The <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/11/25/oved-president-harvard-republican-club-never-better/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original version</a> of this article ran in The Harvard Crimson on November 25, 2024. Republished with permission.
* * *
That just <a href="https://features.thecrimson.com/2021/freshman-survey/lifestyle-narrative/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5.2 percent of my class</a> at Harvard admits to being Republican is no secret — it was the statistic published in The Crimson’s annual incoming freshman survey for the Class of 2025. But the fact that many of the remaining 94.8 percent actively try to ostracize and dissociate from conservatives on campus — while also not a secret — is vastly more disturbing.
In the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s resounding victory on November 5, students took to social media platforms like Sidechat, an anonymous social media platform, to lambast their peers who simply voted for Trump.
“No matter who wins tonight, the fact that so many vote for Trump is f*cking terrifying,” read one post, which was upvoted by 407 Harvard students. Other students called conservatives at Harvard “freaks,” “misogynists,” “fascists,” and the “stupidest people on campus.” Some even told them to “unenroll please, it’s frankly embarrassing.” Most damning was a post which read “Accept the consequences of your beliefs. Want lower taxes, take social alienation.”
Notwithstanding these petty efforts to undermine and intimidate campus Republicans into suppressing their viewpoints, as president of the Harvard Republican Club, I can state unequivocally that it has never been a better time to be a Republican on campus.
Since my election as HRC President just one year ago, our student mailing list has grown exponentially from 100 to over 800 — more than 10 percent of Harvard’s student body. We’ve rolled out a <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/10/8/iop-launches-conservative-mentorship/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">career mentorship program</a> and an Alumni Advisory Board, we’ve significantly increased the number of events hosted, and we’ve dramatically increased the average attendees at these events over seven-fold from less than 20 to almost 150.
This rapid success is due, in no small part, to the HRC hosting a wide array of high-profile speakers who espouse views across the conservative ideological spectrum — from businessmen like PayPal co-founder Peter A. Thiel and <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/10/30/palantir-ceo-republican-club/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale</a> to former ambassadors like <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/11/8/trevor-traina-harvard-republicans/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trevor Traina</a>, think tank leaders like Heritage Foundation President Kevin D. Roberts, former governors like Asa Hutchinson, former Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf, and Cabinet nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ’76.
While I may not agree with every mentor or speaker’s opinion, their diverse perspectives and ideas reflect the broad, open-minded, and welcoming organization the HRC has built over the past year.
It was a similarly broad coalition that propelled Trump, whom we proudly <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/7/2/harvard-republican-club-donald-trump-endorsement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed in July</a>, to a spectacularly decisive victory — a group of people with varied ideas about America’s future united behind their Republican identity.
Of course, the success of any political movement hinges on engaging others who may not agree with a cause, convincing them to ultimately view it positively.
This is particularly true at Harvard, where some of my peers have likely never actually engaged with a conservative. From their first year on campus, many often self-isolate into groups that reinforce their opinions. These students’ perceptions of conservatives are borne exclusively from what their media of choice feeds them, and thus our purportedly “educated” student body blindly associates Republicans with every negative “ism” they have been taught to embrace.
<h3><a href="https://get.dailywire.com/gift-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE</a></h3>
Over the past year, the HRC has seen a record number of self-identified Democrats attend our events and use our resources. We’ve facilitated important conversations across party lines (including a debate between Republicans and Democrats at Visitas) and brought a diverse set of perspectives to those who sought them out.
Our success — like the national Republican Party’s success — is contingent on a diverse coalition only possible when we embrace heterogenous opinions and allow for robust conversations. Just look at Trump’s new Cabinet: It includes many former Democrats, including Kennedy and Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii). Those surprised by Trump’s victory earlier this month might assume that Republican life at Harvard is dead. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Our events are more than well attended, our speakers top-tier, and our energy through the roof. And perhaps most importantly, many Republicans are willing to openly embrace their values on campus, despite the aforementioned social media posts.
I encourage those interested in stepping out of their comfort zone and challenging their preconceived notions about conservatives to take advantage of the movement we’ve built. Instead of attempts at name-calling, intimidation, and ostracization, seek out Republicans. Listen to what they believe. Heck, even argue with them if you want. But at least engage with their ideas on a meaningful level. You might just learn something.
* * *
Michael Oved ’25, an Economics concentrator in Adams house, is president of the Harvard Republican Club, and chair of the Conservative Coalition at the Institute of Politics.
The <a href="https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2024/11/25/oved-president-harvard-republican-club-never-better/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original version</a> of this article ran in The Harvard Crimson on November 25, 2024. Republished with permission.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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I’m President Of The Harvard Republican Club. Being Republican At Harvard Has Never Been Better.

