The slogan of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) may be “Let there be light,” but a recent Federalist Society event produced more heat than light in the law school. Students and faculty wanted to hear from James Percival, general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security, on a host of issues. However, students organized to prevent others from hearing from Percival, who was drowned out by profanity and cellphones at the event.
The incident seemed a repeat of the infamous disruption of Judge Duncan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit at Stanford Law School three years ago.
On Tuesday night, over 150 protesters gathered outside the event chanting criticisms of the Trump administration, including “No ICE, No KKK, No Fascist U.S.A.” Protests outside of events are generally protected speech. Indeed, such protests are an important element in fostering free speech values on our campuses.
The problem is that protesters also organized to disrupt the event from inside Royce Hall. Students booed Percival throughout his talk and held up profane and disgusting signs. Some had their phones constantly ringing, making it difficult for others to hear Percival. It is, of course, fine to go to the event and ask tough questions or disagree with the speaker. These students were drowning out the speaker with shouts and phones.
The law school was aware of the preparations to disrupt the event. Groups circulated posts, hung posters, and circulated online petitions that said that even allowing the general counsel to speak with students was triggering and “threatening.”
One group called By Any Means Necessary (BAMN), called for mass protests over allowing the views of the DHS to be heard on campus. A flyer declared, “UCLA must not give representatives of ICE and the Trump Administration a base to organize Trump’s campaign of racist ethnic cleansing of the U.S. and the Middle East.”
Another posting called upon students to “Stop the fascist takeover of the American federal government! Stop the Trump police state!” Other flyers portrayed the event with allowing Nazis to speak on campus.
The UCLA Latine Law Students Association said that the event endangered students, insisting that allowing Percival to speak “utterly disregards the safety of our undocumented students and minimizes the great harm and trauma that has been inflicted on our communities over the decades.”
It further maintained that:
“By giving Mr. Percival a platform, The Federalist Society and UCLA Law are legitimizing and normalizing racially discriminatory policies that are actively harming both UCLA students and our broader community.”
It is all-too-familiar rhetoric. Groups claim to be triggered or threatened by opposing views and then use those claims to justify disruption and obstruction of the speaker.
The students were clear that anyone speaking from the Trump Administration would be subject to the same disruption: “UCLA must not give representatives of ICE and the Trump Administration a base to organize Trump’s campaign of racist ethnic cleansing of the U.S. and the Middle East.”
These students find the expression of opposing views to be intolerable. Rather than engage the speaker with a substantive and civil discussion of policies and practices, they believe that spewing profanities, heckling, and drowning out a speaker are the proper way to engage those who hold different viewpoints.
I commend Mr. Percival and the Federalist Society for their willingness to expose themselves to such abuse in an effort to foster a dialogue on these important issues. Students had the opportunity to exchange viewpoints with one of the highest-ranked officials in the DHS. That was what these protesters were intent on stopping with their shouts and cellphone tactics.
What is most notable about the videotape is that the students are clearly shown and identifiable. However, the law school’s statement on the incident did not include a commitment to hold these students accountable. It merely noted that “The law school worked with the Office of Campus and Community Safety in advance to support the event and uphold the university’s commitment to the free exchange of ideas.”
If so, it utterly failed in that commitment. These tactics are expressly prohibited by the university as “so disruptive so as to effectively silence” a speaker. The fact that the speaker continued to try to speak (and was able to do so after a walkout) does not change the fact that these students succeeded in disrupting and effectively silencing the speaker during the event.
The incident is reminiscent of the earlier incident at Northwestern University, where the university condemned but did nothing about students who entered a class and forced it to be canceled over a guest speaker from ICE. It was the lack of any action, not the condemnation, that left the greatest impact on the students.
The same full-throated message was sent at Stanford, where no student was punished, and the university made everyone watch a meaningless video that was openly mocked. One year after the incident, a majority of Stanford students believed shouting down Judge Duncan was warranted.
UCLA has shown little interest in restoring viewpoint diversity on its campus. This is the university that has paid for a series of radical “resident activists” to lecture students. It appears to have made activism a central part of its educational mission.
