, it’s been suggested those who genuinely hate other people practicing their Rights here be sent to the Marxist Utopia of their own choosing. Easy? Perhaps not. But it’d be worth it to see the expressions on their faces after they’ve been um, “relocated”.
I agree, but, logistically, we are stuck with generations of mis-educated, indoctrinated tools with little character or work ethic, Just the fact that these types will be running this nation in the next few decades is frightening and current legal restrictions remove many ways to remedy this…I suppose it may be up to the individual citizen to “fix” this looming disaster.
The warning signs have been evident since William F. Buckley wrote, “God and Man at Yale” in 1951. Then a few decades later Alan Bloom wrote, “The Closing of the American Mind”. The warning lights have been flashing for at least 70 years.
Which is why I’ve said many times it’s been purposeful. The university trustees, hiring committees, donors, alumni and other elite not only did nothing to stop the radicalization of academia, they actively encouraged and promoted it. They’ve actively used academia (and media) to deliberately change society’s norms, mores, values, etc. I’m not sure the society they’ve created it what most of them wanted. I think what they wanted was to move American culture away from one that values individual liberty and self reliance to one more accepting of collectivism. But once you begin the radicalization process, you can’t control where it ends up (which is the argument the “Old Right” correctly made against the bureaucratic welfare state in the ’30s).
I remember early in the 1990s, a member of the billionaire Bass family from Texas made lots of headlines when he gave $20 million to Yale to endow a chair in Western Civ. The donation was claimed to be the largest single donation made to any university by a living donor. The donor had given the money with the expectation Western Civ would be taught in the traditional way. But he got wind that Yale was planning the course with a group of younger faculty members indoctrinated in Critical Theory to design the course. In other words, they were planning to trash Western Civ rather than build it up. The donor was alarmed and asked for some say in the texts that would be used, syllabus, and course outline.
Yale refused, citing how that would threaten the always precious “academic freedom” academics rely on to push their harmful theories and ideologies. Since Yale refused to give him a say in how his $20 million would be spent, he demanded they give the money back. Yale did so. They’d rather give back $20 million than teach Western Civ in a responsible and positive light. It made lots of headlines.
A couple years later a different Bass brother gave Yale $100 million.
The once-dominant Republican party of William Buckley has long been discarded, labeled as RINO (Republican In Name Only) by the MAGA movement. Its original principles and values ceased to exist with the rise of Trump to power.
Could it be so because rinos were not voting in the best interests of freedom-loving individuals, but were tacit agents of the progressives for any variety of reasons – the prime one being greed and lust for power. What most refuse to acknowledge is that the MAGA movement was already in progress before Trump took advantage of a movement without a leader and in need of a name. Trump did not create the mindset of MAGA, he just road that movement to the white house. There is a growing undercurrent of very angry citizens (mostly well armed) who have had enough of progressive ideologies.
The once-dominant Republican party of William Buckley
Svelaz,
My god man, do you wake up each morning, thinking “what is the most ignorant thing I can say today”?
William Buckley’s Firing Line ran from 1966 to 1999. He founded National Review in 1955.
Lets see, during that time, DEMOCRATS held the House of Representatives for FORTY STRAIGHT YEARS (1955 to 1995)
During that time, DEMOCRATS controlled the Senate for 18 of the 22 Congresses, including a run of TWENTY SIX STRAIGHT YEARS.
That is some kinda Republican dominance right there boy. You really should read more and type less.
LOL, Svelaz loves the kind of “Republican dominance” where Democrats are in charge. What an idiot.
1. as usual 2. typically 3. commonly, you are not reading for comprehension or context. That you’re this dense does not surprise me.
Svelaz the dense, cant explain how thats Repubican dominance during Buckley.
Dude, dont you have an ounce of self respect?
DDC – Shows what redistributing house districts can do. Actually started with FDR 1932 and on with only a brief interval now and then. It only changed when the Republicans wised up and realized that states and state legislatures laid the groundwork for congressional districts that favored them. Remember the big fights in the Texas legislature in the early 2000’s when republicans changed the districts and the democrats left the state. You don’t just flip a state, you have to flip the district boundaries also.
