Free speech for students... unless you're Christian, that is

By Warner Todd Huston

Our institutes of "higher" learning are all about being inclusive. They are stridently for freedom of speech and stand 100% behind the concept of open political debate. Well, unless you're a Christian, that is. Christians, you see, are the only group that our fetid colleges and universities have agreed to discriminate against.

Last week, another example of that well known "tolerance" our schools are so concerned with promulgating was seen in Pomona College in Claremont, California. There two Christian, pro-life students were banned from the Pamona campus. Their crime? Video taping a question-and-answer session with a Planned Parenthood representative invited to speak there.

The students, David Daleiden, 20, and Kyle Kinneberg, 21, belong to the youth-led right-to-life advocacy group Live Action at Pamona College.

As an excuse for the action, the college claimed that the students violated a school policy by taping the visiting abortion mill operator's appearance. But when asked to present a written copy of this "rule" college administrators couldn't present one. It is unclear if in fact such a rule even exists.

Says David Daleiden:

"It's understandable that Planned Parenthood's Serena Josel was angry at us for our recording — she made several spurious and even contradictory arguments defending Planned Parenthood's lack of accountability for mandatory child abuse reporting. But campus disciplinary procedures should never be used as a tool for political retribution."

Fortunately, the college ended up reversing its hasty decision to ban the students. It probably helped that the alumni association was outraged and insisted the ban be ended.

"We are grateful to the Claremont McKenna alumni and administration who reacted quickly to correct this abuse," Kinneberg added. "This is not the first time pro-lifers have been persecuted for questioning Planned Parenthood, but victories like this should inspire us never to be afraid to stand up for the truth."

The knee-jerk reaction of college officials, though, is proof yet again that the best way to be cast out of school in America today is to be a Christian, a pro-lifer or a conservative of one stripe or another.

And remember, folks: YOUR tax money is going to support these hate crime promulgating "schools." In every single state of the union this is true.

© Warner Todd Huston