Today, I have the pleasure of lecturing on my book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,” as part of Stanford’s Classical Liberalism series. The seminar is open to members of the Stanford faculty.
Unfortunately, conflicting book events made it impossible to travel to Stanford today, so the seminar will be done virtually. However, I look forward to discussing the history and meaning of free speech with the faculty members.
Obviously, Stanford has been at the center of the free speech debate, including the disgraceful incident involving Judge Stuart Duncan. I have been one of the more vocal critics of the university over the lack of intellectual diversity as well as faculty who continue to defend such deplatforming campaigns.
However, it is often easy to overlook the many faculty members who support free speech at school and classical liberal values.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro professor of public interest law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
So how did it go?
Jonathan,
Just relaying a post by Michael Hudson regarding Book Publishers and commission rates.
You may already be experiencing this, however in the spirit of misery loves company, here’s Michael’s take:
https://michael-hudson.com/2024/11/contesting-the-corontation-of-the-rentier/
Sell as much as you can, you don’t want to end up with 50,000 copies of The Indispensable Right in your basement.
Thnx Darren for forwarding this to Jonathan.
Wordpress Trip:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pear
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plum
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tangerine
Will this event be placed on line. Would love to see it.
The book is a good opening volley on free speech, and sure to promote deeper questions.
All business leaders (and marriage counselors) know that ongoing, unfiltered “rage” is poisonous to the functioning of the company (family). Yet, without open-mindedness and freedom to challenge the conventional wisdom, these companies will be overtaken by competitors (and families into quiet desperation).
This suggests that there is a sweet spot for freedom of thought and speech – steeped in authenticity, engagement, trustworthiness, goodwill and civility-diplomacy. There must be an openness to learning, and responsibility-taking for solving problems providing the atmospherics of speech communication.
The book could go much farther in confronting the dysfunction that lies ahead when partisans slip into “rage” and mutual paranoia. How does a process maintain healthy bounds of civility? Does it need a referee or moderator when high-stakes are involved? How is militancy to be kept at bay? Who is responsible for upkeep of free-speech norms?
What tools are there to be used? Is the outlier who violates civility and authenticity to be silenced (ignored)? Is that censorship? Isn’t the goal to have the violator re-enter the public square this time respecting norms? If so, then that voice is not being censored, only held to respecting a common set of norms.
Thank you, Professor Turley, for your ongoing efforts to enlighten the American citizenry. I look forward to getting into your book on this weekend in chilly Upstate New York. ❄️
I hope you’ll provide a tape or transcript.
My wife (she’s a CUNY grad) and I love the book. Good luck, Professor!
At least you don’t have to wear a Kevlar jacket at your presentation. You get paid an honorarium to speak with the peace of mine of not being a victim of the “peaceful protesters”. Win win!
Read below what the leftists pro-palestine terrorist student groups did at UCLA last week to a Regent and his family at their home.
It mirrors what the leftists, pro-abortion activists did recently to the Catholic Supreme Court Justices and family members at their homes and the schools of their children, while US Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland and Department of Justice did nothing
Americans may soon find it necessary to wear Kevlar jackets at certain venues b/c one never knows when leftists like Democrat US Sen. Charles Schumer and Democrat Representative Maxine Waters may be in your midst inciting violence against Americans.
A Stand Against Violence in our Community
…..UCLA Office of Student Conduct has issued an interim suspension today to two registered student organizations, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine (GSJP), based on its review of initial reports about the groups’ involvement in an incident last week at the home of UC Regent Jay Sures.
As has been reported publicly, both in the press and in social media posts by the groups themselves:
On February 5, 2025, individuals affiliated with the student groups harassed Mr. Sures and members of his family outside his home.
Individuals surrounded the vehicle of a Sures family member and prevented that family member’s free movement.
Individuals pounded on drums, chanting and holding signs with threatening messages such as “Jonathan Sures you will pay, until you see your final day.”
Individuals vandalized the Sures home by applying red-colored handprints to the outer walls of the home and hung banners on the property’s hedges.
https://chancellor.ucla.edu/messages/a-stand-against-violence-in-our-community
NB: the applying red-colored handprints to the outer walls of the home is a reference to the 2000 Ramallah lynching. See foto at Wiki link
The 2000 Ramallah lynching[1] was an attack that took place early during the Second Intifada on 12 October 2000 in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, when a Palestinian crowd of passing funeral marchers broke in and killed two Israeli military reservists and then mutilated their bodies.[2]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Ramallah_lynching
Sorry, Professor. Not interested in liberalism, classical or otherwise. I’ve watched liberalism hatch the horrific dysfunction we suffer from today.
No doubt the speech-phobic mob will be out in force to try and shut down the event, and the DEI officer will defend them with the absolutely brilliant rhetorical question, “Is the juice worth the squeeze?”
Seriously though best of luck, I appreciate all you do for freedom.
# It’s virtual so how we log in? ☺
Good luck at Stanford. Hope you don’t have to hide from a mob in a locked classroom.
Unfortunately, conflicting book events made it impossible to travel to Stanford today, so the seminar will be done virtually.