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As a Gen Z, pro-life woman, I voted for President-elect Donald Trump. It’s crystal clear why he won: the political Left’s empty platitudes and hollow tolerance talk was a façade, and the election results shredded their mask. My post-election experience thus far consists of being mobbed or threatened on campus, proving the hypocrisy of the Left’s claims of acceptance of all lifestyles. I identify as Pro/Life.
I’ve been fighting for pre-born lives for my entire college and adult career, debating abortion supporters’ &#8220;pro-woman&#8221; abortion arguments. I’m no stranger to ostracization from my peers, hateful messages, and even death threats. Maybe it’s because these people support an industry that kills pre-born babies to keep their doors open.
Two days after the election, the abortion Left’s chaotic response at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) to my campus tour, “Abortion is Violence,” proved my point about abortion supporters.
These “pro-woman” abortion zealots quickly surrounded me, yelling, spitting at me and my crew, stealing flyers and other display materials, leading to one arrest by campus police.
The conduct during my speech wasn’t much better; I walked into a room at full capacity of 160 people with more protestors waiting outside. Abortion supporters held signs with my face on them. They mocked, shouted, and insulted me, even telling me I should’ve been aborted.
One pro-abortion man came up to me and yelled:
“You should be eradicated! You should rot in the bowels of hell! You should die!” When a nearby person pleaded for civility, saying, “That’s a woman, respect the woman,” he replied, “My respect for women is very selective.”
Whatever happened to “I’m with her?”
And these same people wonder why Vice President Kamala Harris lost.
They say they support women, but only those women who agree with killing pre-born children, or perhaps men who identify as women who feel the same.
They want the freedom to spit, steal, and scream but don’t want Americans they disagree with to speak peacefully and engage in public discourse.
They say women should have the truth and resources to “make their own choice,” but blatantly lie about miscarriage care, Chemical Abortion Pill side effects, and fetal development.
Fortunately for us, people saw past the spin, and it cost Harris and the Democratic Party the Presidency, U.S. House, and U.S. Senate.
Voters had the choice of voting for the most radical, pro-abortion ticket in world history, and said NO. A majority of voters don’t want abortion up until birth, nor do they appreciate the senseless propaganda around it.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://studentsforlife.org/2024/01/16/new-sfla-sflaction-yougov-poll-shows-the-youth-vote-open-to-pro-life-perspectives-supports-services-for-mothers-rejects-the-biden-administrations-radical-agenda/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nine out of ten</a> youth voters want safeguards around Chemical Abortion Pills.</li>
<li><a href="https://lozierinstitute.org/pregnancy-centers-provided-over-350m-of-services-goods/#:~:text=Of%20the%20over%2016%20million,Knights%20of%20Columbus%E2%80%93Marist%20Poll." target="_blank" rel="noopener">91% of Americans</a> support Pregnancy Help Centers.</li>
<li><a href="https://harvardharrispoll.com/key-results-november-3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seven out of ten</a> Americans are against abortion after 15 weeks.</li>
</ul>
Late-term abortion extremism is not a winning argument, which is why abortion zealots don’t want civil conversation and critical thinking to spread nationwide. If open dialogue occurs, then people can clearly see how radical these beliefs really are.
At VCU, as I talked with students willing to listen, an aggressive mob of more than 200 abortion supporters shouted down the free speech of others. The online death threats I continued to receive became too severe for me to remain on campus, requiring my security as well as police to escort me to safety. Students took more of my flyers and ate them in my face as I walked through the mob.
Despite securing my physical safety, the online attacks continued as pro-abortion students made viral videos on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTY1SBYm3/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok,</a> flooded by Instagram with horrific messages, and got my TikTok permanently banned.
But their efforts to silence my voice for the voiceless prove my point: these tactics wouldn’t be necessary if abortion extremism was popular. Their actions and insults against decent and good people solidify their perception as loudmouths who are intolerant of the beauty of life.
I’ve received countless messages from people saying I’ve helped change their minds on abortion. Millions of people have seen my content from my tour stops and seen the pro-life movement challenging the pro-abortion narrative shoved down our throats.
Even though the abortion Left’s ire rings loudly, the pro-life movement treks forward victoriously, with the hopes that Trump will stand up for our free speech rights so we can continue to protect the pre-born.
* * * 
<a href="https://studentsforlife.org/people/lydia-taylor-davis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lydia Taylor Davis</a> serves as a Spokesperson and Social Media Coordinator for Students for Life of America (SFLA). She tours college campuses nationwide speaking against intentional abortion &amp; creates pro-life social media content viewed by millions of people. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Young woman leading a demonstration using a megaphone

Pro-Abortion Mobs Threatened To Kill Me After The Election

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There was a massive red wave last Tuesday night across the nation, and Texas was no exception. 
Texas Governor Greg Abbott took to <a href="https://x.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1854328594245312722" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X last week,</a> once again making his commitment to education freedom known: “Parents know their kids better than anyone, &amp; they want to put them on the best path to success.” He <a href="https://x.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1854328594245312722" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continued</a>, “With last night’s election results, we can provide school choice for every Texan.” 
Less than 90 minutes later, the governor <a href="https://x.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1854350583047802994" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> a pledge, “Texas will deliver school choice.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
School choice is supported by all demographics in Texas.
Texans of all backgrounds, including Black &amp; Hispanic parents, strongly support school choice.
School choice improves educational opportunities for minority &amp; low-income students.
Texas will deliver school choice. <a href="https://t.co/NOVfwA9jOP">pic.twitter.com/NOVfwA9jOP</a>
&mdash; Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) <a href="https://twitter.com/GregAbbott_TX/status/1854350583047802994?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Texas, known for freedom, has been an outlier among historically conservative states when it comes to the rights of dads and moms to have education options for their children outside of the public school system. This is despite only <a href="https://edchoice.morningconsultintelligence.com/texas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">37%</a> of Texans thinking K-12 education in the local school district within Texas is headed in the right direction. 
Abbott’s commitment to empowering parents with education options is nothing new. He has advocated for school choice in the Lone Star State <a href="https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/advocates_praise_governor_abbotts_call_for_expanded_school_choice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">since 2017</a>. 
During the Texas fourth legislative special session in November 2023, the school choice effort died by an amendment to House Bill 1, which removed a school choice provision from the education spending bill by a House vote of <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/28/texas-primary-runoff-school-vouchers-abbott/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">84-63</a>. The 21-point defeat resulted from 21 Republican representatives from rural areas in the state voting with Democrats against school choice.
With the Texas legislative session convening only every other year, Abbott used the intervening time effectively to campaign to get those anti-school choice Republican representatives out of office and, in turn, elect pro-education freedom candidates.
The Texas primary election in March was successful to this end, as six Republican representatives who voted against school choice lost their seats. The March <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-houses-shift-to-the-right-expected-to-cause-contention-at-state-capitol/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">run-off election</a> resulted in another three Republican anti-school choice representatives getting voted out of office. 
Added to those numbers were <a href="https://www.discovery.org/education/2024/06/05/greg-abbott-went-to-war-for-school-choice-he-appears-to-have-won/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five others</a> who forwent seeking reelection, knowing a reckoning was coming. Each of those representatives was replaced by a pro-education freedom candidate. A total of 14 seats were flipped from anti-school choice Republican representatives to education freedom champions. That 14-seat pick-up translates into a 28-point positive swing for school choice — giving Abbott the numbers needed in the Texas House to pass a sweeping school choice bill for families. The Texas Senate had not been the barrier.
The November 5 general election results are still coming in, but it has been <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/05/adam-hinojosa-morgan-lamantia-texas-senate-rio-grande-valley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that Republicans have flipped one Texas Senate seat, resulting in a <a href="https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2024/texas-2024-general-election-results/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">20-11</a> Republican majority. The victorious Republican candidate Adam Hinojosa, referred to by the <a href="https://x.com/SchoolChoiceNow/status/1854161544239632650" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Federation of Children</a> as a “school choice champion,” is the <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/05/adam-hinojosa-morgan-lamantia-texas-senate-rio-grande-valley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first Republican</a> to win the Rio Grande Valley since Reconstruction. 
In the Texas House, similar results are still being reported, but it is currently anticipated that Republicans will flip two seats, making their majority <a href="https://apps.texastribune.org/features/2024/texas-2024-general-election-results/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">88-62</a>. It’s no surprise that Abbott is confident this time around — not just that it’s possible to enact education freedom in Texas, but it is probable with the new legislators. 
As of 2023, of the <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_203.20.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">52.1</a> million K-12 public school students in the United States, nearly <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_203.20.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5.7 million</a> lived in Texas. That translates to 11.88% of all students nationwide. Should Texas pass a universal school choice bill, that would increase the total number of public school students with school choice access in America from <a href="https://www.discovery.org/education/2024/10/03/historic-education-freedom-is-happening-and-it-is-worthy-of-a-celebration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">18.9 million</a> to 24.6 million — from <a href="https://www.edchoice.org/engage/educational-freedom-and-choice-hits-escape-velocity-end-of-session-wrap/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">36.3%</a> to 47.21%. 
The benefits of education freedom are significant for each individual child, their family, and community. Additionally, widespread school choice programs <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2024/10/22/the-school-choice-programs-democrats-hate-have-saved-taxpayers-up-to-45-billion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">save a state enormous sums of money</a> because the funding provided to the family to take to an alternative education option is generally only one-third to half the amount public education spends per student. 
As Martin F. Lueken <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/school-choice-saves-taxpayer-dollars-education-policy-c4b32b6b?page=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in The Wall Street Journal, “a recent EdChoice <a href="https://www.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/EdChoiceOct2024.pdf?mod=article_inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> of 48 school-choice programs across 26 states through 2022 estimates that school-choice programs generated cumulative net fiscal benefits for taxpayers worth between $19.4 billion and $45.6 billion.” That number is dramatically on the rise because, since that time, ten states have joined West Virginia and Arizona in signing universal or near-universal school choice into law. 
With the current K-12 public education spending on Texas students topping <a href="https://www.edchoice.org/state_fast_facts/texas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$70.6 billion</a> annually, massive savings will result in the years to come. Therefore, empowering parents with education freedom for their children is not only the right thing to do but also has positive fiscal benefits for the state’s bottom line. For Texas, that will be billions of dollars saved each year once Abbott’s persistent leadership in delivering school choice is across the finish line. 
The great news for Texas families is that the reality of education freedom could be merely months away.
 * * * 
<a href="https://www.discovery.org/p/ingraham/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dr. Keri D. Ingraham</a> is a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute, Director of the American Center for Transforming Education, and a Senior Fellow at Independent Women’s Forum.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Wire.

