Students Exercising "Privilege"

For John, BLUF:  If it wasn't so sad it would be funny.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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This is a pretty obscure issue, discussed in the Lawfare blog.  It is about Law Professor, and former Obama Department of State Lawyer, Harold Koh.

Students are protesting that Professor Koh was a supporter of drone kills when in fact he was a voice against promiscuous use of drones to further the "war on terrorism".  To make it worse, the students protested when they got pushback, claiming “intimidation”.

The astonishing sense of entitlement on the part of a group of students to peddle false information and not be disagreed with or corrected—and to regard any expression of disagreement as intimidation—beggars belief.

The real irony is that John Yoo (of the Bush Administration Department of Justice), who Professor Koh used to oppose, is coming to his defense.

While I don’t agree with Harold on many issues, the protest strikes me as silly.  A university should bring forth all points of view, even those — especially those — that students, alumni, and faculty do not like.  How better could law students learn than from someone like Harold, whose role as a government lawyer may have run counter to his views as a legal scholar and activist?  If there are students, faculty, and alumni who think Harold should be excluded from the NYU community, they may want to go to a university that cares more about protecting their feelings than improving their minds.  But they will be worse off for it.

Amen.

Hat tip to the Instapundit.

Regards  —  Cliff