1. Freedom of speech is a marginalized issue, especially if nobody is listening. Quantity has established a norm in itself, and instead of quality makes people numb. Few words are an insult to everyone. That's why there are schools.

---

2. The architects of the war in Iraq (Perle, Feith, Wolfowitz) attended college during the days of speech codes. The people running our intelligence agencies attended colleges under speech codes. The Robb-Silberman commission stated that our intelligence agencies had an environment hostile to dissent, which led to a distorted view of the intelligence about Iraq. I wonder if there is a connection.

---

3. Shermer is technically correct re private institutions setting up their own rules. However, in their mission they contract to allow free speech and therefore, break the contract which is cause of action at law. The sticking point is the meaining of "offended". We should use normal usage. So for example, if someone says X group has lower SAT scores, that may upset some, but if it the truth, then it cannot come under the rubric of being offended. And if not the truth, then can be corrected by a response that states the facts. Offended should be restricted to curse words not to opinion even if opinion is silly and may "offend".

---

4. I agree with Shermer. So long as private institutions are up front about what the rules are, and apply them consistently and fairly, then there is nothing to complain about. It's the private intitutions who declare one thing in their literature, but practise another, that are the problem. State-owned institutions are different. By law they are required to allow their students considerable freedom.

---

5. Zimbabwe's Mugabe has come down hard on free speech, gathering in public, and unapproved news. Our schools use the same methods.

---

6. How about if we pose this question to the LA Times editors: Do governments have a customer-service responsibility to newspaper readers to rein in news stories and commentary that makes readers uncomfortable? Seems silly now, doesn't it?

---

7. Hate speech lowers students' self-esteem which has been proven to lower students' grades in psychological studies. Thus, hate speech goes against a prime goal of universities: to help students learn.

---

8. If students are uncomfortable with ideas they have no business being in college.

---

9. I've never heard of an open-minded student being opposed to enlightented views. Bigotry is learned, not born.

---

10. Public colleges and universities ARE the government. Are you really that uninformed that you do not understand that, or are you attempting to create a distinction you know does not exist, as a ruse to push your agenda?

---