Diversity, open-mindedness and violent assaults

Another tale of students at a Michigan University displaying unbelievable hypocrisy, this time at Michigan State. On Thursday, anti-immigration Congressman Tom Tancredo was scheduled to give at speech at Michigan State's law school when protestors twice emptied the building by pulling a fire alarm and violently assaulted those who supported the Congressman.

Here's the story from the Denver Post. The State News, MSU's student newspaper, has an account here.

From the Post:

"Violence erupted at a Michigan law school Thursday when protestors tried to block a speech by Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo. Police were called after protestors pulled a fire alarm prior to the speech on immigration policies. There were at least three violent incidents with protestors targeting student backers of the event, Tancredo, R-Littleton, said today.

'One was spit on, one was kicked, and one was punched,' Tancredo said in an e-mail. 'Tires were also slashed'... Protestors interrupted the speech with loud shouting... Tancredo said in the email that protestors organized on the Internet social networking site Facebook.

'They declared ahead of time on facebook that they would not allow me to speak,' Tancredo said in the e-mail."

I'm no fan of Tom Tancredo. I strongly disagree with his overly narrow views on immigration and his animosity toward immigrants generally. But this type of behavior by college students is unbelievable. When you react violently to a person giving a speech and presenting their views simply because you disagree with what they are saying, to me that demonstrates a profound lack of confidence in your own views and the ability to convince people of the truth.

It makes you wonder what these "students" are being taught in the classroom if they are so quick to resort to violence when presented with views they disagree with.