MixCollage-12-Nov-2024

Abbott Set To Deliver On Texas School Choice In 2025

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<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/colleges">Students</a> at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/georgetown-university">Georgetown University</a> in Washington, D.C., are being treated like toddlers as they face <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/2024-election">election day</a> stress, per a letter obtained by The Free Press.
The elite college is offering stressed out students access to a so-called “Self-Care Suit,” the outlet <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/georgetown-election-safe-space-trump-kamala">noted</a>, where the young adults could occupy their time with hot cocoa, Lego building activities, mindfulness exercises, milk and cookies, coloring, and meditation. The offer was sent to students in the McCourt School of Public Policy.
“In recognition of these stressful times, all McCourt community members are welcome to gather &#8230; in the 3rd floor Commons to take a much needed break, joining us for mindfulness activities and snacks throughout the day,” the letter from the school’s director of student engagement Jaclyn Clevenger said.
Several other colleges have offered students similar amenities for them to deal with election stress. Attendees of the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, are being offered cupcakes in addition to a “walkable labyrinth” featuring “calming lighting and music,” per the <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/11/05/us-news/georgetown-providing-self-care-suites-for-students-on-election-day-complete-with-milk-and-cookies-and-coloring-books/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=nypost">New York Post</a>.
Those students can also participate in a “Pause for Paws” event featuring animal cuddling and hot chocolate. If that’s not enough, then later this week, students can enter a “post election processing space.” They’ll be able to create art and eat baked potatoes there.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/?_gl=1*jtghwp*_gcl_au*ODQ1NjYzNTg2LjE3Mjg5MDk3OTE.*_ga*MTc2NzM0NDQ2NS4xNzI4OTA5Nzkx*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTczMDEyMDgwOS40OS4xLjE3MzAxMjA4MzkuMzAuMC4w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ NOW STREAMING ON DAILYWIRE+</a>
Missouri State University has put together “self-care no phone zone space” with calm jars, coloring pages, and sensory fidgets to help students deal with election emotions, The Free Press reported.
Virginia Tech students are being encouraged to &#8220;find [their] flow&#8221; on Election Day with methods such as collaborative art projects, per the college’s Cook Counseling Center Facebook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1091994296266575&amp;set=a.623082459824430">page</a>. Other proposed stress reducers include free fidget toys, therapy dogs, guided stretching sessions, and science “hacks” for stress responses like fight or flight.
Harvard University is offering for students to spend time with &#8220;Sunshine&#8221; the puppet on Tuesday, courtesy of The Divinity School, according to a screenshot <a href="https://x.com/Evolutionistrue/status/1853776929096433756">shared</a> on X.
Northwestern <a href="https://planitpurple.northwestern.edu/event/622140">offered</a> students “puzzles, crafts, games, snacks, and a variety of brain break activities set up to help you reset, ground yourself, and enjoy connection” as attendees are encouraged to “recognize and prioritize [their] well-being.”

Crayons and Paper

Georgetown University Offers Students Stressed About Election Milk, Cookies, And Coloring Books

