Wow. Awe-Inspiring Speech. 'Fear is the Greatest Impediment to the Achievement of Peace'

But when that disagreement promotes the silencing of a speaker that has an "opposite" view, doesn't that go against the very heart of freedom and dissent?

ok

"Based on the speech he gave at the other institutions, Senator McCain will tell us today that dissent and disagreement are our civic and moral obligation in times of crisis, and I agree. I consider this a time of crisis, and I feel obligated to speak."

speech excerpt

key word=will

Do we know for a fact that he didn't speak after this student's speech?

You're digging here Wutone for a win, and it's not going to happen.

One might just as easily say that movie critics are silencing our first amendment right to free speech.

Nowhere does she say McCain should not speak or anything of the sort. IMO, she gave a preview and criticism of it. I really think you're digging for your arguments here.

Yes, especially when that speaker specializes at making people question his credibility. I'm pretty sure a lot of those students who graduated from the New School have seen the following vid and countless others. And I believe they're quite mature enough to think and decide for themselves.

YouTube Link

Digging for a win? I am hurt. I am just going along with the spirit of dissent/

"The senator does not reflect the ideals upon which this university was founded. Not only this -- please, not only this, but his invitation was a top-down decision that did not take into account the desires and interests of the student body on an occasion that is supposed to honor us above all and to commemorate our achievements."

Oh I think that she was fully against McCain even making an appearance much less speak.

Where did I say John McCain was honest?

It looks like people who support dissent only support it when it agrees with their point of view.

I wonder what sort of impact a speech from a "dishonest" presidential candidate had on those students. Is that the kind of example we wish to set to fresh graduates?

[edit on 5.21.08 by toreishi]

We have nothing to fear from other countries? Is that a joke?

Pretty good speech, but give me a break. Nothing to fear?

I guess Pearl Harbor never happened, right? Or 9/11? Murders never happen, wars never start?
The gross ignorance in such a statement is baffling.

reply to post by toreishi

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So basically you feel that John McCain shouldn't speak at all? Whats the difference between fresh graduates and the public in general, unless you feel that fresh graduates can't think for themselves (as if the public can)?

reply to post by Johnmike

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Ah, you mention Pearl Harbor. Were you aware of this?
or this

methinks you have quite a lot to fear from the politicians within your government especially when they start lying to you. Lest you forget, the first casualty of war is often the truth.

reply to post by wutone

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Doesn't matter what I think (I'm not American). What matters is what the American public believes. And your media can spin it whichever way they choose. Too bad.

I hesitate to respond to a thread deep into the second page. I feel that writing even a short blurb, that gained merely chuckles, is better than a long winded post ignored by most.

I love that we live in a country, that allows for the free speech of everyone, on every stage. Oh, except for classified and top-secret material. Even that material which might exonerate you.

I love that we live in a country, where talking heads, and supposed newscasters, can give opinion as news, and present one sided views as being honest. That we hear only the bad, ever. Vince Foster had it right when he said that Washington D.C. made a sport of ruining peoples lives.

I love that we live in a country, where a Liberal student who would never date, or probably make friends with, a soldier, would act as though she is speaking on their behalf and cares about them. Where she can use our troops liker a banner, a banner that hasn't changed messages since Vietnam.

I love that we live in a country, where knowing history as fact, instead of theory, is not needed. Where one can merely omit the parts that do not suit them. A place where Perception is EVERYTHING. A place where having a historical longview does not matter.

I love that we live in a country, where this post will be picked apart without ever really answering what the real problem is. The fact is, most of you sit unaffected, telling me how to spend my money, make peace with psychos, and how my skin color has caused more world harm than others.

I love that i live in a country, where being progressive means killing our unborn babies, and letting murderers and rapists live on.

But MOSTLY I am glad that I live in a country, where regurgitating what others wrote is still the mark of a top shelf education. This video was crap.

I know that there are some on this thread who are at every liberal meat pile, shoveling away. You are all wrong. I'm just to lazy too keep telling you all the time.

[edit on 21-5-2008 by jasonjnelson]

reply to post by wutone

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Well, I suppose that would be a perception thing, because I don't perceive it at all where she is trying to keep McCain from speaking.

My last post still stands. She's not trying to silence him, she is critiquing his speech.

reply to post by jasonjnelson

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I would LOVE to hear you expand upon this...

reply to post by bigbert81

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I lament, that this is all you took from what i said.

reply to post by jasonjnelson

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Well, you did make it clear that you did not want the post picked apart. So which is it?

reply to post by bigbert81

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lol, got ahead bert, I know i have it coming

Yes. You can debate everything here, but whether or not we provoked Pearl Harbor (I think we did, as we did with the RMS Lusitania), we were aggressively attacked by Japan and they were an extremely tangible threat. We're blessed with relative safety, but aggressive nations and terrorists are extremely common.

She is critiquing his speech before his speech and by critiquing other past speeches while assuming that the same matter will be the subject of a future speech?

She is not trying to silence him but at the same time she does not want him to speak because he "doesn't represent the university"?

The speaker has every right to say anything about McCain that she wants. Yes it turns a graduation ceremony into another political debate, but hey its her choice. The problem is that she is complaining about McCain being allowed to speak also.

Of course you don't believe that the speaker doesn't want to silence McCain because that would be a sign of hypocrisy on her part. "Brilliant" free thinkers that happen to believe the same things you do can never be hypocritical, right?