The same week that the law school event was disrupted, the Undergraduate Students Association Council “condemned” the holding of an event featuring a hostage who survived the Oct. 7 massacre. The group declared the event as “elevating a single narrative” and obscuring “what has been widely identified by human rights advocates as a genocide in Gaza.”
In this context, the law school controversy is hardly surprising. UCLA remains a deeply intolerant environment for many speakers and students.
We will now wait to see whether the University, the Law School and Dean Michael Waterstone are willing to discipline the students who disrupted this event. This type of premeditated, overt misconduct reflects an enabling culture fostered by the faculty.
If UCLA wants more light than heat, it must start enforcing (rather than just mouthing) its commitment to the free expression of viewpoints.
Dozens of “Students and faculty wanted to hear from James Percival, general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security, on a host of issues. ” In contrast, hundreds didn’t want that tripe on campus.
“I commend Mr. Percival and the Federalist Society for their willingness to expose themselves to such abuse”
It’s performative and a base for a cult to put their members up to ridicule and leaving the core membership as the comforting refuge away from those who disagree. It’s a form of hazing to ensure loyalty.
A 10-megaton nuclear bomb detonated over New York City would produce catastrophic, city-leveling destruction, resulting in millions of casualties and widespread devastation across the entire metropolitan area.
A fireball roughly 3 to 4 miles in diameter would instantly vaporize everything within it, including the core of Manhattan. Third-degree burns would occur up to 7.6 miles away from the blast center, igniting clothing, paper, trees, and buildings, likely creating a massive firestorm. Severe damage, including the collapse of reinforced concrete buildings, would occur out to roughly 9-10 miles. This would flatten most of New York City, extending into parts of New Jersey, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Queens. Immediate deaths could be in the millions, with a significantly high number of injured requiring urgent care that would be impossible to provide
THE KINDS OF CATACLYSMIC DESTRUCTION AND INJURIES WOK HOPES AMERICA WILL FACE THROUGH IMPLEMENTING THEIR NATIONAL DEFENSE STRATEGIES.
A 10-megaton bomb can not be constructed with uranium, which is all that Iran has. A 10-megaton weapon is only possible with a thermonuclear (hydrogen) bomb and there is no possibility that Iran has the technology to do this.
Uranium based weapons are highly inefficient. Only about 2% of the uranium actually undergoes fission and produces an explosion. The explosion scatters most of the uranium before it has a chance to undergo fission.
The US no longer has simple uranium based fission weapons. The US arsenal consists entirely of thermonuclear weapons.
At the very most, Iran could build a 15-kiloton bomb, about the size of the Hiroshima bomb.
The fireball would extend about 500 feet, the blast zone would be no more than 1 mile, and radiation fallout would cause deaths out to about 2 miles.
Anon–
Sound points. But who wants a Hiroshima type bomb going off over NYC?
Besides, with Mamdami busy tearing the city down it would be a waste of a bomb. Hiroshima has rebuilt; the Mamdani ruin may be more lasting.
In any event, Iran is a menace that had to be dealt with before it could get a uranium bomb.
Of course the problem is that Iran has not been dealt with.
They still have their uranium.
The same regime is in control, but now with younger and more radical leaders.
They have complete control of the Strait of Hormuz.
All that has happened is that Trump has stirred up a hornet’s nest. Trump was taken in by Netanyahu’s lies that a strike to eliminate the Iranian leadership would result in a popular uprising to overthrow the government and restore democracy. That has not, and will not happen.
On top of that, Iran has attacked other Arab nations in the region who have a somewhat friendly relationship with the US, and turned those nations against us.
The net result is that Iran is still a problem, and what few Arab friends we had in the region have turned against us.
Anon– “They [Iranians] have complete control of the Strait of Hormuz.”
Anon– “what few Arab friends we had in the region have turned against us.”
Both statements are clearly false. Only Democrats would pretend to believe them.