This is not a surprise for the readers of this blog. Svelaz is an idiot.
Svelaz, you know very little. Do you know the meaning of the phrase big tent? Why don’t you tell us how it applies to Bill Buckley?
I love this site—the pornography of Ignorance, Starring Svelaz, George, Peter Shill and countless others.
What do we do? Here’s my solution: Massively cut taxpayer funding to public institutions whose faculty members are trafficking in this tripe.
Preaching a history lesson to this lot is akin to glorifying the Tsar to Lenin’s followers in1917. They who are hell bent on tearing down the old and building anew.
For these contemptible pipsqueaks to posture themselves as somehow superior to one of the greatest, most accomplished Americans who ever lived would be laughable, were it not so pathetic. If this is representative of the current state of “higher education”, at a public university no less, there is no longer any point trying to retrieve it, or repair what has been done. They are no longer a benefit to society.
* More education in anthropology, political and economic systems throughout history appears to be in order.
“More education in anthropology, political and economic systems throughout history appears to be in order.”
Not easily done when we have an intractably embedded (largely unconstitutionally) public education system that has been run by Marxists for nearly three-quarters of a century.
Hullbobby-Very nice to hear from you. Messages are nearly always succinctly put and strait to the point. The Palestinians are just being Palestinians which is why no nation in the Middle East wants them inside their borders. Iran wants them as their cats paw but keeps the vast majority of Palestinians far away from Iran as possible. Of course it has been shown that the the Palestinian and UN schools in Gaza continue to perpetuate the hatred.
As far as the Americans in this movement, well they just exhibit their stupidity and indoctrination from their erstwhile professors. I would say that these people both American and Gazan should go back and look at the source material form the last 5 millennia, However I don’t think they would even know where to begin.
A new rule for DC-take cash, walk a lot, use cabs if available or underground, then leave. No more than 5 days or you might catch something. Avoid plastic. Carry water when walking. Of course I have not been in DC since 2005.
On second thought, Just go to Boston, Liberal but easy to walk and get around. Still no plastic.
In our history, we have been colonizers. We started as British colonizers and later became American colonizers as we expanded westward. The Spanish also colonized the South and much of the Southwest, indicating a long history of colonization. The students were not entirely incorrect.
When were you lobotomized?
They installed his little virtue signaling chip at the same time.
* Those are beautiful portraits . Keep them safe. Early American paintings and antiques are beautiful.
Pearls to the swine…the defacers don’t know anything better.
Sure, here’s the revised text:
“Turely did acknowledge that Franklin was a loyal British citizen until independence, so the students were partially correct. As for the vandalism, it was cleaned up by 10 a.m. the same day.
While Turley is correct in criticizing the student group’s actions, he also neglects to understand why they are so passionate about the issue. They are not completely wrong, and they have plenty of valid justifications for protesting Israel’s conduct in Gaza.”
Protesting is one thing, defacing property is quite another.
Flag burning is a form of protest but also constitutes property defacement as long as the property belongs to the individual performing the act.
“but also constitutes property defacement as long as the property belongs to the individual performing the act.”
You should really say these things out loud first, Svelaz.
What an imbecile.
First of all, it’s when it belongs to someone else that “painting, drawing, writing, etching or carving with paint, spray paint, ink, etc,” is property “defacement”.
Burning a flag would be property “destruction”. It’s like taking to a 5th grader.
By the way, what ever happened to Trump’s tariffs?
Burning a flag doesn’t necessarily destroy it. It could just singe it, leaving it intact but with burn marks. Not everything has to be taken so literally. Sometimes it’s good to infer a little and see the bigger picture. It really helps with reading comprehension.
Svelaz apparently doesn’t know the protocols for the United States flag. He thinks burning it “just a little”, does not destroy it. Is anyone surprised?
Its not “literal”, numbskull. Words matter. You love to infer and call it comprehension. We know that. You also like to call your inferences, someone else’s implictaion. Which makes you look like an idiot every day. You do realize that others are watching, right?
I notice you didn’t acknowledge your illiterate description of property defacement. No shame. Typical.
I also notice you didn’t answwer the question.
