Some of us in the free speech community have been writing about the hypocrisy of many in the media and academia suddenly championing free speech values after years of silence (or support) over censorship of conservatives, libertarians, and contrarians. A good example can be found in the Chicago area, where a physical education teacher is on administrative leave and faces possible termination after posting two words (“Go ICE”) on Facebook in support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Local leaders and groups are demanding that he be fired, even though a posting opposing ICE would likely have been heralded rather than condemned.
Social media exploded with commentators calling the teacher a “f****** piece of s***.” A flyer demanded termination because any expression of support for ICE is “inappropriate and unsuitable for an educator.” The flyer insisted that “keeping this teacher will disrupt the emotional welfare and therefore, the education of our students.”
Local Democratic leaders immediately joined the mob. That includes Karina Villa, who posted a message saying she stands in “unwavering solidarity” with those demanding action given the “disturbing comments reportedly made by an educator.”
As is often the case, Villa did the perfunctory nod toward the right to free speech before joining the effort to gut it. She acknowledged the right, but noted that “as educators we have the responsibility to our students and their families to create a safe and welcoming environment for all.”
According to the district’s superintendent, Kristina Davis, the unnamed teacher submitted a resignation on Friday but then withdrew that resignation before the board could approve it. She then suspended the teacher pending an investigation.
That “investigation” concerns the posting of two words in favor of law enforcement outside the school on a personal social media account.
In the meantime, Mayor Daniel Bovey and the city council of West Chicago held a “listening session” on Monday to address the trauma of having a teacher who openly supports ICE. The District also addressed what it called the “disruption for students, families, and staff” and assured families that “our schools are safe spaces.”
Once again, the teacher simply wrote “Go Ice” on a personal social media account.
Notably, the nearby Chicago Teachers’ Union is one of the most radical and politically active in the country. Members have publicly voiced support for the Venezuelan regime and have engaged in violent public declarations against the Administration.
The Democrats answer to every problem they cause. Kill the political opposition. And they call Trump a Nazi. Democrats are sick people.
There is hope at one institution of learning. Dartmouth College president, Sian Leah Beilock, wrote an excellent piece in WSJ on the rot in academia. Dr Beilock is also a Jew and the first female president of Dartmouth. The student body rewarded her with a no vote of confidence and Dartmouth faculty censured her for tearing down a Gazan encampment on campus.
Is a Four-Year Degree Worth It?
American higher education has a trust problem. We shouldn’t pretend otherwise, and it won’t solve itself. In 2026 I’d like to see colleges and universities across the country take steps to restore trust. As president of Dartmouth College, I’m committed to this goal, and how to restore public confidence in higher education animates conversations among my presidential peers.
Assuming that most Americans value our mission is a recipe for irrelevance and decline. We must demonstrate to students and families—and to the broader public—that we’ve heard their criticisms and will address them. I see five areas where we can build back trust.
First, make college affordable……
Second, the return on investment matters……
Third, re-center higher education on learning rather than political posturing……
Fourth, emphasize equal opportunity, not equal outcomes…..
Fifth, testing is important. Dartmouth was the first Ivy League university to reinstate an SAT/ACT requirement…
Next month, I’ll join other university presidents at a summit in Washington hosted by the Association of American Universities to continue the conversation about how universities can take responsibility and be held accountable for our actions. I hope we’ll move beyond defensiveness and talk of federal compacts and instead take action.
We should leave the table having made specific commitments. We won’t agree on everything. One size won’t fit all. But we must agree that the status quo is untenable. If we’re willing to reform ourselves—to listen, change and recommit to our core mission—we can again be a trusted engine of the American dream, scientific breakthroughs and the global economy. This work can’t wait. It starts now, with us.
Ms. Beilock is president of Dartmouth College.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/is-a-four-year-degree-worth-it-6af09e3b
I wish her well. Maybe wear Kevlar vests
Watch the video of the murder of Pretti. ICE lied and lied and lied.
Never once was Pretti a threat.
The gun was taken from him, he was shot seconds after the gun was taken from him.
He was shot while lying down motionless.
This was murder.
ICE from the top down has been lying about this for days.
Murder.
Pretti got purposely involved with federal agents , he FAFO. End of story.
