The right to be heard does not equal the right to be taken seriously. That applies equally to Malkin and to the foul-mouthed student.

Really stupid article…boo-hoo, i heard the “f” word and now i cant think straight…get ready for the real world Mattie

It’s unfortunate when those without critical thinking skills, on either side, voice their opinions in such a fashion.

I’d like to point out one mistake in your argument: “…a student of this supposedly acclaimed university…”. Despite the fact that we are a very, very good university academically, somehow, lots of idiots can get in. I’ve always been surprised at how little common sense or basic knowledge some of the accepted applicants end up displaying.

I find Malkin’s justifications of Japanese internment infinitely more offensive than some student’s cursing.

Michelle’s detractors only serve to further illustrate the defining character of today’s progressive Leftist in wacademia.

See also “Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild” http://www.amazon.com/Unhinged-Exposing-Liberals-Gone-Wild/dp/0895260301/ref=pdbbssr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207573543&sr=1-1

The point being made is that liberals (CAN and WISPIRG) want everyone to take their lecturers/speakers seriously, while they turn around and come to conservative events to act like infants. The hippies and commie liberals on this campus have all the respect in the world until it comes to something that they may disagree with and thats when they turn into obnoxious, infantile children.

Malkin makes lots of money by saying and writing exactly what half of America wants to hear. She’ll never have sweat on her brow or calluses on her hands, but she will have to put up with criticism from the other half of America. “You dumb fuck” is probably the least offensive utterance she has positioned herself to hear.

I’ll start worrying about the hurt feelings of Conservatives when they stop killing doctors for performing abortions, or when they stop sending the poor of to a war they are to afraid to fight themselves. Or when they stop giving investment backs corporate welfare, while US citizens are losing their homes and starving. I’ll stop hurting their delicate sensibilities, when they stop calling liberals are just as bad as Nazis, which Bill O’Reilly & Michelle Malkin do quite often.

Lastly why should anyone listen to anything coming out of Michelle Malkin’s self hating mouth, when it gets so bad that Fox news fires her?

Do you think you could confuse your usage of liberal a few more times? An open forum for the free exchange of ideas is just as much tied to the American liberal tradition as it is to the American conservative one of individual rights. This was a stupid person that did not have enough of a sense of decency to keep it a respectable forum. However, your predictable barrage of using “liberal” at every chance possible unfortunately skews and distracts the discussion. Silence the liberals and their liberal use of liberal ideas in liberal forums guided by a liberal tradition and all will be well!!!

Is calling him an idiot or suggesting that he was drunk (I know him, and he wasn’t) much better than the comments he made? And in your case, you’re trying to present a thoughtful article, in which you have a chance to think things through and revise; in his defense, as another observer, it was spur of the moment reaction to his frustration that she was refusing to answer his question, repeatedly interrupting him, and using her podium to denigrate and attack him, and even after he said it he apologized profusely. On top of that, had Malkin just repeatedly said “dumb fuck” over and over again for her speech, it would have been more intelligent and less inflammatory than what she actually DID say.

Thank you for the comments, Mattie.

Unfortunately, this is by no means the new lexicon of political discourse. I attended a left-leaning college in the late ’90s — the acceptance of boorish behavior towards opposing viewpoints, and the failure to recognize this behavior as being anathema to leftist ideals, was the norm.

I, having considered myself a liberal at the time, was guilty of the behavior. Older and wiser now.

Liberals are afraid of debate, so they resort to attacks. Their ridiculous arguements are pathetic… and they know it, hence the fear. A one on one debate with Michelle Malkin, minus the vulgarity tantrums, and libs would get stomped, as they suffer from rational debate phobia.

As a conservative man in a sea of leftist children, I console myself with the simple fact that the incoherent apoplexy on the left is a perverse sort of validation that conservative ideas are alive and well, and the leftist mindset has little in the way of an intellectual rebuttal. The truest example I’ve seen of that is my sister-in-law, once a flaming left-wing alumnus of the UW law school who, after twenty years, now acknowledges how contemptible that ideology was. I’m confident that the majority of UW-Madison students will have similar epiphanies; those that don’t will no doubt enter academia themselves.