Anonymous 12:33pm
I am just writing to let people know that damaged or worn out American flags can be taken to almost any VFW or American Legion post where the flag can be disposed of appropriately and respectfully.
You’re undoubtedly embarrassed. Do you work this hard to make irrelevant arguments when you can’t recognize your inability to understand things?
Svelaz embarrasses himself again. And still wont answer for this incredibly dumb statement.
“but also constitutes property defacement as long as the property belongs to the individual performing the act.”
Thats called tearing up your own shit, dum dum. Not defacing property.
Bwahahahahahahahahaha what an idiot. You do know other people can read your comments, right?
“Burning a flag doesn’t necessarily destroy it. It could just singe it,”
Svelaz thinks he has created a replacement slogan for leftist idiots. ‘Singe the American flag.’ Svelaz, how does that sound?
CAIR money spends well, doesn’t it.
” they have plenty of valid justifications for protesting Israel’s conduct in Gaza.”
Svelaz, you are a nincompoop. Repeatedly you say things, but when it comes time to prove you know what you are talking about you fall on your face. List and prepare to defend your comment.
…
We go back to your past failures:
When the Ottoman Empire broke up, portions of the Middle East were divided into Mandates. Some of the major countries of the time each got a piece of land, which, under specific laws, was to be divided up to become nation-states. That is how many of the countries were created and the boundaries settled. Therefore, each country created worked under the same international rules.
What happened to the British Mandate?
Time for you to respond, but you don’t. You can’t. You are too stupid to do so.
S. Meyer, it seems like your constant need to have your meaningless question answered is the only understandable part of your posts. Instead of insulting others, why don’t you try to participate in the topic being discussed? You know, say something meaningful.
Why dont you answer his question, ya chicken shit sycophant, and stop running from it? You might gain back an ounce of your totally lost credibility if you just admit you’re wrong once out of the 100 times you are proven to be.
While you’re at it, what happened to Trumps tariffs?
” meaningless question answered is the only understandable part of your posts.”
Meaningless questions? You are a loon! We faced these so-called meaningless question before. Here is an example. The only time you make sense is when you plagiarize another, but even then what you copied doesn’t match the question at hand.
Svelaz, I am still waiting.
When the Ottoman Empire broke up, portions of the Middle East were divided into Mandates. Some of the major countries of the time each got a piece of land, which, under specific laws, was to be divided up to become nation-states. That is how many of the countries were created and the boundaries settled. Therefore, each country created worked under the same international rules.
What happened to the British Mandate?
Time for you to respond, but you don’t. You can’t. You are too stupid to do so.
Somewhere along the way we made a mistake, a miscalculation, a public policy miscue. We prided ourselves on having programs to allow foreign students to enroll in American colleges and universities with the idea that they would learn alongside Americans and our traditions of freedom, including freedom of speech and religion, would rub off on our foreign guests and they would return home with these beneficial sentiments. Instead, many of these foreign students – pulled from some of the most dysfunctional countries in the world – decided not to go home after their studies were finished and our immigration authorities looked the other way. But more importantly, many of these foreign students brought with them age-old hatreds and animosities taught to them as toddlers by generations having the same hatreds and animosities. Steve Roberts, a former investigative reporter, wrote of the time he was a young reporter stationed in Greece and traveled to Cypress where he witnessed ceremonial parades of young children, dressed in traditional clothing and marching with wooden rifles. They would be signing military songs and carrying signs saying that they would kill the Turkish killers, etc. Steve speculated that such training and indoctrination did little but assure another generation of hatred and mistrust. The foreign students we allow to attend our colleges and universities are like those children, harboring ancient hatreds. Instead of adopting our freedoms, they brings with them their hatreds and want us to believe in the same historical beliefs and feelings. We can reduce this by curbing student visas. We no longer teach these young people our freedoms because many of our own teachers have adopted their hatreds.
Admiral Yamamoto, who planned the attack on Pearl Harbor, went to Harvard. Khlaid Sheikh Mohammed, who is credited with planning 9/11, went to North Carolina A&T.
Nearly all of the Weather Underground domestic terrorists went to elite private universities. Some went on to teach at them, too.