Remember your statement when trump is out of power. Do you want a Democratic President to use ICE to kill 2nd amendment rights protestors?
Bull Sheeit! It may be a bad shooting where the perpetrator of a crime doesn’t clearly have a weapon in their hand. However, in the chaos of an arrest of an armed suspect if a gun is called and the suspect makes the wrong move, it remains a legal shooting due to the officers reasonable assumption of a lethal threat. That’s not murder, that’s stupidity on Mr. Prettis part.
“have the responsibility to our students and their families to create a safe and welcoming environment for all.”
R u sure? To the kid and her parents who support ICE? FOOLS!
OT
Alex Pretti’s rib broken in previous encounter with federal agents: report
“The earlier incident started when he stopped his car after observing ICE agents chasing what he described as a family on foot, and began shouting and blowing his whistle, according to a source who asked not to be named out of fear of retribution,” CNN reported on Tuesday.
– CBS
So, Pretti had a history of obstruction, or interfering with ICE LEOs conducting their duties as deemed by Congress.
Oh my God! How horrible for a public sector employee to speak in support of another public sector employee. By this logic, I guess we should fire any public sector employees who speaks in support of teachers. I suspect the teachers’ union would scream bloody murder. This speaks volumes to quality of public eduction when the people who are supposed to be teaching our children about the Constitution have zero understanding of it.
I support the right of citizens in our Republic to say stupidities such as “Go ICE” and not worry about the loss of their jobs.
BREAKING NEWS: /sarc
Trump has just ordered Dept. of Education to develop new geography textbooks, flashcards, and spherical globes to indicate a name change to “Ill-Annoy.”
The home of deepest darkest Chicongo?
Pretti and Good’s killers will end up in prison, maybe not until there is a Democrat president, but that is where they will end up. Such a shame if there are any Hispanic inmates who might have… pointed… views on ICE thugs.
Hispanics, LEGAL Hispanics, support ICE and Trump because the criminal ILLEGAL Hispanics move to where they live and they are violent.
Not a chance
Time to OUTLAW Public Unions
The political army of the Democrats
If China and Russia ever break up, we should kick Chicago, NYC, and LA out of the Union. We might need to do so even sooner if these metros prove disruptive enough. The challenge is getting rid of our external enemies before we get rid of the internal ones.
These globalist-Left metros are no longer American communities. They despise the Constitution as a “racist relic” and want to enslave the rest of us in their ghetto ideologies.
Their economic interests no longer align with us. They are loyal to cheap labor in dictatorships. You might as well ask the antebellum planters to give up slavery, and it took another 100 years after the Civil War to end Jim Crow. It’s unlikely these metros will change in our lifetimes, if ever. The economics of globalist Leftism has permanently altered the psychology of these parts of the Western world.
They are wedded not to us but to each other, but they still want to dominate the rest of us by any means possible, and they have plenty of fellow travelers within the red states and counties. Kicking out these rogue metros would break the back of the globalist Left and hopefully save constitutionalism.
This suggestion is not completely unprecedented. The Roman Empire split when Rome itself became too corrupt and decadent to survive. The Byzantines survived another thousand years as a result. The only alternatives to this eviction strategy would be a military junta or capitulation to the leftwing decadence and anarchy. BTW, the military junta (the Caesars) didn’t solve Rome’s problems, but it did bury the Republic.
And anarchy it will be if the globalists win. Globalist Leftists are too purblind and incoherent to hold America together without gelding our national interests. That’s in fact China’s preferred outcome for us, and they’re funding it with dark money.
Another challenge will be the Constitution itself. The Founding Fathers didn’t write a provision for eviction. Zoomers might have to.
Sometimes, empires get too big for their own good and need to cut out the gangrene. If we want to save our Republic, we need to think this through pretty soon. I know it sounds crazy, but within one generation, these internal contradictions could become catastrophic.
I’m open to other REALISTIC solutions, but what are they?
Diogenes, about 1/3 of America’s population lives in the 10 largest states. And big metro regions account for a large share of that population. The NY, LA and Chi metro regions alone account for about 50 million people. The economies of those 3 metro regions combines are bigger than most countries. So you sound like some hick town know-nothing by saying we don’t need those cities.