Young: so if Iran “is a menace”, WHY did Trump tear up the agreement brokered by John Kerry when Obama was President? From Wikipedia:
“Key Provisions
Iran’s Commitments:
Reduce its uranium stockpile by 98%, limiting it to 300 kg of low-enriched uranium for 15 years.
Cap uranium enrichment at 3.67% and restrict enrichment to the Natanz facility; Fordo would be converted into a research center.
Remove two-thirds of installed centrifuges and store them under international supervision.
Redesign the Arak heavy-water reactor to prevent production of weapons-grade plutonium and ship spent fuel out of the country.
Accept expanded International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections, including access to uranium mines, mills, and centrifuge production sites.
Implement the Additional Protocol for enhanced monitoring and verification.
U.S. and International Concessions:
Lift nuclear-related economic sanctions on Iran, including access to frozen assets and international markets, totaling tens of billions of dollars.
Sanctions relief was phased and conditional, contingent on Iran meeting nuclear commitments verified by the IAEA.
The deal did not cover Iran’s ballistic missile program or conventional arms, which remained subject to separate restrictions. ”
Trump is lying about the money coming from the US Treasury The agreement would un-freeze Iran’s own assets which were frozen as a sanction.
The Kerry agreement would lead to Iran getting several atomic bombs. It deserved to be burnt.
In any event, agreement or no agreement, Iran was rushing to make a bomb. They aren’t even hiding it now. They said they were only making limited range missiles and almost everyone chose to believe that until they fired a couple of missiles at Diego Garcia, missiles capable of reaching Europe. None of their assurances about bombs or missiles can be believed.
The next best solution would be to destroy their capabilities to make bombs and missiles beyond any doubt. The best solution would be to kill all the fanatics and let the Iranian people take over and hang any Islamists we missed.
Uh, MAGA Anonymous, HOW would Iran deliver a nuclear bomb here? They don’t have any ICBMs, which is what they would need. And, we have missile defense systems that would detect and destroy anything leaving Iran long before it got here. And, we would know if a ship was approaching our coast from Iran, too. Trump is lying when he claims that Iran was on the verge of nuking us as an excuse to start this war. He is lying about wanting regime change as a reason. He started this war because Netanyahu coaxed him into doing it, claiming that Iran was on the verge of nuking us, so Israel could obtain more territory in Lebanon–but they needed the US as backup. This is after Netanyahu couldn’t get Bush, Obama or Biden to fall for it. According to our own intelligence sources, Iran doesn’t have either the bomb itself or an ICBM. It wouldn’t even be an issue if Trump hadn’t torn up the agreement brokered by John Kerry when Obama was President, with the aid of nuclear scientists and experts in diplomacy–which Trump doesn’t have. He has two real estate developers, one of whom is Kushner.
Anon– ”
HOW would Iran deliver a nuclear bomb here? They don’t have any ICBMs, which is what they would need.”
Nonsense.
Atomic bombs could be placed in shipping or commercial, or even small private, aircraft. They can be made small enough to be carried in a suitcase or large backpack.
Suitcase atomic bombs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suitcase_nuclear_device
“If not us, who? And if not now, when?”
– Ronald Reagan, September 14, 1981
Most important of all, make sure more killers can cross our borders to smash in more skulls, leaving thick bloody brain tissue, proving to wok that they won.
Leftists are mentally-deranged monsters.
Today Trump told a reporter “don’t rush me” when asked how long the war he started would last. He pointed to WW 2 taking over 4 years and Viet Nam taking even longer. The DOD is asking for billions to purchase thousands of drones. Coincidentally, Don, Jr and Eric Trump are heavily invested in a company that makes drones and have obtained government contracts with the companies with which they are involved.
I recall the frantic pearl-clutching over Hunter Biden, especially from Turley, even though Hunter Biden never did any business with the federal government and, despite extensive efforts by Republicans, no influence peddling was ever proven.
