University of Virginia Campus Newspaper Says Pence Should Not Be Allowed to Speak on Campus

There is a firestorm raging on the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville over a scheduled speaking appearance by former Vice President Mike  Pence. Recently, the campus newspaper, Cavalier Daily, editorial board printed an editorial saying that the event should not go forward claiming that it would represent a danger to black students, gay students, transgender students, and what have you. They take issue with some of Pence's statements, positions, and the fact he served under Trump.  Below is the editorial in question.

https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2022/03/editorial-dangerous-rhetoric-is-not-entitled-to-a-platform

In response, a  group of faculty members co-signed a letter to the paper defending Pence's right of free speech. That letter can be read below:

 https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2022/04/letter-to-the-editor-free-speech-is-a-fundamental-u-va-value

Full disclosure(s): First of all, I am not familiar with any of the signees. I don't know what their ideological positions are, nor do I care. I salute them for writing the letter.

I should also note that I received my master's degree in education from the University of Virginia in 1993 (at the age of 48). I only happened to enroll in the program because I was working as an instructor in DEA's Office of Training, then located at the FBI in Quantico, Virginia. The 2-year program consisted of night classes at the FBI academy and was paid for by DEA. I hold no special feelings toward UVA as an alma mater. In fact, the first time I ever stepped foot on the campus was to get my diploma.

With that out of the way, I am particularly shocked by the editorial. As I have noted many times, I often read campus newspapers online when covering various campus issues. Campus newspapers are predictably left-wing. This, however, is one of the most extreme examples of "wokeness" I have come across.

In addition, it is highly unfair to take Pence's conservative positions on issues, some of which are tied to his religious beliefs, and accuse him of advocating violence or discrimination against anybody. That he is opposed to homosexuality does not mean he wants to see violence done to gays or to deprive them of Constitutional rights. He is not shown himself to be a racist or any other kind of hater. Whatever you may think of Trump's inartful comments about the Charlottesville fiasco, it is not fair to tar Pence with that brush. 

But no matter how much you may be opposed to Pence, to state that he should not be able to come and speak at the university when invited by a student group, is an assault on our First Amendment freedoms. And it is just another example of how the left would like to strip us of those freedoms. On the other hand, I am not advocating closing down the campus paper or taking away the editorial positions from those who penned the editorial. They are free to say what they wish, and we are free to respond critically.