2024 Election

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Politics

Children in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michigan</a> will soon be able to anonymously report their parents or other adults for &#8220;improperly&#8221; storing firearms &#8220;that are accessible to a minor.&#8221;
The new tip line was part of an amendment to House Bill 5503, a supplemental K-12 budget that passed the Michigan legislature on Wednesday, The Midwesterner <a href="https://www.themidwesterner.news/2024/09/michigan-legislature-creates-tip-line-for-students-to-anonymously-turn-in-parents-for-improperly-stored-guns/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. A new gun storage <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/inside-mdhhs/newsroom/2024/02/08/firearms-laws" target="_blank" rel="noopener">law</a> went into effect in Michigan earlier this year, requiring gun owners &#8220;to keep unattended weapons unloaded and locked with a locking device or stored in a locked box or container if it is reasonably known that a minor is likely to be present on the premises.&#8221;
The new provision, which is part of a supplemental spending bill, allocates $1 million for the tip line for the 2024-2025 school year. The provision also requires that educational materials on how to properly store firearms be sent to school districts.
The spending bill easily passed the Democratic-controlled state House, but was a closer vote in the state Senate, which is also controlled by Democrats. Republican senators refused to give the bill a two-thirds vote, meaning the bill will not become law until the first quarter of next year, The Detroit Free Press <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/news/politics/2024/09/25/democrats-sweeten-michigan-school-budget-2025/75374217007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Some Republican lawmakers blasted the tip line provision in the bill, with state Sen. Thomas Albert calling it &#8220;a tattletale provision&#8221; and state Sen. John Damoose arguing that it is designed &#8220;to enforce [Democrats&#8217;] gun control agenda.&#8221;
“This hotline is nothing more than a page out of the Stasi playbook—encouraging children to spy on their own families,” state Rep. Angela Rigas told The Midwesterner. “This is a dangerous step toward weaponizing children in households for the left, and an outrageous government overreach under the guise of public safety.”
The supplemental package was passed by the Michigan legislature after Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/whitmer-blasted-from-all-sides-for-signing-massive-cuts-to-education-while-she-basks-in-national-spotlight" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blasted</a> by both Republicans and Democrats for signing an education budget in July that cut funding for school safety and mental health by $300 million, a 92% decrease.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1726313279401000&amp;usg=AOvVaw115_qPFFEePDP86-Fvo-Vd">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
Democrats worked to push through the supplemental legislation by providing an additional $125 million for mental health and school safety.
The Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners also criticized the $1 million provision for what it called a &#8220;Report Your Parents Hotline,&#8221; writing on X, &#8220;While we all support responsible firearms storage, this is the type of thing we&#8217;d expect to see from a totalitarian police state.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Report Your Parents Hotline
This amendment was inserted into the conference committee report of the Michigan School Aid bill (HB 5503 CR-1) today. The conference committee report is expected to be voted on immediately in the House and Senate with no testimony allowed.
This… <a href="https://t.co/qj7rF4nf3z">pic.twitter.com/qj7rF4nf3z</a>
&mdash; Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners (@MCRGO_Michigan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MCRGO_Michigan/status/1839038011943665936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2024</a></blockquote>
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After Whitmer won re-election in 2022 and Democrats took control of the state legislature, the governor said there would be a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/whitmer-to-push-for-gun-control-after-re-election-victory-dem-takeover-of-state-legislature" target="_blank" rel="noopener">renewed push</a> for gun control, pointing to the November 2021 shooting at Oxford High School where a student killed four of his classmates.
&#8220;I do believe that you will all of a sudden see a very different environment in Lansing where the Oxford families and advocates will have the ability to make their voices heard and to inform and drive the policy change that this current legislature has completely shut the door to,&#8221; Whitmer said at the time.

Capitol Building, Lansing Michigan

Michigan Lawmakers Create Anonymous Tip Line For Children To Report ‘Improperly’ Stored Guns

Michigan Lawmakers Create Anonymous Tip Line For Students To Report 'Improperly' Stored Guns

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Daily Wire host Michael Knowles blasted the Left on Monday night, arguing that &#8220;political violence is a Left-wing phenomenon.&#8221;
Knowles spoke at the Young America&#8217;s Foundation event at Washington and Lee University in Virginia and addressed the violence against conservatives on college campuses and against Republicans in the political arena.
&#8220;These campus lectures are prime examples of Left-wing political violence. When students invite a conservative public figure to speak on campus, university officials regularly disinvite us citing vague &#8216;safety concerns,'&#8221; Knowles said. &#8220;And who is threatening anyone&#8217;s safety? It isn&#8217;t the conservative speakers. It isn&#8217;t the conservative students. It is the leftists.&#8221;
Knowles acknowledged that the administrators who cite &#8220;safety concerns&#8221; when they cancel a conservative&#8217;s speech have a good argument &#8220;because the leftists on campus are frequently violent.&#8221; He mentioned recent examples of violence breaking out on campuses when conservatives such as Charles Murray, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/did-this-just-say-peaceful-riley-gaines-unloads-on-san-francisco-states-response-to-assault" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Riley Gaines</a>, and himself are invited to speak.
&#8220;Just last year, leftists at the University of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/two-protesters-from-michael-knowles-pitt-debate-on-transgenderism-indicted" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pittsburgh</a> lit a street on fire, burned me in effigy, and threw an explosive at a building as I walked on stage,&#8221; Knowles said.
&#8220;Political violence is a left-wing phenomenon in America. It is encouraged and carried out by leftists, some of whom have been bailed out of jail by Kamala Harris, whose despicable rhetoric continues to justify violence against President Trump and other conservatives.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Political violence is a left-wing phenomenon&#8230; It is encouraged and carried out by leftists, some of whom have been bailed out of jail by Kamala Harris, whose despicable rhetoric continues to justify violence against President Trump and other conservatives.&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/michaeljknowles?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@michaeljknowles</a>… <a href="https://t.co/UyxQmILhxf">pic.twitter.com/UyxQmILhxf</a>
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1835821025822658943?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The Daily Wire host also discussed the second assassination attempt on Trump after a Democrat donor was arrested for allegedly hiding in wait for Trump with an AK-47-style rifle near Trump&#8217;s golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday.
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a>
&#8220;We know for a fact that the alleged assassin heard Biden and Harris&#8217; calumnious talking points because he quoted them directly on social media,&#8221; Knowles added. &#8220;He posted &#8216;Democracy is on the ballot.&#8217; And if democracy is on the ballot then anything goes.&#8221;
&#8220;Kamala and Biden deserve much of the blame for the attempted assassinations on President Trump,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;But they don&#8217;t deserve all of the blame. Many prominent liberals have encouraged political violence against conservatives for years now.&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Kamala Wants You Single | Michael Knowles at Washington and Lee University" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIN7vqxjmsE?start=480&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Michael Knowles