I love it how College Republicans and College Democrats can manage to elevate the most ineloquent and least intelligent individuals to the highest positions. It’s like when your neighbor knocks on your door and wants to borrow a tool, you’ve always got one on hand.

Liberals are great believers in diversity, but only if you agree with them in every particular.

Typically, liberal students are conditioned not to actually debate anything, but to simply regurgitate the party line. Any breaks with this tradition are met with profanity, vulgarity, and grandstanding - not debate. When pressed, only the rare liberal student is able to offer any basis for their beliefs beyond “it feels right” or some sort of group hug ode. I know, because I used to be one of them. It was only by quashing any instinctive conservative thought that I was able to toe the line and graduate with approval by my uniformly liberal professors. Then, like the boxer shedding roll after roll of flabby fat before he can win the title, I wised up and joined the real world.

(psst - speaking of which, contrary to certain comments above, U.S. troops are not the sorry, helpless “poor” forced overseas by their fat cat minders - they are highly trained volunteer soldiers who actually have higher education levels than the comparative population and who, I am sure, hardly need your patronizing in support of your own misguided political views).

What a meaningless Letter to the Editor. Why does the Herald appease the College Republicans and the College Dems by publishing every piece of low-brow hackery they come up with? Michelle Malking? Are you kidding me? Anybody who refers to that publicity hound as a “distinguished” lecturer does not deserve to be working with the printed word. This guy actually wasted 500 words complaining about one rude, powerless person on a campus of 40,000. It’s so typical of Republicans to worry more about the bum on the street how criticized the president than to actually hold accountable people who are actually in power and are actually a threat to others.

Without mincing words this was horribly written. I know middle schoolers with better command of the English language than this guy.

For those of you who have dreams of letting your opinions be read, here’s a tip: check over it twice and have someone else who isn’t a moron read it.

And to the editors - why was this published? I know the Herald isn’t exactly the NY Times but someone has to be in charge of quality control. Step up, seriously.

re: “Do you think you could confuse your usage of liberal a few more times? An open forum for the free exchange of ideas is just as much tied to the American liberal tradition as it is to the American conservative one of individual rights. This was a stupid person that did not have enough of a sense of decency to keep it a respectable forum. However, your predictable barrage of using “liberal” at every chance possible unfortunately skews and distracts the discussion. Silence the liberals and their liberal use of liberal ideas in liberal forums guided by a liberal tradition and all will be well!!!”

Why don’t you learn go ahead and try to learn the difference between liberal and Liberal. Ok, thanks.

I think it’s hilarious how the Liberals are responding to this article… instead of actually making an argument, they go straight on the attack.

I don’t care how intelligent you think you are, if you can only regurgitate and not actually defend your beliefs then do everyone a favor and shut your mouths. Whether in a debate against Michelle Malkin or Mattie Duppler, you would get your ass handed to you on a plate.

I think it’s funny how libs are being accused of unwilling to have a debate when the conservative icon named Bill O’Reilly is well known for shutting off the mics of his guests. That may be an extreme example, but clean out your own closet before you make overarching statements about others. You can’t make the generalization of “all libs are stupid with no real talking points” when your sample is a bunch of college students.

Anonymous 6:16, 7:48, 10:02, 10:06, 2:05, the foul mouthed focal point of this editorial, and intolerant Liberals ad nauseum:

It is better to remain silent… and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and confirm the fact.

Invictus Maneo

That’s alright, that’s OK You’re going to work for us some day

For those who see the importance of dealing with ideas, this letter makes perfect sense.

For those who do not, comments like 2:05 is all you will get. It’s their mode of operation.

The issue is the importance of ideas.

Also, those who resort to personal attacks in a forum in which they are the guests should be promptly removed. They have no right to insult the speaker - that’s right, NO RIGHT. It’s not their event, and thus they do not set the rules.

It doesn’t matter if you find her to be offensive. Yelling and swearing isn’t going to change her viewpoint or anyone in the audience, it just makes liberals look bad. In the end, Malking looks like the reasonable one and her vocal opponents appear rude and offensive.

