One of the interesting phenomena in the political world today is that civil liberties are indeed under assault in America but, despite an MSM-fueled conventional wisdom that states otherwise, the enemies of our First Amendment rights are liberals while conservatives are the defenders. Whether it is the right to utter the name of a politician during election season or the right to protect your own property from being confiscated and handed over to wealthy developers by greedy politicians , it is liberal legislators and executives who restricted our rights and liberal activist judges who rewrote the Constitution to uphold and codify those erosions of civil rights.

At Columbia University this week, we had another example of violent intimidation with the intent of silencing political opponents. And, as is all too typical, academia demonstrated its hypocrisy by claiming to support the free exchange of ideas while choosing to side with the forces of censorship. Obviously, the NY Times won't tell you about this so you have to get it from New York's paper of record.

The violence erupted when a crowd led by the student chapter of the International Socialist Organization rushed a stage where the founder of the Minutemen, Jim Gilchrist, tried to deliver a speech...

It would have been entirely appropriate for school administrators to allow students to protest peaceably outside the lecture hall or to host a competing event. The university's willingness to allow this event to devolve into pandemonium, however, speaks volumes about its commitment to fostering open debate. The video of the event shows campus police officers — paid for by the Columbia College Republicans — standing by just feet away as students overturned tables and chairs onstage and proceeded to attack Mr. Gilchrist and his fellow Minuteman, Marvin Stewart...

After letting the perpetrators escape, university administrators had the gall to berate the president of Columbia's College Republicans, Christopher Kulawik, for allowing his guests to infuriate the crowd, according to Mr. Kulawik. In other words, despite formally nodding to the value of free speech, Columbia is effectively blaming the victim for inciting the chaos.

"Allowing his guests to infuriate the crowd?" This sounds familiar, doesn't it? Rabid savages don't like what they hear and resrot to violence, while liberal apologists blame the victims for having the nerve to express their opinions peacefully. Whether it is cartoons of Mohammed or defense of the border, it's the same mentality.

The rioters at least were honest about their belief in censorship.

Students jumped from the stage, chanting in Spanish and pumping their fists triumphantly. "These are racist individuals heading a project that terrorizes immigrants on the U.S.-Mexican border," a Columbia junior who took part in the protest, Ryan Fukumori, said. "They have no right to be able to speak here."

So much for the idea that Columbia University is a place that values open debate. And so much for the idea that liberals are America's brave defenders of freedom of speech. It is clear that, when it comes to the right to speak freely, engage in political advocacy or be secure in your property, conservatives are America's last best hope for our Constitutional rights.

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