The Lunatic Left

This afternoon I had the chance to have a long and convivial conversation with one of my best liberal friends—a true liberal in the classic, Isaiah Berlin sense of the term (in other words, not a presumptive “side-of-history” Progressive)—about the state of things. We covered a lot of ground, but didn’t get a chance to mull over the fact that Van Jones, who I think is a deeply leftist person in his core—is getting flayed by his friends on the left for saying something gracious about Trump. Here’s the clip:

And here’s the compilation from Twitchy about Jones’s fellow leftist jonesing to smack him down for departing from the reservation.

Meanwhile, back on campus, Reason offers video of some leftist goon smashing up a sign of the College Republicans, who bravely set up a table frequently next to other student groups in Sproul Plaza and usually end of on the receiving end of lots of verbal abuse (I have stopped often to witness this first hand):

“You just vandalized our property,” said the person recording the video.

“Yeah,” replied the perpetrator. “I did.”

The perpetrator even asked the CR if he knows whether the sign should be composted, or placed in the trash.

“I believe that would be compost,” the CR replied, because this is Berkeley, after all.

But that’s not the end. This afternoon I spotted this flyer appearing on bulletin boards:

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One of the students pictured is in my class on the Constitution. I guess campuses “safe spaces” don’t extend to College Republicans. But remember—universities are dedicated to tolerance and diversity!

I was interviewed on camera by one of the San Francisco TV stations out on Sproul Plaza around 5 pm Pacific time. I’ll update if they use it.

I received the following email during the day:

Dear campus community,

We have received reports of a new round of disturbing incidents of harassment, intimidation, and vandalism directed at student members of the Berkeley College Republicans. The acts in question include destruction of the organization’s sign, which was captured on video; “doxxing” of certain members; and the posting of threatening posters around campus.

Let there be no mistake: The campus administration condemns all acts of vandalism and attempted intimidation. These matters are now under investigation by UCPD, with the aim of identifying the perpetrators and imposing appropriate consequences. We encourage anyone who has relevant information to bring it to UCPD.

The University is unswervingly committed to supporting and defending all our students’ First Amendment rights, and their ability to freely engage in political activities across the ideological spectrum. We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that every member of our campus community feels safe, welcome, and respected. Staff members in Student Affairs are reaching out to offer support and services to the targeted students and others who may now feel threatened.

Nils Gilman

Associate Chancellor

Stay tuned for updates on whether the administration follows up on this.

Here’s the whole video of the Berkeley vandal:

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