Leftists love democracy until they’re asked to entertain free speech.
Politico published a story on Sunday labeling diversity programs “the new Red Scare for red states.”
The paper outlined a cascade of legislation emanating from Republican-led assemblies that aim to eliminate so-called “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) initiatives as the Supreme Court prepares to deliver a decision on affirmative action. Oral arguments last fall signaled the nine-member bench will likely declare race-based admissions unconstitutional.
“To save free speech on college campuses, Republican lawmakers and governors say it’s time to stop talking about diversity, equity and inclusion,” Politico reported. The magazine summed up the movement as an effort to “temper difficult conversations about race in the classroom.”
What Politico didn’t mention was an episode at Stanford University just 10 days prior, which offers a case study in how DEI mania routinely suppresses dissident speech.
At a lecture organized by the school’s Federalist Society, Fifth Circuit Judge Kyle Duncan was heckled by left-wing law students while university administrators not only refused to step in but joined the chorus. Tirien Steinbach, the law school’s diversity dean, took the podium over from Duncan to deride the Trump-appointed judge for engaging in speech “that feels abhorrent, that feels harmful, that literally denies the humanity of people.” Steinbach didn’t admonish the students — who are ostensibly at a top-tier law school to learn how to engage with ideas in argument — for shouting down the invited speaker. Instead, Steinbach asked Judge Duncan whether “the juice