Knowles: The Left Owns Political Violence

Donald Trump

General

Joe Biden

Kamala Harris

Leftism

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with a high school band about leadership — but to the casual observer, she sounded more like she was talking to a group of preschoolers.
Harris, who is now officially the Democratic Party’s 2024 presidential nominee despite the fact that she never won a single primary vote on her own merits, was campaigning with running mate Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) at her side at the time.
WATCH:
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Why is Kamala speaking to these high schoolers as if they&#39;re toddlers? <a href="https://t.co/UqxRm05w4Y">pic.twitter.com/UqxRm05w4Y</a>
&mdash; Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href="https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1828906780040090064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2024</a></blockquote>
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In the video, Harris appeared to be over-enunciating every syllable, speaking slowly as if she didn’t think the students would be able to keep up with what she was saying.
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“Our country is counting on you,” she said, nodding her head with every word and talking with her hands for added emphasis. “All of you. You are leaders. By the very fact that you all are here in this room, doing what you do at this incredible school, doing it as one big team, understanding all the different parts that fit together to create a team.”
Critics pointed out that Harris’ awkward communication style might be at least part of the reason her campaign team has not had her front and center, getting as much media exposure as possible.
“Kamala explains the concept of how teams work together to a high school band as if they are 5 years old,” conservative communications strategist Greg Price posted. “It&#8217;s a real mystery why her handlers never let her speak without a script …”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Kamala explains the concept of how teams work together to a high school band as if they are 5 years old.
It&#39;s a real mystery why her handlers never let her speak without a script&#8230;<a href="https://t.co/iS2p4gtTJx">pic.twitter.com/iS2p4gtTJx</a>
&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1828910061336572280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2024</a></blockquote>
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“When the hands start a-wavin&#8217;, you know it&#8217;s gonna be baaaaaaaaaad,” The Daily Wire Editor Emeritus Ben Shapiro added.
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When the hands start a-wavin&#39;, you know it&#39;s gonna be baaaaaaaaaad <a href="https://t.co/dyCVsTrgs0">https://t.co/dyCVsTrgs0</a>
&mdash; Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro/status/1829152128591679898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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“Can’t imagine being Tim Walz and having to listen to this bulls*** nonsense and then act like I agree with it???? Hilarious,” another X account posted.
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2xQ8bdTcpfdrPBAzczIuck">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Can’t imagine being Tim Walz and having to listen to this bullshit nonsense and then act like I agree with it???? Hilarious <a href="https://t.co/uorezAF8Pv">https://t.co/uorezAF8Pv</a>
&mdash; PurebloodedHillbillyMagaDonian (@HillbillyTruth) <a href="https://twitter.com/HillbillyTruth/status/1829160380767277102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Harris is set to do her first interview since she became the de facto nominee over one month ago. She will sit for a pre-taped interview — with her running mate by her side — with friendly CNN anchor Dana Bash. That interview is scheduled to air Thursday evening.

Kamala Uses Preschool Voice To Speak To High School Band

Elections

High School

On August 14, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned after occupying the top seat for just over a year.
Good riddance. Under her watch, protesters <a href="https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/04/30/dozens-occupy-hamilton-hall-as-pro-palestinian-protests-spread-across-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">occupied</a> Hamilton Hall and <a href="https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2024/04/30/dozens-occupy-hamilton-hall-as-pro-palestinian-protests-spread-across-campus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">burned</a> a student’s Israeli flag before assaulting him with rocks. Now, Columbia is <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/08/11/us-news/columbia-restricts-campus-access-as-it-braces-for-anti-israel-protests-to-return/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restricting</a> campus access for demonstrations and <a href="https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/columbia-looks-to-give-campus-police-arresting-power-after-protests-11d2b3bc?st=e1abh0rzjzdi9sm&amp;reflink=article_copyURL_share">considering</a> arrest authorization for its campus police.
It’s not just Columbia either. After spending millions of dollars on property damages rather than limit students’ supposed “speech rights” during Israel-Hamas protests last semester, universities are now walking back their protest policies. This month it was revealed that Harvard <a href="https://www.harvardmagazine.com/2024/08/new-rules-campus-use">banned</a> encampments and chalking, and tax-payer-funded Indiana University is <a href="https://policies.iu.edu/policies/ua-14-first-amendment-indiana-university/index.html">doing</a> the same. 
It’s not just Jewish students who are apprehensive about this fall.
We’re excited to vote in our first presidential election, but we’re fed up with fringe students who physically threaten us to enforce a campus culture of intimidation.
Eli Noam, a Columbia Garrett Professor of Public Policy and Business Responsibility, was a student at Harvard during student protests in the 1960s. He says that the protests today are about bullying, not change.
“In the ‘60s, we protested and challenged the university administration. Today’s students are looking for the administration to protect them from all kinds of evil things like harassment, discrimination, bullying, and so on.”
60% of students at least somewhat agree that the climate at their school prohibits them from expressing their opinions because others might find it offensive, according to a recent Knight Foundation-Ipsos <a href="https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2024-07/Knight%20Foundation_Ipsos_Free%20Expression_July%202024.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a>. Only 43% of students feel that freedom of speech is “very secure or secure today” — a 30% drop since 2016.
Our campus climate used to require a self-censorship tax we paid to eat lunch with friends, get invited to parties, and share notes. Now, for simply being Jewish, students are paying with their physical safety, like the UCLA student who was <a href="https://www.foxla.com/news/jewish-ucla-student-said-protesters-blocked-him-from-walking-to-class" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blocked</a> from attending class by a Jewish Exclusion Zone, or the Yale student who was <a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/i-was-stabbed-in-the-eye-at-yale" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stabbed</a> in the eye, or the student at my school who was <a href="https://dailyorange.com/2024/05/pro-palestine-protest-altercation-walnut/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">assaulted</a> in front of his Jewish fraternity, Zeta Beta Tau.
All of us — despite our race, religion or creed — are taking notice.
“I always thought that there had been a risk of harassment,” Noelle Delumpa, a junior at Xavier University, said. “I never really worried about physical violence, but I have started to worry with the uprising of the pro-Palestine protests, seeing how they are burning these flags and pushing people out of encampments if they don’t ‘belong.’”
Anthony Rispo, a student at Columbia, agrees. “I don’t really feel that way for myself, per se, but when you start to add things up, it doesn’t look good.”
“Look, Hamilton Hall was vandalized, pure and simple,” he continued. “The students that did it got off free.”
Our worries are warranted. These unruly demonstrators plan to return with the same vigor as before. In response to the new policies at Columbia, protesters <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/columbia-university-coo-cas-holloway-red-paint-apartment-rcna166079" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vandalized</a> Columbia’s Chief Operating Officer’s home and propped up a sign on campus that read “We’re Back Bitches.” Harvard’s Out of Occupied Palestine group <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C-ERg8PJwFp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>, “Not reading that, Free Palestine” on Instagram.
<h4><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tickets for “Am I Racist?” are on sale NOW! Buy here for a theater near you.</a></h4>
As we get closer to November 5, all issues are fair game in our national conversation — except on campus. And as much as administrators claim they protect free speech, we know our schools don’t have our backs.
Just ask Macy Gunnell, a junior at St. Mary’s College, who advocated for the reversal of a policy that would have admitted transgender women to her all-women’s college. When she rallied alumni, family and friends to boycott the school in protest of the policy, she didn’t get the same leniency universities afforded pro-Hamas protesters.
“I was threatened with my life,” Gunnell said. “I locked my door and had my phone by hand, ready to call the police if necessary. People were spreading my room number online, which definitely did not help either.” Instead of defending Macy’s speech rights, Administrators idly watched as students threatened her safety.
The recent federal <a href="https://becketnewsite.s3.amazonaws.com/20240813183534/injunction.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">injunction</a> against the University of California, Los Angeles and Trump’s promise to <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?537763-1/fmr-pres-trump-speaks-antisemitism-event-bedminster-nj" target="_blank" rel="noopener">crack</a> down on college anti-Semitism are signs of hope. But sadly I predict this fall will be no different.
“Ultimately, they [the protesters] are prepared to break the rules, whatever the rules are, as part of a process to create attention, noise, and victimhood,” Prof. Noam said. “Now, the university administration believes that if they’re flexible and show that they’re nice guys, somehow everyone will be friends. I’m just not sure if that’s the reality.”
Protesters emboldened by the fecklessness of administrators will dominate the discourse and dox anyone who dares dissent. The Israel-Palestine conflict, immigration, and abortion are all hot-button issues this year. As the election season evolves, we all are nervously suppressing our beliefs because we know we’re next.
* * *
Daniel Idfresne is a junior at Syracuse University. He’s a Campus Reform Correspondent, a Young Voices Contributor and interned for “The Story with Martha Maccallum.” He has written for the New York Post, Newsweek, and The Free Press. He has appeared on “Fox and Friends,” “America Reports,” and “The Ingraham Angle” on Fox News.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
This article has been edited for clarity.

