When the Boot Is on the Other Foot

Re “Intimidation Is a Form of Censorship,” by Norah Vincent, Commentary, Nov. 8: I have conservative friends on university faculties who cannot speak frankly of their political beliefs for fear of reprisal from the overwhelmingly liberal faculty and administration. Doctoral candidates cannot speak openly for fear of offending leftist professors and failing to get their theses approved and graduate.

The left revels in censoring conservative opinions, calling us “racist, sexist, homophobic and misogynistic” and, of course, scoffing at “compassionate conservatism.” Now, when their own are engaged in treason on campus, they claim censorship and victimhood status.

What galling hubris. You cannot lie while giving aid and comfort to our terrorist enemies and expect to keep your cushy, tenured university professor position, teaching two classes per week. What part of “treason” doesn’t Vincent understand?

John Jaeger

Irvine

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Vincent proves again my theory that one need not have anything logical to say to have a national column. Her opinion that the 1st Amendment prohibits speech with “severe consequences” turns that amendment on its head. She equates putting a gun to a speaker’s head because of his opinion with threatening his livelihood. Vincent fails to see the obvious distinction between urging someone’s firing and actually firing a person for that person’s views. The remedy is for the aggrieved person to sue his employer if and when he is fired for voicing his opinion, not to prohibit the opinion that he ought to be fired. Applying that logic would make it unconstitutional for me to urge The Times to drop Vincent from its editorial pages.

Vincent’s most patently absurd position is that it should be unconstitutional for companies to pull advertisements from network television shows. Bill Maher clearly has the 1st Amendment right to loudly express his opinions. However, just like the rest of us, he does not have the 1st Amendment right to be paid to loudly express them on national television.

Ric Ottaiano

Fullerton