Boohoo, boohoo, boohoo. Please Mattie, let us hear you claim that not one member of the College Republicans has ever acted questionably/obnoxiously at a Democratic event. You can’t! And if you do, it’s a lie! Yes, what that guy said was totally rude but we’re all adults too. I’m sure poor Michelle has heard worse and if she can’t handle the negativity then she shouldn’t be out collecting the big bucks for her speaking engagements. Get over it!

I was at the lecture, and while I completely disagree with Malkin, I also disagree with the method that the student used to show his disagreement. I asked a question of Malkin about the economic impact of deportation. I was respectful and she responded in kind. I would have liked to pose a follow-up question, but then this student had his outburst. I knew I would be lumped in as a compatriot of his and would not be called on again.

I am a liberal, but the connotation of that label immediately damages my credibility and the credibility of other liberals who can disagree but remain civil. I want to criticize the author of this letter but in light of how many times this happens during conservative talks on campus, her generalizations are not necessarily unfair.

Yelling and name-calling on both sides only results polarizing people and removes any chance of even marginal progress. If you want your opinions to be heard, say them in a reasonable manner. Otherwise, you sound like an uneducated and immature zealot who ruins the reputations of the rest of us.

Posting anonymously because I can’t be bothered to register.

-Peter Albrecht pbalbrecht@wisc.edu

The foul-mouthed student may be a dumbass, but on balance, he is still less so than Malkin, who spews more hateful things on a daily basis.

I didn’t attend Malkin’s speech, but reading stories like this about how poorly so many audience members behaved during the lecture, it’s clear that liberals follow a “do as I say, not as I do” model. They say they are open-minded and embrace differing points of view, but in action, they rarely do.

Before bad mouthing someone for writing an intelligent article, make sure you “distinguish” between a male or female name. Mattie, not masculine.

it seems to me that those that have taken offense to the article written above have chosen simply to misconstrue what the author has written in an attempt to once again victimize the leftist party so that they can repeatedly feel as though they are owed an apology. while the college reps recognize the right to free speech, it is simply a matter of good taste and maturity to be able to sensically convey a point without resorting to profanity. To be offended by the fact that the author is simply pointing out that we as educated free thinkers should hold ourselves to a standard higher than that which was portrayed on friday by the person in the audience furthers the idealogy of this polarized campus that one must see politics in black and white and search for dissension and wrong doing in any action of the other side.

I think it’s really unfortuate and pretty ignorant that people are making such generalizations about liberals and conservatives alike on this comment board. On either side, one will find people who speak out of frustration and passion. It’s a common, but inexcusable, mistake to place everyone in these stereotypical groups.

I am the person who called M.M a “dumbfuck.” I assure you I was not drunk, nor an idiot. I did however let my emotions get the better of me. Let it be known that I was not upset at her points, some of them were valid if not agreeable. National security is def an issue in this day and age. I was mad at the way she reacted and how she cut me off. It was a act of immaturity on my part and I am trully sorry. However, one should take notice to things that she did that were perhaps equally immature. The way she cut people off, mocked, and mimicked individuals was totally unprofessional. Moreover, I don’t think that calling me an idiot or saying people should not talk to me is any better. Calling someone a drunk? Mattie yelled and said “this is a democracy!” I agree, I was totally out of line and once again I am sorry. But how democratic is it when the person at the podium will not let the audience speak?

Once again I apologize for my actions.

Actually that last comment above pretty well sums it up. Thank you for that.

But I do want to apologize to Mattie for the embarrassment of hosting a speaker and having to deal with profanity. If we as students talk like this to our lecturers then pretty soon we will be getting tazered, things will be so far out of hand.

If the student was a real activist he could have done much better. We must stay above the level of Fox News.

“But how democratic is it when the person at the podium will not let the audience speak? “

WTF? Get your own podium, bozo.

while the first mistake was using profanity, the second was making the jump to assuming this student stood and spoke for the entire university and its liberal students. I am sure the speaker didn’t come away from this event assuming all students behaved like this, she answered plenty of other questions from polite students and was invited by another group that shared her views (at least in part). I hardly feel the call to action on this one. The passion of a few die hard crazies should never be confused for the feelings of the rest of us who respectfully listened and used other discourse to profess our disagreement.