The newly formed Northern Right to Life group at Northern Kentucky University ran into strong opposition to their temporary display of crosses that were set-up to symbolize the short life and death of aborted children. A group of vandals destroyed their exhibit [from the Northerner, HT: Michelle Malkin]:
According to University Police reports, several young females removed about 400 white crosses from the grass in front of the University Center plaza at about 5:30 p.m. on April 12.Note that the display was legal and protected:
The crosses, meant to represent a cemetery for aborted fetuses, had been temporarily erected last weekend by a student Right to Life group with permission from NKU officials.News articles report that it was the student's professor that led the attack:Public universities cannot ban such displays because they are a type of symbolic speech that has been protected by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Sally Jacobsen, a longtime professor in NKU's literature and language department, said the display was dismantled by about nine students in one of her graduate-level classes.One wonders why the indignant professor has no comment considering that she appears in this photo, caught in the act of exercising her "freedmom-of-speech". This type of attack is what some abortion extremists resort to when the intellectual force of their arguments fail. The fallacy is called argumentum ad baculum (appeal to force)."I did, outside of class during the break, invite students to express their freedom-of-speech rights to destroy the display if they wished to," Jacobsen said.
Asked whether she participated in pulling up the crosses, the professor said, "I have no comment."
She said she was infuriated by the display, which she saw as intimidating and a "slap in the face" to women who might be making "the agonizing and very private decision to have an abortion."
Jacobsen has admitted the attack on the display was violent but justified:
"Any violence perpetrated against that silly display was minor compared to how I felt when I saw it. Some of my students felt the same way, just outraged," Jacobsen said.Ironically, it looks like Jacobsen spoke at a conference in 2003 titled "Moral Education in a Diverse Society". Her session was Teaching Civic Responsibility in Women’s Studies.
The Northerner reports that the Right to Life group is planning on pressing charges:
The group has decided to press charges against those responsible.This is not the first time crosses have been pulled down and destroyed. In fact, Michelle Malkin is developing quite a list of similar incidences and also notes the relevance of Ramesh Ponnuru's book The Party of Death: The Assault on the Sanctity of Life."We called the police and told them that we decided to press charges," said Julie Broering, treasurer for the group. The members reached their decision after a day-long deliberation.
See LifeNews for more information.
Photo - see the Northerner - Dr. Sally Jacobsen tears the "Cemetery of Innocents" sign on Wednesday evening.
I'm a freelance reporter living near NKU. I'll be following and monitoring the story also.
Figures, they've always been very good at destruction and trying to silence other people. If I ever had to have an abortion it would only be for the sake of my own life, and I certainly wouldn't find a few crosses to be a "slap in the face". In fact I'd have a cross for my baby anyway. If someone needs one in order to live - which practically NEVER happens, then fine. There is no other reason that justifies an abortion.
They're all for "tolerance" and "diversity" as long as you're exactly like them.
What a ridiculous old bat Jacobsen is. "The violence of seeing that display". I wonder if she ever considered "excercizing her choice" to look away rather than destroy someone elses legitimately placed property. Free spech and expression doesn't include the destruction of OTHER PEOPLE'S private property. If you must destroy a cross or burn a flag, do it on your own dime.
Or how's this for a kicker, if mere white crosses are violence, how about next time they put up a picture of Jacobson destroying crosses next to 6 foot tall pictures of aborted fetuses. There's something sure to cause Jacobsen to "excercize her right to free speech" again.
The answer to 'offensive' speech is counter-speech, not vandalism, theft, or violence. The Kentucky professor isn't winning many friends on the pro-choice side, believe me. The most common pro-choice reaction is that he should have put up his own display.
The reaction to this event on the liberal, pro-choice blogs I read has been almost universally to condemn this violation of free speech by the professor and his students.
Pro-choicers who confuse all pro-lifers with those who bomb clinics, are making the same mistake as pro-lifers who associate this act of thuggery with all pro-choice. Both are, and should be, rare.