330 million minus 50 million leaves 270 million. That’s not nothin’. If we don’t pull America back to right-of-center, that 50 million will try to pull her left of Mao.
Oops, 280 million.
Diogenes, we’re already right of center. And I should add that 75% of America’s population lives in the 20 largest states. You live in fear of liberals who don’t really exist.
I hope you’re right, but Kamala, who was possibly the 2nd worse presidential candidate in American history lost by only one-percentage point (after replacing the worst of all time, Joe Biden, who stepped down shrouded in embarrassment and scandal). That was after leftists tried to murder her Republican opponent. That she lost by only one point after all that is chilling to me, and the bulk of her support came from those three metros… and then there’s Mamdani.
Trump and Vance will need to be remarkably successful over the next ten years to keep the Left out of the Whitehouse. If we can get the Supreme’s to rule that illegals can’t be counted in the census, that would help a lot. Then I would put our odds of maintaining the current Republic above 50%. Right now, I’m a little pessimistic.
I would add that when you exclude NYC and Chicago, NY and IL become bright red states.
The largess of what you cite is the biggest fraudsters upon our taxpayers. See how that goes hand in hand so politically and so easily. So much blue state and blue lagoon cities fraud.
Diogenes, that was one hell of a post.
The good professor Turley importantly points out that the teacher’s comment was “two words in favor of law enforcement outside the school on a personal social media account.” There are plenty of SCOTUS decisions addressing the protected First Amendment rights of public employees in these contexts, starting with Pickering, Garcetti, Connick, etc. (I make the assumption that this is a public state/municipal employer school district, West Chicago Schools.)
As an aside and on a lighter note, take a look at the district’s employees in leadership positions. https://www.wego33.org/who-we-are/leadership
Do you think they might be forced to resign or subject to investigation if they had short hair or wore a colored shirt/blouse under their dark blazers/jackets? (just haVing a little fun here.)
Lin,
Yeah, the all of them wearing the same white blouse and dark jacket seemed kinda odd to me in the, “Resistance is futile,” sense.
Hey there Upstate, good to see you up and at ’em on such a cold day, good to sit with a hot beverage and gauge the temperature and pulse of the public-at-large on sites like this!
(p.s. I do not have short hair), (or long hair, for that matter. The photo just struck me as funny.)
We’re told that being white today (with European heritage) equates to being ‘lesser-than’. Yet 3/4ths of the ‘leaders’ in this district are just that. Fascinating.
(smile!)
Hilarious, how these Far Left nutjobs argue FOR some mythical 1A “right” to block traffic, attack LEOs while armed and use vehicles as a deadly weapon against LEOs.
But they argue AGAINST the simple 1A right of anyone to passively post their opinion on social media, simply because it’s not politically-correct in their Far Left local cesspool bubble.
Sue te daylights out of already broke Illinois
Let’s see what the ICE body cams revel.
“Let’s see what the ICE body cams revel.” Assuming the last word is supposed to be “reveal,” what does this have to do with anything?
Thanks for the spelling error catch.
“what does this have to do with anything?”
Maybe ICE wanted to see Alex dance.
I think Tom Homan, Secretary Noem, and Greg Bovino should speed right on over to West Chicago. If they are so adamant about protecting their illegal voters, they must be overrun with them and need help cleaning them out.
Some, if not all, of the school board members are guilty of deprivation of civil rights under color of law. Harsh punishment, both civil and criminal, is required to put an end to such fascist nonsense.
I wonder what the school’s response would be if a teacher posted “Protect Migrant Child Rapists and Traffickers from ICE” on their private social media account.
With all the tools in the government’s hands, why is it so often private individuals with abundant brains and courage who discover the rot?
https://xcancel.com/DataRepublican/status/2015620564787105892
Would we know anything without them? I suspect much of the FBI is still useless by comparison.
Thank God and the Founders for these dedicated private folks and the First Amendment that allows their work to see light.
No wonder scoundrels want to silence them.
I should add that blogs like Professor Turley’s are also a vital source of information and analysis that the corporate media has proven worse than useless in providing. Without the First Amendment and private citizens like Professor Turley we would be on the road to Europe…that is to say on the road to decline.
Young,
Thank you for posting that link and bringing that to our attention.
To think, this is the kind of investigation MSM used to do.
