Michelle Malkin » New Civility Update: Columbia University Students Heckle Purple Heart Veteran

New Civility Update: Columbia University Students Heckle Purple Heart Veteran

By Doug Powers • February 20, 2011 04:33 PM

**Written by Doug Powers

This is hardly surprising since we’re talking about the same university that invited Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak, but even still, words escape me:

Columbia University students heckled a war hero during a town-hall meeting on whether ROTC should be allowed back on campus.

“Racist!” some students yelled at Anthony Maschek, a Columbia freshman and former Army staff sergeant awarded the Purple Heart after being shot 11 times in a firefight in northern Iraq in February 2008. Others hissed and booed the veteran.

Maschek, 28, had bravely stepped up to the mike Tuesday at the meeting to issue an impassioned challenge to fellow students on their perceptions of the military.

“It doesn’t matter how you feel about the war. It doesn’t matter how you feel about fighting,” said Maschek. “There are bad men out there plotting to kill you.”

Several students laughed and jeered the Idaho native, a 10th Mountain Division infantryman who spent two years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington recovering from grievous wounds.

Pathetic, but predictable. The inexcusable treatment of Anthony Maschek by people who won’t understand or appreciate the US military until there are Chinese tanks sitting in the lobbies of their dormitories and suicide bombers in Schermerhorn Hall (and probably not even then) isn’t necessarily because he’s a military veteran — it could be because his name isn’t Bradley Manning.

**Wasn’t the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” supposed to open the arms of the left toward the military?

**Rhetorical question, no need to answer

Glenn Reynolds:

I note that this is also more evidence that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was just a lame excuse to cover for generic hostility to the military, something made clear by numerous speakers at the event including some Columbia faculty. I also note that in these days of constrained budgets and an angry, aware electorate, heavily subsidized sectors like higher education — and Columbia, despite its private nature, is itself heavily dependent on government subsidies — should think twice about appearing anti-American. It’s not the 1960s anymore.

Maybe we should add Columbia to the “defund-a-palooza” wish list.

I’ll close with an observation from Jammie Wearing Fool:

This is where we are now in America: People laugh and sneer at wounded veterans. Yet go and make fun of a liberal and it’s basically a hate crime.

**Written by Doug Powers

Twitter @ThePowersThatBe

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Posted in: colombia,Education,Iraq,Veterans

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#101

On February 21st, 2011 at 10:13 pm, glockomatic said:

Several students laughed and jeered the Idaho native, a 10th Mountain Division infantryman who spent two years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington recovering from grievous wounds.

Civility be damned — these people need a good old-fashioned a$$-kickin’
#102

On February 21st, 2011 at 10:29 pm, buzdburd said:

These are the same academic types that snickered at Christine O’Donnell when she correctly stated that the words “separation of church and state” appear no where in the Constitution. I’m glad that they all are being “properly educated!”
#103

On February 21st, 2011 at 10:30 pm, buzdburd said:

(Oops. forgot the /sarc. But hey, I’m new here!)
#104

On February 22nd, 2011 at 5:59 am, BarracudaBob said:

Anyone who has spent time in uniform, this kind of behavior isn’t anything new. Having spent almost 30 years in the armed forces, I’ve personally been attacked by civilians on several occasions, once by a cup filled with what was hopefully cows blood, while standing guard on a base in Europe back in the early 80s….by an American protester no less.

Other times the hatred was presented in ways that defy description and a little more subtle, but the message was still delivered. This new found support many of us experience is really quite new and I can’t think of a time when the majority of people I came in contact with were more supportive. I have to think the rise of conservatism has a lot to do with it…ie Tea Party et al.

The views expressed in places like Columbia shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. When you have a 2 term president like Clinton state publicly that he loathed the military, what do you expect?

We just brush it off as those who do support the military far outnumber those who don’t.
#105

On February 22nd, 2011 at 10:28 am, Timmyisgr8 said:

Disgusting, thats all i can say. These people are just completely detached from reality in my humble opinion…
#106

On February 22nd, 2011 at 10:47 am, Godsbngood2me said:

First, I want to thank Anthony for his service and sacrifice for our country. God Bless You!

He should not cast his pearls before swine.

These students don’t even understand that this man was fighting for their right to voice their stupid comments freely. Ignorance thy name is Columbia University!
#107

On February 22nd, 2011 at 11:44 am, MaverickThrowback said:

God Bless Anthony Mascheck with the Biggest Thank you for his service to our Country.

As far as the hecklers, until there set straight, there they types that would stay sitted down in their sits during the national anthem, while texting on there family funded fones.
Let’s ship them off to the heart of Texas for awhile. They’ll get scared straight.
#108

On February 22nd, 2011 at 12:03 pm, MaverickThrowback said:

..and please God Bless my typo’s above.( there > their )
Heal them.
#109

On February 22nd, 2011 at 1:19 pm, EROWMER said:

SSGT Maschek, thank you for your sacrifice. Enroll at Bob Jones or Hillsdale. They don’t take GI Bill but I am sure a scholarship can be found for you. Use your GI Bill at Furman for further degrees. Columbia does not deserve to have a student like you, nor do they deserve a single dime of your hard-won tuition.