Columbia to conservatives: &*^% off

Ross Kaminsky's important piece from RealClearPolitics about the crushing of free speech at Columbia University has now been picked up by OpinionJournal. Either way, you need to read it.

Columbia's recent track record on free speech is deplorable. The home base of Nicholas "Million Mogadishus" De Genova can't seem to stomach the expression of conservative ideas. Jim Gilchrist can now add his name to a list that includes (at least) Ward Connerly and Dinesh D'Souza. I'm sure there are others. Here's a sample:

Everything you really need to know about the protesters is contained in this sentence: "Shame on the College Republicans for inviting this fascist thug and provoking such outrage on our campus." In other words, the act of inviting a controversial speaker is worse than violence against that speaker . . . oh, and the speaker must be a "fascist thug" because he doesn't agree with the writer's left-wing sensibilities which are typical of Columbia students.

It's the "we wuz provoked" defense.