Ciao!

I hadn't heard about it. Certainly was stupid of the huero kid.

I agree with your point of view.

Good points. And another thing that kid should learn is that in this country and time period, at least all he got was fined. Had he lived in another country ot era he probably could have been shot (as you were alluding to in your closing statement).

It's kind of like if the KKK came to campus. I abhor such a group, but they have a right to be here based on our belief in free speech. Should we throw stuff at them? I know many would like to. But a better way to deal with groups/people you disagree with is to ignore them or at least figure out why they believe in opposite ideals. Since I don't care for Buchanan, I wasn't going to go watch him, fill a seat, and get pissed off. I stayed home and let my brain rot watching reality television.

Preach it brother. You don't fight ideas with salad dressing.

Miguel, you - a liberal? Hmmm... Oh by the way isn't throwing a salad a form of expression (of free speech)? Asking to open a debate. N.

Yes, Nenad, I'm very much a liberal. I respect the right of unpopular people to express their opinions w/o fear of retribution, and I respect the right to private property, etc. THAT makes me a liberal. You doubt that? My position stands 100% behind the ACLU:

http://www.aclu.org/StudentsRights/StudentsRights.cfm?ID=9004&c=159

And do you really think that throwing material things at people is an expression of open debate? In a liberal society one has the right to speak, complain, argue, yell, etc. But you don't have the right to silence others. And you certainly don't have the right to damage their property or their person.

Do you really think throwing salad dressing on him was an expression of political speech? Really? Please tell me you're kidding. Next time you're on a panel, giving a talk, and someone doesn't like your research/methods/data/etc, think about what rights they have to challenge you. Does it include throwing things at you?

And did there have to be an "asking to a debate"? The kid ended a Q & A session. The kid, essentially, didn't "open" a debate, he CLOSED it!

I'm tired of people willing to defend the rights of some people to offend others, but not all the way around. I'm sick of it, actually.

Throwing things at speakers isn't a form of political speech - it's assault and battery. It's criminal! It doesn't really respond to the ideas promoted by Buchanan - which are mostly out of wack - either.

I would petition the city of Kalamazoo to press charges against the kid. Buchanan is the complainant, and the complainant is usually a necessary to a criminal prosecution as a matter of proof. Certainly enough people saw the salad toss to testify what happened. Criminal prosecutions in theory are not brought on behalf of the victims, per se - they're instituted and prosecuted on behalf of the people of whatever jurisdiction in which the court has power.

I would argue that b/c Buchanan is a political figure, requiring his presence at trial would create undue hardship. Proof should be easy - video and eyewitness testimony.

I'd also argue that the case should not be dismissed based on the fact that Buchanan didn't want to press charges; rather, the people of the city of Kalamazoo were harmed by the kid's criminal acts: reputationally and personally (indignation and offense).

There's something wrong with a person who thinks he can throw physical objects at public figures with ideas uncompatible with his own. He ought to be given a lesson in the rule of law and civility in discourse.

Just my .02 cents.

Of course I was kidding, that's why I added "Asking to open a debate." Even my first question was a wit remark. All I said, obviously in my misunderstood English, was that I agreed with you. That's all; I better stop joiking in English, I seem only to offend people, N.

"Asking to open a debate" meant "let's discuss whether his action could be protected under the first amendment and obviously why not". N.

Oh, sorry, Nenad. Yeah, I guess I should've known you'd be kidding. I've just been really upset about this, and the rather widespread reaction from so-called "liberals" etc. Makes me want to scream sometimes.

But I don't think this kid even vaguely comprehends the extent of idiocy he perpetrated.