The Trump family corruption is open and obvious—MAGA media has nothing to say about it. It’s in the financial interest of the Trump family to keep the Iran war going for as long as possible—to sell more drones. UAE, a rival of Iran that purchased billions of Trump crypto, wants the war to continue too, as does Israel.
As to the protest against Homeland Security, the majority of the American people oppose ICE and the outrageous tactics they use against migrants— after lying about only arresting the worst of the worst— they are disappearing entire families. They murdered two Americans and have gotten away with it— so far.
People are afraid to leave their homes and send their children to school. The funding Republicans are trying to get for Homeland Security could be used to provide healthcare subsidies for the millions Republicans took away. it could be used for free lunch for poor kids and could pay for dental care for everyone on Medicare. It boils down to a value judgment for what the American people want their tax dollars to pay for. Republicans are on the wrong side of this issue. Downplaying the cruelty and intent of Homeland Security to round up anyone who looks Hispanic, to incarcerate them in windowless warehouses with inhumane conditions and to intimidate people just trying to live their lives and feed their families as some kind of valid alternative viewpoint is disingenuous. What Homeland Security does is immoral and wildly unpopular. Good for the students.
^ Another Gigi 10,000,000-word lunacy dump of MAGA MAGA MAGA, blah blah blah, that nobody will read ^
LAKEN RILEY
I’d pay a trillion, happily, to prevent Iran from completing even one 10,000,000 ton thermonuclear weapon, You Damn Fool
George Washington sold lad to the federal government as president
you can not grasp the difference between facilitating bribery and ordinary free exchange.
This conflict has lasted 6weeks
People are already losing interest
Americans are not dying in significant numbers
Iranian civilians are not dying in significant numbers
Bad people are getting killed
The price of gas is still below the average for bidens 4yrs
It is about what we paid when Obama was president
Regardless this will end and the worst case is a civil war in Iran
As bad as that might be it is far better than the status quo ante
No one ever said only the worst of the worst are being deported
That is the priority
That is who ice is actively looking for
But anyone in the US illegally will and MUST be deported if caught
That is our law
If you do not like that get congress to change it
Last poll I saw the majority of Americans still want absolutely all illegal immigrants deported
You don’t – fine, get the law changed
I expect and the rule of law requires that government enforced the laws we pass
Anything less is immoral and lawless
I will support you in changing bad laws
Though I doubt we have much common ground on what laws are bad
And that is the point
I have to live and obey laws you passed that I do not like
You are morally obligated to do the same
The alternatives are tyranny and anarchy
You rant about ice
But they are merely enforcing the law
Did you learn nothing from demonizing soldiers in the Vietnam war ?
Go pi$$ on people who are not just doing their job enforcing the law
For those of you who read John Say— please be advised those of us who are NOT MAGA will not respond because it is a waste of time. He is a paid MAGA pundit and just argues MAGA talking points. Like Trump, they can never be wrong and never back down. If you prove them wrong they just attack the veracity of the poll or source you cite. He almost never cites any sources for what he claims are facts. Look up the facts online, including current polls, representations Trump made just to get into office and representations made by Homeland Security about rounding up “ the worst of the worst”.
Federal agencies rarely have overall positive ratings
But currently with 42% support DzhS is actually the most popular federal agency
Ice has detained less than 1% people who were not illegal aleins
Those detentions lasted on average 45 minutes
Illegal skeins can feed their families in their own countries
We have defeated starvation
No one anywhere in the world starves except for political reasons
Today there is not a nation that could not feed Its own people without aide if it wanted too
I love windows
They are not a right
There is no right to be in the us if you are not a citizen
While the us even now is the most welcoming nation in the world
We are not obligated to take everyone who wishes to come
If you do not like that
Change the law
Detained is not incarcerated
Detained illegal skeins can be released to their home at anytime
They remain detained only if they wish against the odds to try to remain in the us
“People are afraid to leave their homes and send their children to school.”
Are they? Name those people.
Voices in your head don’t count.
Apparently, you are about an hour into your Orange Sunshine travels with “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” blowing cracks in your walls at -20db when you came up with this garbage!
Chill DEM!