I'm a professor of history at a small Christian college in western north carolina. One course I teach is Constitutional Law, so of course first amendment issues are a very regular topic. I do not force opinions, I do not in any way demand conformity (as I suspect Jacobsen does) and it is with pride that I hear my students of African descent agree they would accept a KKK march. . .that though they loath all it stands for, the RESPECT of freedom of speech must be upheld. As is often said it is the speech we hate that we must force ourselves to protect if the 1st Amendment is to mean anything. In thirty years of teaching experience I have found, almost without fail, that those on the Right respect that principle, those on the Left rarely do.
Jacobsen has done our side a tremendous service! Her hypocrisy with an inane comment about freedom of speech makes her the fool. Second, she is a coward. She admites to inciting students to an illegal act, is then caught on film, participating in her child like temper tantrum, but then hides behind "no comment." Her students now face expulsion (stupid sheep for following a coward)and she will try and hide behind her tenure which in most academic contracts can be broken by the university if a criminal act is committed. And finally, she has given "our side" a tremendous poster child for just how hateful the radical left can be.
William Forstchen
Professor of History
Montreat College
"she has given "our side" a tremendous poster child for just how hateful the radical left can be."
William, "your side" is hardly clean on the use of thuggish tactics. Our nation is never going to get anywhere on this issue as long as both sides attribute the worst extremes of the other sides' idiots to that whole side.
Unless your goal is heat instead of light, in which case, carry on...
Something like this happened at my university. We chalked little hearts on the school sidewalks to commemerate those killed by abortions. The death fiends on campus made a public display of spitting on the hearts and erasing them. Somewhat ironic if you think about it. The next day those of us who did the chalking were labeled 'fascists' in an editorial in the school paper.
It is there right to destroy it as it was the right of the pro-life group to put it up in the first place.
I am so sick of others trying to sway people in this case women who have every lawful right to have an abortion by getting in there face with something stupid as a cross.
A cross means nothing to me as I am not a christian.
I have had two abortions and feel no guilt, I would do it again if I had to. Would you prefer I have had the children and spent my life on welfare to raise them, probably not.
Most christians are republicans who are anti- sosial issues including welfare... so how do you purpose the all of these women raise the kids?? with your money? I think NOT!!
Dont want an abortion? dont have one.
this message will probably get erased as it does not comply with your christian agenda to destroy a womens choice.
Hi. I don't usually drop by this blog, but I did so because of the free speech issue.
prochoice: It is there right to destroy it as it was the right of the pro-life group to put it up in the first place.
No, you Nazi, it is not "THERE" right to destroy the display. If you really think that, then you are an antisocial individual and have no place in a civilized society. I'm sure if some prolifer tore up your coat hanger display you'd get all hysterical and start hyperventilating. And rightfully so.
prochoice: I am so sick of others trying to sway people in this case women...
Yeah, well I'm sick of liberal whackjobs and moonbats like you and Sally Jacobsen. Why do leftist nazis feel the need to tear up other people's stuff? Why do you guys throw cream pies and paint at people? Why do you feel the need to block traffic when you protest?
Are the many messages from the Moonbat Left so weak that so weak that you have to resort to violence and vandalism? Why do you punks block traffic to get your message across? MORONS.
I'm glad NKU took action against Prof Jacobsen. In my opinion, it wasn't strong enough.
I hope she and her fellow destroyers of free speech are thoroughly investigated and prosecuted for their illegal act of vandalism.
I agree with the last post by Jim. But I personally do not like these types of displays. I understand them though and respect them, I am pro-life unless the woman's life is in danger, save the life of one or lose the lives of two. I also believe that we reap what we sew. We make choices and live with them, you get pregnant then you raise the child, you made a choice deal with it. I do not like this Prof. from NKU. In my time there I never met her but I think she made a terrible mistake. She doesn't like other peoples views, I don't like the displays but they are powerful and its scared that these views are expressed. I am Pro-Life and the reason I don't like the displays is because of the controversy of them but thats the point and the reason I respect them.