For the last few days I’ve been following the strange story of University of Arizona adjunct professor Deb Frisch ‘s outrageous threats against Jeff Goldstein. For those who haven’t followed this bizarre tale (and a big tip of the hat to Michelle Malkin, who is without peer in tracking leftist moonbattery), “professor” Frisch wrote a series of truly abusive messages in which she threatened Jeff’s two year old son and seemed to advocate that he be sexually molested.
I hesitate to paint with a broad brush in response to this latest example of truly bizarre behavior from a leftist academic, but outrageous personal attacks and threats are disturbingly common on campus. I am lead counsel in the Alliance Defense Fund’s lawsuit challenging Georgia Tech’s speech codes and its blatant discrimination against religious organizations. The plaintiffs, Ruth Malhotra and Orit Sklar, filed the case after the university had engaged in a campaign of censorship — shutting down the College Republicans’ “diversity bake sale,” censoring a protest of the Vagina Monologues, and warning Ruth against any future expression of that kind. All of this censorship was done in the name of fostering a “tolerant” atmosphere on campus.
And what happened to Ruth and Orit after the lawsuit was filed? They were immediately subjected to truly intolerant abuse (including threats). Ruth received an e-mail from a Georgia Tech address where someone threatened to “choke” her, another person started a website called “Ruth Malhotra Must Die,” lefty blogs photo-shopped swastikas on her face and clothes, and students handed out flyers on campus calling Ruth a “twinkie.” For those who are unfamiliar with the common terms of leftist racism, a “twinkie” is a person who is “yellow on the outside and white on the inside.” It’s the Asian equivalent of the calling an African-American an “oreo.”
Leftist extremists are feeling threatened. Their campus strongholds are under attack by conservatives who refuse to concede culturally vital institutions to people who hate America, hate traditional religious values, and hate virtually all of Western civilization. Unable to defend bankrupt ideas on the merits, campus radicals respond to conservatives with vitriol, abuse, and, increasingly, threats. While they may find this strategy emotionally satisfying, it will only further alienate them from mainstream American discourse and (ultimately) further diminish their power and influence.