The teacher wants the First Amendment right to encourage agents of the government to go on violating the First Amendment rights of American citizens. That makes perfect sense.
If what happened on January 6 is the First Amendment in action, then so is the protesting in Minneapolis.
Can you identify ANYONE who is claiming that you can not protest ICE ?
Protest all you want. But while protesting Obey laws that the courts long ago found are NOT infringments on your first amendment rights.
You may NOT protest on private property. PERIOD.
You are ALWAYS obligated to obey all other viewpoint neutral laws while protesting.
You can not as an example march down the street protesting without a permit.
You can not disrupt traffic
You can not obstruct law enforcement.
You can not ram people with your car.
You can not assault others.
You can not trow rocks or frozen water bottles at people.
You can not try to blind people with lasers
You can not throw molatov cocktails.
You can not fire fireworks at people.
All of the above and many more are done all the time by left wing “protestors”
You are not protected from the consequences of illegal actions by virtue of protesting.
I swear John. The left will never get it.
The left’s reasonings choke on their perpetual kamaalah salads they eat laced with marxist croutons… they will never willingly learn to see past their own evil contradictory biases .
Assuming – falsely that J6 protestors went to the capital to protest to demand that Trump be made King – as opposed to what they actually did which was demand that congress refuce to certify a lawless and fraudulent election.
Protesting to demand that government not Follow the law or constitution is legal.
J6 Protestors can demand that Trump be made King.
ICE protestors can demand that ICE refuse to enforce the law.
NEITHER may violate viewpoint neutral laws while protesting
You may NOT protest on private property.
J6 protesters were not on private property they were protesting in the pre-eminent government created forum for free speech in the world.
ICE protesters trespassed on a church.
You can not as an example march down the street protesting without a permit.
J6 protestors had permits.
ICE protestors did not.
You can not disrupt traffic,
J6 protesters did not
ICE protesters did.
you can not obstruct law enforcement.
J6 protesters did not
ICE protesters did.
You can not ram people with your car.
J6 protesters did not
ICE protesters did.
You can not assault others.
There was some of that at J6 and had the Biden DOJ not violated the rights of thousands
those people likely would have been prosecuted and not pardoned.,
But the Kangaroo courts in DC either required new trials or made retrial impossible.
Pretti, Good and innumerable others in MN assaulted LEOs
You can not trow rocks or frozen water bottles at people.
J6 protesters did not
ICE protesters did.
You can not try to blind people with lasers
J6 protesters did not
ICE protesters did.
You can not throw molatov cocktails.
J6 protesters did not
ICE protesters did.
You can not fire fireworks at people.
J6 protesters did not
ICE protesters did.
All of the above and many more are done all the time by left wing “protestors”
You are not protected from the consequences of illegal actions by virtue of protesting.
John Say,
Another great comment. Thank you for debunking the annony moron’s lies.
“The teacher wants the First Amendment right to encourage agents of the government to go on violating the First Amendment rights of American citizens. That makes perfect sense.
If what happened on January 6 is the First Amendment in action, then so is the protesting in Minneapolis.”
You should be paying closer attention. “Agents of the government” are not violating the First Amendment rights of U.S. citizens. (Professor Turley’s post today re the ruling by the 8th District is germane. https://jonathanturley.org/2026/01/27/trump-administration-wins-appeal-of-ice-injunction-in-minnesota/)
What happened on January 6th was protected by the First Amendment – except when the people involved were damaging government property, for which they were, and should have been, held accountable. Pardons do not vacate convictions.
Here’s an idea. Why not make the 4th amendment apply to entire cities, instead of just buildings.
Then there would be no question or doubt about the legitimacy of the presence of ICE agents.
This is reasonable.
No, it’s not reasonable. Go back to GO.
The 4th amendment does not apply to public spaces.
a LEO may detain ANYONE in public on “reasonable suspicion” a standard that is easily met.
The 4th amendment in this instance only applies to private property – homes.
USUALLY a warrant is required to enter a home and seize a person.
A warrant sworn by an ICE officer and issued by an Article II immigration judge is no different from a warrant sworn by another LEO and issued by an Article II magistrate Judge and certainly stronger than one sworn by a local cop and issued by a JP who may not even be a lawyer.