Letters to the Editor: Speaker bans by UC Berkeley law student groups — really?
I had the privilege of joining the Berkeley chapter of Students for a Democratic Society in 2005-2006, but was very disappointed when they chose their leader, Jesse Jackson, to represent them at a UCB event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Vietnam War, the one that ended the “American war” in Vietnam, but began the “War on Terror.” What did Jackson have to say? “War crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Iraq and Afghanistan and the United States government has a responsibility for its actions.” That kind of rhetoric is supposed to be our national discourse.
When Berkeley Student Activists for Liberty and others had the gall to ask President Obama to denounce Jackson’s words, they were told they were “pro-war on war” and that such statements were offensive and that it was not appropriate for them to be there representing our movement.
I am not a regular reader of the Daily Californian, but I did find their article on the campus speaker ban extremely informative. They mentioned that the “university police” threatened to charge the students with “disorderly conduct” for having their protest planned, because they “weren’t planning to do anything illegal or violent.”
I wonder if this kind of bullying has been going on for years at UC Berkeley. I will bet it is happening right now.
I applaud the efforts of the student protesters at UC Berkeley. I hope that this incident is not a sign that Berkeley is moving away from “safe spaces” that can only be accessed by designated students and that the University administration has no desire to protect students from the real free speech that they are entitled to.
I also strongly believe that it is my responsibility to protest and to fight for what I believe in, whether it be for equality of rights or for a free and just society. I will not be quiet for the sake of protecting others from the speech they do not like.
Please join the students and student leaders on campus who have taken this action. They are doing a great job and have my full support.
David Sommers
Berkeley
BURLINGTON
Students must get right before they can go
I am writing to ask the University Student Senate Committee on Student Life and Activities, and the Board of Regents, to require that students who are not of native English descent, or who are not students of the