As of April 2026, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James Adams, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told US lawmakers that Iran still “retains thousands” of missiles and one-way attack drones. Despite heavy US/Israeli airstrikes in early 2026, Iran’s remaining arsenal poses a continued threat to US and partner forces in the Middle East.
I THOUGHT we destroyed their capacity to fight.
I guess they just forgot to use them when they would’ve been most useful. D’oh, maybe they’ll remember next time.
AI Overview
As of April 2026, estimates suggest Iran has roughly 1,400 to 1,500 ballistic missiles remaining, down from an estimated pre-war inventory of around 3,000. While 60% to 70% of launchers and missiles are claimed to be destroyed, with over 500 launched, Iran maintains significant strike capability, potentially having thousands of drones and lower-range missiles.
LAKEN RILEY
Mamdani had a smug smile on his face when he made his little video about the new pied-à-terre tax. In that video, he singled out, by name, Ken Griffin, who owns a very expensive condo in midtown but doesn’t live there most of the time. Griffin is the founder of Citadel, and still owns 85% of the company. Mamdani felt very good about heaping shame on Griffin’s head, while Griffin was not present at the filming and thus had no way to give an answer to Mamdani’s implication that he was not carrying his fair share of the tax burden.
Turns out Griffin was about to pour $6 billion into a new midtown project, creating 6,000 highly paid construction jobs and supporting the creation of more than 15,000 permanent jobs in mid-town. Griffin has contributed $650 million in charitable donations supporting New York City residents. Also, over the past five years, Citadel principals and team members – including non-NYC residents – have paid nearly $2.3 billion dollars in city and state taxes.
Griffin is now reconsidering whether he wants to go forward with the project. How is this not typical of liberals? Destroy a city with a smug smile. Feel good about sticking it to the rich man, with the result that the plebes suffer when the man pulls his money out. That is not smart. It’s moronic. And everyone suffers so that the left-wing politician can feel real smug about what a clever guy he is.
If you think it is such a crime to have a smug smile, then you are more than welcome to call the proper authorities to report this smile. Below is a list of important NYPD phone numbers.
Emergency: 911
Non-Emergency: 311
NYPD General Inquiries: 646-610-5000
Sex Crimes Report Line: 212-267-7273
Crime Stoppers: 800-577-TIPS
Crime Stoppers (Spanish): 888-57-PISTA
Missing Persons Case Status: 212-694-7781
Terrorism Hot-Line: 888-NYC-SAFE
Gun Stop Program: 866-GUN-STOP
Cop Shot: 800-COP-SHOT
Yo, moron, if you think it’s a crime to make fun of a smug leftist smiling about destroying a city, then you can call any of the numbers you already have.
I thought this was a forum for adults.
AI Overview
In February 2019, Amazon canceled plans to build a major headquarters (HQ2) in Long Island City, Queens—adjacent to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district—following intense backlash from local activists and politicians, including AOC. Opponents cited concerns over roughly
billion in tax incentives, potential displacement, and rising living costs.
Why is the free speech advocate always so up-in-arms by how people express themselves? How strange.
I’ve been waiting all day for a comment as stupid as that. Thank you for obliging. I’m just (pleasantly) surprised it took this long.
It’s the same reason freedom of religion advocates would be “up in arms” if someone else started burning down churches to prevent others from worshipping, as an act in obedience to his own religion. Is that too complicated a concept for you? Apparently.
You’re all stupid and I hope you get nuked someday.
Where are your parents?
WOW, now this is a high IQ comment……………… NOT!
You have oatmeal for brains. Gridlock!
Ironically, censorship, such as preventing political opponents from speaking at all, is one of the aspects of fascism, or any totalitarian system.
If they had confidence in their position, they would not fear opposing viewpoints.
What about when Christian fundamentalists protested 2 Live Crew?
Excellent question. Ask Mark Farner, the original lead vocalist and guitarist for Grand Funk Railroad, who became a born-again Christian in the 1980s and subsequently developed a career as a contemporary Christian musician