Soviet spies who infested some of the very highest positions in the FDR and Truman administrations: Alger Hiss, Harry Dexter White, Lauchlin Currie were all Harvard educated. Many of the Jews in the Soviet’s Silvermaster spy ring were grads of higher education.
“The education system of Gaza has been systematically destroyed, and the genocide has only expanded.”
What those anti-Western Brown Shirts mean is:
The Islamist indoctrination centers and terrorist training camps have been systematically destroyed.
And: The victim, Israel, continues its morally righteous war.
Worried about the “innocents?” Tell your dear leaders in Hamas/Iran to surrender.
It is their own leadership which demands that they suffer for the cause while he bargains for safe passage.
Great movie BTW.
Alas for the failure to teach Civics and American political history
Steps toward destabilizing a country.
a. Destroy their rights. – in progress
b. Destroy their heroes. —> You are here today.
c. Destroy their narrative. – in progress
d. Destroy their institutions. – in progress
Calling for American universities to do less to advocate for free speech is like pushing on an open door.
It takes a university student’s intelligence to call Franklin a “colonizer”.
How is it that in a world with a billion cameras we never are able to identify, locate and expel students that commit crimes on our campuses? Meanwhile in DC we have B of A identifying anyone who used an ATM card within the city limits on a specific day.
They could charge a lot of students. They choose not to.
Cameras cannot see through masks, and darkness also provides cover. Bank cards contain identifiable information, which should be obvious. Is that not clear to you?
Bank cards provide the identification of the person the card was issued to
Cameras tell you the identity of the person who used the card
This information is not relevant to the incident. Cameras did not capture the vandal’s identity, and no ATMs were used. Therefore, Hullbobby’s theorizing was pointless.
You’re not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
You’re missing the point. Hullbobby’s speculation about using cameras and hoping the vandals will be identified and punished is unrealistic.
Mr “reading comprehension” cant comprehend that the OP was speaking in general terms, and not only about this particular incident. They have not all been wearing masks, but he has reduced it to that. Are is he really that dumb??
Once again, you’ve missed the main point by introducing another irrelevant argument.
“introducing another irrelevant argument.”
No, that was YOU, pissant, LMAO You do love to project, don’t you?
What argument did I introduce???
Here was the OP. It was his point to make, not yours, idiot.
How is it that in a world with a billion cameras we never are able to identify, locate and expel students that commit crimes on our campuses.
YOU introduced the irrelevant mask argument, because not all of the criminals have worn masks.
You really should try harder. You do realize that others can see the stupid things you post, right?
Now they are vandals. A minute ago they were student protestors.
My reply was to your over generalization
“Cameras cannot see through masks,”
This is a stupid response by Svelaz. There are other features that count, and the masks can come off when they think no one is watching. Loads of students have been identified despite their masks at the time of their misbehavior yet have not been expelled. That you don’t know demonstrates you have no critical thinking skills and lie at the lowest level of intellect.
“ This is a stupid response by Svelaz. There are other features that count, and the masks can come off when they think no one is watching.”
The masks can be removed, but it’s up to the wearer to decide when to do so, isn’t it? What are you trying to say here?
I haven’t seen much evidence of critical thinking in your responses to my posts. Your replies consistently lack coherence and fail to make sense.
“Your replies consistently lack coherence and fail to make sense.”—Pot calling the kettle black
Perhaps he should adopt your style of just ignoring the argument and running off when the questiions get too hard to answer. Or all of the othere circular dancing you do constantly.
You seem to have all of the answers, until someone asks you a question. Why is that?
Svelaz, what became of Trumps tariffs?
“The masks can be removed, but it’s up to the wearer to decide when to do so, isn’t it? What are you trying to say here?”
@Svelaz: Your memory is shorter than previously thought. Hullbobby asked why they weren’t in jail. No one talked about how long the mask would be worn, but you can’t keep track of the discussion. You are lost like a newborn baby, only that you will remain with the intellect of a newborn baby until you die, unfortunately, in an ignorant state.
Critical thinking skills are on my side of the court. You have nothing on yours, and your failures demonstrate that adequately.