Columbia University President Minouche Shafik Visits Campus After Protest Encampment Cleared

Columbia’s President Abandons Ship. Students Like Me Brace For Election Protests.

Activists

Anti-Semitism

Columbia University

Jewish

Protests

Readers Pass

Violence

The Democrat’s <a href="https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FINAL-MASTER-PLATFORM.pdf">2024 platform</a> promises to remove constitutional due process protections for college students after the Trump administration ensured them.
In a section about President Joe Biden purportedly protecting women, the platform said Biden had “restor[ed] and strengthen[ed] protections under Title IX, including explicit protections for LGBTQI+ students,” even though those “protections” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-supreme-court-blocks-bidens-title-ix-rules-that-allowed-men-in-womens-sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have been blocked</a> by the Supreme Court.
Title IX is a federal statute that prohibits entities that receive public funding from discriminating based on sex.
Before the Supreme Court stepped in, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admins-title-ix-rules-that-would-allow-men-in-womens-sports-blocked-in-4-more-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">26 states</a> had blocked the rules from going into effect.
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Further down in the platform, Democrats attack former President Donald Trump for “roll[ing] back campus sexual assault protections, making it even harder for survivors to get the justice they deserve.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Dem Party platform: 
DeVos TIX regs&#8211;which mandated a hearing, x-examinatom, &amp; access to all evidence the univ gathered in its investigation&#8211;&#8220;rolled back campus sexual assault protections, making it even harder for survivors to get the justice they deserve.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/vj2Y533lS7">pic.twitter.com/vj2Y533lS7</a>
— KC Johnson (@kcjohnson9) <a href="https://twitter.com/kcjohnson9/status/1825576516182229280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The platform assumes that any woman making an accusation is automatically a “survivor,” even <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/she-told-cops-she-was-raped-text-messages-showed-ashe-schow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">though</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/she-accused-him-rape-text-messages-proved-it-was-ashe-schow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">countless</a> <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2362959/judge-accused-student-faced-inadequate-campus-sex-assault-process/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stories</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/he-was-accused-of-sexual-assault-by-a-woman-whose-boyfriend-later-admitted-lying-he-just-won-a-5-3m-settlement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">from</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-evidence-contradicted-their-claims-but-princeton-still-found-him-responsible-now-hes-suing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">colleges</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/she-claimed-he-sexually-assaulted-her-months-after-he-declined-to-date-her-he-was-expelled-despite-her-own-witnesses-backing-his-story" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/they-were-accused-of-rape-and-had-their-names-printed-in-the-school-paper-the-school-just-paid-them-450000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">universities</a> show this is not always the case. And when the platform says Trump “rolled back campus sexual assault protections,” it means removing due process protections such as cross-examination, the accused having access to all the evidence against them, and ensuring the accused is informed of the specific allegations against them, among others.
Schools have repeatedly lost in court for not providing such constitutionally required protections for accused students. In 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled that colleges were required to provide “some form of cross-examination and a live, adversarial hearing during which he or she can put on a defense and challenge evidence against him or her,” <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/06/02/federal-appeals-court-defines-fairness-title-ix-policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Inside Higher Ed</a>.
Further, “getting the justice they deserve” refers to an accuser being able to get anyone they accuse kicked off campus no matter what the evidence shows.
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1724211156439000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2xQ8bdTcpfdrPBAzczIuck">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
Trump’s Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, properly implemented the policies that included basic due process protections for students accused of a serious crime. Before that, the Obama administration used a non-binding “Dear Colleague Letter” to drastically change the campus landscape and ensure almost anyone accused of sexual assault would be severely punished without the chance to defend themselves.
Because the Obama administration didn’t use the proper procedure to implement its rules, DeVos was able to suspend them and write proper rules using the proper procedure, which took years. When Biden became president, he had to use the same procedure to implement his own rules, which removed the protections put in place by DeVos and again expanded the definition of Title IX to include men who identify as women. Those rules are currently being blocked by the Supreme Court, while every challenge to DeVos’ rules was dismissed or withdrawn.

