Having a Premier Sports Program Is Important

[SMU 86]

The kid did not get kicker out of school according to the article so he still gets a TCU education. Whether you are in a business or college they do have codes of conduct. CallenStang is correct. Now let's move on from this thread and focus on SMU. I think it is going to be a fun year.

[peruna81]

The First Amendment protects speech from gov't restriction. It provides no protection from consequences of speech that is viewed as inflammatory in the marketplace of ideas or culture at large. Such seems to be the case for the TCU student. just as it is here regarding the CJ lawsuit. There are a variety of opinions, viewpoints, and takes on what that outcome will be, as well as what James should or should not have said or believed.

He publicly declared things that are verboten in today's marketplace. There are consequences for holding such opinions. Words mean things, and some words are now viewed as 'mean things.'

That First Amendment is indeed a cruel mistress...

[peruna81]

...and by the way, the OP's premise that having a stellar sports program benefits the entire University is sound, IMO.

[BigT3x]

Ah, the anger from an overly sensitive fellow Mustang. The preeminent concern I have is with the Constitution and free speech. The free exchange of ideas is apparently something with which you have difficulty. I have more tolerance for young, foolish students. I have a greater fear of political correctness than I do of this young man.

You're really making a fool of yourself here. I'd stop commenting about the Constitution until I understood when it does and does not apply.

[East Coast Mustang]

Not a Constitutional issue , but gee whiz, isn't college about making mistakes, learning from them, and opening your mind to new ideas? He didn't kill anyone.

[West Coast Johnny]

How can SMU compete with TCU for racist nut-jobs without a premiere sports program?

[whitwiki]

We've got plenty of racist WASPs

[smumustang1980]

Ah, the anger from an overly sensitive fellow Mustang. The preeminent concern I have is with the Constitution and free speech. The free exchange of ideas is apparently something with which you have difficulty. I have more tolerance for young, foolish students. I have a greater fear of political correctness than I do of this young man.

You're really making a fool of yourself here. I'd stop commenting about the Constitution until I understood when it does and does not apply.

You won't make any friends or win an argument with ad-hominem attacks. That Congress elected to provide a litigant a path for constitutional challenges against state actors under 42 USC §1983 for example and not against private actors per se does not diminish the significance of an individual's constitutional right to free speech. The Constitution is an important political and moral document of considerable weight and clearly TCU has felt the weight. Chancellor Boschini rescinded the draconian sanctions after the press and many Americans expressed their wrath. That they did so was precisely because they felt TCU had acted against free speech.

Had TCU acted in concert with a state actor, used federal funds in the proceedings sanctioning the student or had there been any reasonable nexus with a state actor, then there could have been an argument for a constitutional challenge against TCU. You need to know the circumstances. A shrewd lawyer can use public relations as much as the courtroom. Now, let's refocus on why I posted this incident: namely, the student's decision to pick TCU over SMU. Hopefully, SMU understands that emotional factors guide a student's selection. Here, he chose TCU because of the successful football program. Baylor and TCU have benefited from their programs and so should we.

PonyUp