Churchill versus Churchill

How the West was Won. How the West is Being Lost.

Once upon a time, a man named Churchill was invited to major American universities to say things like this:

"Law, language, literature -- these are considerable factors. Common conceptions of what is right and decent, a marked regard for fair play, especially to the weak and poor, a stern sentiment of impartial justice and above all a love of personal freedom ... these are the common conceptions on both sides of the ocean among the English-speaking peoples."
- Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of England
at Harvard University, September 6, 1943 upon receiving an honorary degree.

Today, a man named Churchill is invited to major American universities to say things like this:

"Most of (my) book is a detailed chronology of U.S. military interventions since 1776 and U.S. violations of international law since World War II. My point is that we cannot allow the U.S. government, acting in our name, to engage in massive violations of international law and fundamental human rights and not expect to reap the consequences."
- Ward Churchill, Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado January 31, 2005 in defense of his essay “Some People Push Back.” (Wherein he issues bowlfuls of wisdom, the spirit of which is nicely summed up in his statement: “America's indiscriminately lethal arrogance and psychotic sense of self-entitlement have long since given the great majority of the world's peoples ample cause to be at war with it.”)

By this juxtaposition do I intend to demonstrate the exhilarating breadth of thinking allowed on our universities that has made them engines of human advancement? Hardly. For in truth, were Sir Winston to descend from the heavens and speak at Harvard today as he did in 1943, he would be bludgeoned nearly to death by students and faculty armed with shop class bongs and university-issued rubber penises. “Pish posh,” you say. “Our colleges and universities are bastions of free speech.” We beg to differ, and submit the following for your consideration: Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C, Exhibit D, Exhibit E, Exhibit F, Exhibit G.

How can this be? In short, the hippies have taken over. And not only are they spewing rhetoric synonymous to that of Mr. Ward Churchill , they are actively silencing campus voices in support of Western Civilization (see Exhibits A-G above), and infecting institutions of higher learning on both sides of the Atlantic with curricular vilification of Western Civilization.

The effects of this polluting of the academic garden were on full display for all to see at the recent “Peace Protests” upon the 4th anniversary of the United States Invasion of Iraq. (See my exquisite and much ballyhooed IRAQ ANNIVERSARY INVASION ONLINE REFRESHER COURSE post dated March 15, 2007). Doubtless, the vast majority of these protests consisted of the usual mindless drivel equating peace with the mere absence of war. While benign enough, such simple-mindedness amongst the overwhelmingly college-aged hoards is disappointing to say the very least. There were, however, some slightly more sinister and revealing demonstrations.

*Milwaukee, Wisconsin: The incident. Its supporters. (NOTE: This recruiting station is just blocks from The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Hmmmm)
*Lansing, Michigan: The incident.
*Portland, Oregon: The incidents.

To be sure, radicalism among college-aged individuals is nothing new. One does marvel, however at the homogeneity and thoughtlessness of this latest crop. Why, one hasn’t seen such demonstrations of mass brain-death since the Vietnam era. Alas, the inmates are running the asylum/the hippies are running the universities!

There is hope. In fact hundreds of thousands of 18-25 year olds have somehow endured the Leftist Laundromat that is present day academe and are actively defending the values and principles that have elevated Western Civilization – and all of humankind – out of the primordial swamp. You’ll find them in uniform serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and all around the globe.

I give the penultimate word regarding this matter to senior writer with U.S. News & World Report, Michael Barone, is his superlative essay, The Blame-America-First Crowd.

Final word, however, must be reserved for Himself in this prescient – even ironic- excerpt from His same speech at Harvard cited above.

“Tyranny is our foe. Whatever trappings or disguise it wears, whatever language it speaks, be it external or internal, we must forever be on our guard, ever mobilised, ever vigilant, always ready to spring at its throat.”
- Sir Winston Churchill, Harvard University, September 6, 1943

Even, we must conclude, when tyranny is dressed in a cheap tweed sport coat with elbow patches.

Cheers,

Charlie