Principled Conservatives Defend Ward Churchill

Instapundit and Evan Coyne Maloney both think that Ward Churchill should get his tenure, despite the viciously anti-American, pro-mass-murder, and arguably seditious essay he wrote.

Fair enough.

But I have a question.

If I were a professor at Colorado Univerisity, and I made similarly inflammatory and hateful remarks from the right -- like, for example, writing an essay after 9-11 calling for genocidal nuclear strikes on all the problem children of the Muslim world-- would I get to keep my job? Would I get tenure?

I grow weary of the suggestion that conservatives must be more principled than the left. That sounds nice in theory, but in practical terms, it's simply an acceptance of a double-standard.

Many on the right argue, correctly, that we cannot extend full Geneva Convention rights to captured terrorists as they refuse to extend such protections to our troops. In other words, fair treatment requires recipricocity. Without recipricocity, it's simply a license for the other side to behave viciously without suffering any undue consequences.

I would think a similar tit-for-tat principle should apply here. I am sick of being treated as a second-class citizen because my beliefs aren't quite as protected by the imperatives of free speech as the rantings of vicious leftist monsters.

Aren't Instapundit and Mr. Maloney? Do they imagine that continuing to act like doormats is likely to change this situation?

The Late Lamented Steven den Beste Update: The rigorously intellectual case for tit-for-tat behavior -- as opposed to purely principled, "I shall act according to my conscience no matter how viciously you behave towards me" behavior -- is made here.

Worth reading if you haven't read it yet.

Goldstein Vs. Allah! Protein Wisdom also supports Churchill's purported right to justify terroristic murder, and he and Allah (and many other fine commenters) got into an interesting discussion about it.

Blog Breaking News? Jeff G. of Protein Wisdom says Chuchill will be "shitcanned."

I don't think that word has ever been used more appropriately than with respect to this particular excresence.

posted by Ace at 05:11 PM

| Access Comments