Democratic National Convention

Democrats’ 2024 Platform Seeks To Eliminate Due Process Protections For College Students

Democrats' 2024 Platform Seeks To Eliminate Due Process Protections For College Students

Title IX

UCLA has made headlines in the past few months for all the wrong reasons: from the school’s <a href="https://www.becketlaw.org/media/jewish-students-take-ucla-to-court-over-antisemitic-encampment/#:~:text=UCLA%20allowed%20activists%20to%20set,disavow%20Israel%27s%20right%20to%20exist." target="_blank" rel="noopener">failure</a> to protect Jewish students from a pro-Hamas mob, a university-funded <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/furries-bdsm-and-void-punk-official-queer-magazine-of-ucla-embraces-the-fringe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">magazine endorsing</a> furries as a sexual kink, and a student government leader imploring students to <a href="https://x.com/camhigby/status/1805271596673945706" target="_blank" rel="noopener">take up arms</a> against the LAPD when law enforcement arrested those who led an assault on a synagogue.
These instances are not isolated flukes, or simply the misconduct of a few bad apples ignored by the university. Rather, this behavior, and the totalizing mindset that encourages violent, unthinking action, is learned and abetted by UCLA’s academy. Instead of empowering students to critically engage with ideas, learn from great texts, or become citizens invested in the public good, my university now serves as a finishing school for unreflective activism. This fervor isn’t unique to UCLA, but is a reflection of larger trends of <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/education/4279381-activism-over-academics-the-decline-of-us-higher-education/#:~:text=Advocacy%20has%20increasingly%20displaced%20academics,the%20concentration%20of%20many%20students." target="_blank" rel="noopener">activism replacing rigor</a> within American higher education.
In my 3-year tenure at UCLA, less than a fourth of my classes have assigned complete books. Instead, professors tend to focus on assigning op-eds, TED talks, and essays that are meant to squeeze conversations into a particular moral framework. Professors routinely assign essays on <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt9qfkrm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decolonization</a> that call for the destruction of the United States, TED Talks that promote the intersection of historically disadvantaged identities as the lens through which to analyze all social conflicts, and <a href="https://inthesetimes.com/article/fascism-debate-trump-democrats-gaza-campus-protest#:~:text=There%20is%20a%20bitter%20irony,definitions%20of%20fascism%20far%20more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">op-eds</a> claiming that anti-Semitism is not a threat facing Jewish people, but rather a weaponized accusation meant to protect Israeli interests. The professors who uncritically structure their classes do a disservice not only to their disciplines and students, but to their own viewpoints that they fail to put to the test of rigorous inquiry.
Instead of learning from the texts that have shaped our civilization, we are assigned short pieces interacting with the ideas of thinkers like Hobbes and Locke, that detest the idea of a straight, white author. Students are graded based on their ability to unquestioningly endorse their professors’ agenda as a reflection of their understanding of class material, instead of being encouraged to develop and articulate their own ideas.
Within this framework, the struggles of all oppressed groups—racism, sexism, ableism, and homophobia — are portrayed as interconnected, attributed to a boogeyman of the &#8216;elite&#8217;: those who embrace traditional values or have historically wielded power. This framework justifies violence and malice, if it is done on behalf of those deemed as the “oppressed.” Terrorist groups like Hamas are positioned as heroes, while America is positioned as the purveyor of an insidious status quo.
For example, in one class, I was taught to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6420721/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">applaud people</a> with mental illness as heroic, such as schizophrenics who refused to take their medicine. In the same class, the professor lauded their own conditions as self-diagnosed and that formal medical diagnoses were inherently racist, ableist, and classist. Writing as an individual with diagnosed autoimmune disorders, I lost points on an assignment for using “gendered language” in “academic writing,” when referring to an author who was born and identifies as a male.
This totalizing mindset is the culprit for the pro-Hamas encampments within universities, where students <a href="https://nypost.com/2024/04/18/us-news/columbia-student-kicked-and-told-to-kill-himself-for-carrying-us-flag/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">burn American flags</a> and <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/video/6352037685112" target="_blank" rel="noopener">prevent Jewish students </a>from accessing campus. One experience, characteristic of this, occurred when a student used <a href="https://mosaicmagazine.com/observation/israel-zionism/2016/03/whore-you-calling-a-zio/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an anti-Jewish slur</a> — &#8220;Zio&#8221; — in class. When I pointed out that this word was indeed a slur popularized by David Duke, the student retorted that she was not interested in “playing respectability politics with these people.” Instead of telling the student that slurs were not acceptable, the professor responded by asking me to expand on who David Duke was.
Although this student and professor would cite the righting of historical wrongs as their goal, their reductionism actually hurts disadvantaged groups. In their struggle to address every problem through one lens, these professors run roughshod over the particular causes that they intend to promote. In 2023, one professor announced that it was the worst year in American history to be black. Surely, even the most pessimistic academic would agree that slavery and Jim Crow presented more problems for African Americans.
This indictment does not apply to every professor at UCLA. Many sincerely care about their students, the integrity of their work, and the future of their discipline. I have been extremely lucky to have been shaped, challenged, and inspired by such professors. However, as an institution, UCLA rewards those who cater to intersectionality ideology over academic rigor.
The struggle for women&#8217;s suffrage in America, for example, was not tantamount to South Africa’s liberation from apartheid. 2023 was not the worst year in American history for African Americans. To demand every situation be analyzed through the same binary of oppressed versus oppressor is downright dangerous and serves to justify hatred and violence against anyone with whom one ideologically disagrees. Maximalist rhetoric dilutes the real struggles that minorities face, and allows students to see the world as a black-and-white struggle between absolute good and pure evil.
George Orwell <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/39403-the-word-fascism-has-now-no-meaning-except-in-so">wrote</a>: “The word Fascism has now no meaning except in so far as it signifies &#8216;something not desirable&#8217;&#8230;” Characteristically, his wisdom is ever-relevant in our modern moment. In a class, a professor painted the advocacy of any restrictions on abortion or membership in the Republican Party as fascistic. As lectures, seminars, and syllabi deem American values as evil, students are compelled to proudly associate with some of the world’s most backward groups in the name of justice. It is no surprise that <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/al-qaeda-ayatollah-ali-khamenei-student-protesters-iran-israel-hamas-c7be2e07" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Al-Qaeda</a>, <a href="https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-806611" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Duke</a>, and <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/hamas-slams-us-crackdown-pro-palestinian-college-protests-1893962" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hamas</a> have found “useful idiots” among the likes of the student activists at UCLA.
Most egregious is how students assert that world conflicts must be understood through their personal experience of either privilege or oppression. As students try to understand situations like the present Israel-Hamas war in the framework of American race relations or gender politics, they project their narrow subjectivity onto a complex reality. Though my peers decry colonialism in their activism, the <a href="https://nommomagazine.com/?p=7748" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hubris</a> of demanding that every struggle must be understood through your own experience is a crude colonialism of the classroom.
If a student disagrees with one part of this radical agenda by supporting a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict or by questioning whether children should undergo medical gender transition at the age of 12, they face academic and social repercussions. This zero-sum mentality asphyxiates the exchange of ideas traditionally associated with the liberal arts and liberalism, and demonizes all who dare to even question its fervor.
With the substitution of cheap slogans for real scholarship, my peers have traded nuance for self-righteousness — an abdication of our responsibility as students.
While the violent incidents at UCLA are eye-catching, they are not anomalies; they reflect a deep-seated ideological shift that prioritizes radical activism over genuine academic inquiry. Until UCLA prioritizes the hiring of faculty who will guide students towards constructive conversations, empty statements or performative commissions will only distract from the symptoms of the crisis UCLA has created.
* * *
Bella Brannon is a student at UCLA studying Public Affairs and Digital Humanities. She is the Editor-In-Chief of Ha’Am, researched bias in artificial intelligence with the School of Technology Law and Policy, and spent the summer interning with the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Pro-Palestinian Protesters Re-Establish Encampment At UCLA

