Your experience with FIRE is illuminating. I first came across the group last week, when searching for information for this posting.

p.s. I pulled the phrase “black conservative” from the tagline on your weblog, because it looked like that designation was important to you — something you wanted people to know about you and your commentary.

This “black conservative,” referenced in your article above, made no comment in the brief piece I ran about Prof. Silverglate’s recent article on the state of parody in academia, because this was simply meant to be a link to his commentary. I would like to make clear, however, that we have been praising the work of FIRE since its beginning and have published relevant commentaries on many of the cases handled by the organization — first in our hard copy newsletter, then on our website, and now in our blog (http://issues-views.blogspot.com).

FIRE has been indispensable in supporting students or faculty who have been punished for expressing serious dissent against some college administration’s politically correct orthodoxy, or assisting kids threatened with punishment for simply wearing Halloween costumes and face masks deemed by the weak-minded (or is it the simple-minded) as “hurtful” to a nebulous somebody’s “feelings.”

Through FIRE, I have learned of the demise of constitutional principles and the suspension of common sense that now afflicts, of all places, the academy.

I stand by my comments: the Parody has no social or political value and its content frequently constitutes “harassment,” a word I do not generally throw around every time someone is insulted or mocked.

Numerous students can testify as to how they were personally attacked by the Parody, and how the Parody generally exploits personal issues in students’ lives ranging from medical disabilities to estranged family members. Indeed, numerous students have found themselves intimidated by what they saw at the Parody, making them unwilling to talk in class about embarrassing or hurtful experiences that, at a civilized school, would be encouraged as part of their contribution to the class.

That’s not “protecting free speech.” It’s blanket intimidation.