Campus In Crisis: Activism Is Replacing Rigor At UCLA

California

campus

Pro-Hamas

UCLA

A graduate of St. Cloud State University is suing her alma mater after learning that she was charged a mandatory fee for an activist group that pushes liberal political speech.
Tayah Lackie filed <a href="https://libertyjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/Complaint-ECF-1-5-9-24.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a federal lawsuit</a> with the help of the Liberty Justice Center and the Upper Midwest Law Center, The College Fix <a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/college-grad-sues-to-stop-mandatory-student-fee-that-supports-liberal-activist-group/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The lawsuit argues that this mandatory fee violates Lackie’s First Amendment rights to free speech.
The lawsuit alleges that the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, of which St. Cloud State is a part, “mandates that every student who attends a school in that system be a member of, and pay union dues to, a group called Students United – a private corporation created for the purpose of engaging in political speech, which advocates for and takes positions on controversial policies and legislation, and which purports to speak on all students’ behalf.”
The lawsuit notes that Students United has “aggressively advocated for the abolition of student debt – including through a website called “Fck Student Debt” and a Twitter/X account, @FckStudentDebt.”
Because of the mandatory fee, every student who attends a school in the Minnesota State University system “is forced to associate with and subsidize Students United and its speech – even if the student disagrees with it.”
Lackie noted that she only learned about the fee after she graduated when she was looking at her “account statement” and saw the deducted fee. Lackie, who “paid [her] own way without taking on debt,” is opposed to abolishing student debt and other policies for which Students United has advocated.
Jacob Huebert, president of the Liberty Justice Center, told the Fix that “a victory in this case would establish that state colleges and universities cannot force students to pay fees to an activist group just to be allowed to attend.”
The current fee is just “80 cents per credit,” the lawsuit says, which amounts to $9.60 for an undergraduate degree, which requires 120 credits.
Lackie says she received only minimal information about the charge.
The lawsuit also revealed that 76% of Student United’s funding comes from the mandatory fees charged to students. The lawsuit says students “are not informed of any right they have not to associate with Students United” and are not “given any opportunity to waive any right not to associate with Students United.”
Minnesota law requires colleges and universities in its system to recognize a statewide student association and draw fees for the organization.

Freedom of Speech

College Graduate Sues After Learning Mandatory Tuition Fee Went To Liberal Student Activist Group

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On Monday, California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law legislation making his state the first in the nation to ban school districts from alerting parents of their children&#8217;s sexuality, or if they use pronouns or have adopted gender identities that conflict with those on their school records.
“This bill would prohibit school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and the state special schools, and a member of the governing board or body of those educational entities, from enacting or enforcing any policy, rule, or administrative regulation that requires an employee or a contractor to disclose any information related to a pupil’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to any other person without the pupil’s consent unless otherwise required by law.”
Assembly Bill 1955 <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1955" target="_blank" rel="noopener">states</a>, “LGBTQ+ pupils have the right to express themselves freely at school without fear, punishment, or retaliation, including that teachers or administrators might &#8216;out&#8217; them without their permission. Policies that require outing pupils without their consent violate pupils’ rights to privacy and self-determination.”
California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus Chair Susan Eggman celebrated, “Today is a great day for California. The Governor’s signature on AB 1955, a first-in-the-nation policy, reaffirms California’s position as a leader and safe haven for LGBTQ+ youth everywhere.”
&#8220;AB 1955 is an outrageous attempt to keep parents in the dark while schools indoctrinate kids with radical gender ideology,&#8221; said Harmeet Dhillon, CEO and Founder of the Center for American Liberty. &#8220;By signing the bill, Gov. Newsom is transferring power away from our local communities and centralizing it in Sacramento, blatantly undermining our democratic values.&#8221;
In July 2023, the Chino Valley Unified School District became the state’s first to require parental notification if a student adopted a transgender identity. The next month, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a temporary restraining order to bar the district from implementing that policy.
“I can’t believe we’re at a point in America where authoritarians in power are fighting this hard to keep sexual secrets about children from their own parents,” Liberty Justice Center Board Member Corey DeAngelis <a href="//E1D32FF3-2E21-4127-96A0-6E4A9764580C/v" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stated</a>. “They are now using the heavy hand of the state to subvert local control and try to strip away the most fundamental parental rights. I’m proud of the parents in Chino Valley Unified who are fighting back for their constitutional right to direct the upbringing of their children. I’m proud to be a board member at Liberty Justice Center, fighting alongside them. We will win this war the authoritarians are waging on parents.”
After AB 1955 was introduced earlier this year, Jacob Huebert, the president of the Liberty Justice Center, which represented Chino Valley, declared, “Parents have a right to know what their own minor children are doing at school — and school officials have no right to keep secrets from parents. That’s true now, and it will still be true if the state passes this bill. We will continue to stand with parents and the school districts that want to respect their rights — and we’ll continue to represent them free of charge, at no cost to taxpayers.”
Several school districts in the state implemented parental notification policies, including Anderson Union High School District, Chino Valley Unified School District, Murrieta Valley Unified, Orange Unified School District, Rocklin Unified School District, and Temecula Valley Unified.

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Newsom Signs 1st In Nation Bill Banning Schools From Alerting Parents About Their Child’s ‘Gender Identity’

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