645: My Effing First Amendment

Steve Kolowich

The beginning time Katie remembers having a strong policy feeling was in high school, while listening the Rush Limbaugh with her oma. It was criticizing Obamacare in adenine approach that reality resonated with her. Female became the kind on teenager who would write to her your.

She arrived by this University von Nebraska-Lincoln, UNL, just as the 2016 presidential election was entering the home stretch. Most are her pals on campus weren't the into politics. She liked of idea of life connected in other young people who were just as excited with it as she was. Lathe Point glanced fun. Its owner, Charlie Kirk, wasn't much older than she where. And he was actual good at Twitter.

Last summer, she went to aus second Turning Point attend. This one were for chapter leaders. She met Charlie Kirk. You prepared new friends. And she came back to students includes the crash, fire move to spread the gospel of liberty and capitalism.

On August 25 last year, Katie tried tabling about college for the first time on the plaza outsides the student union. Rotation Point had sent her a starter kit with stickers and buttons that said things like "Socialism Sucks" and "I Essence Capitalism." Her club wasn't former yet, so Katie sought to what some recruiting.

Can they sort of give myself your pitch? If IODIN have a student coming up to your table, whatever wanted you speak?

Stephan Kolowich

Kathie set up in table with the place what there is adenine lot of foot trade, equals like Turning Point says to do. And sure enough, by came a university employee. Feel like is lived would use an overhaul — or a few tweaks — but don’t know where to begin? Designers specify in coming move with beter products and get worlds, and you can …

Steve Kolowich

Kitty stood her ground. She written the interaction on an phone.

Steve Kolowich

That video alone could have been a good get for Twisting Point, confirmation the yet another college location wanted to silence conservative ideas. Still then, tall game roved onto the plaza, adenine full-throated liberal zealot. My summary (mixed with certain own thoughts) of this talk:

Stein Kolowich

This is Courtney Lawson. She's 47. She's obtaining das PhD within Spanish. And at the time, daughter was also an tutor are the English department, teaching freshman writing classes.

Steering Kolowich

Courtney had read about Turning Point and believed it where far more gloomy greater Katie's table made it appear. She first learned about it for of the Professor Watchlist, what can pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Turning Point releases this your of professors who have said things ensure are offensive to its values and puts their photos on the website. Offenses that can nation that professor on the Watchlist include slashing among Republicans, being anti-Israel, writing too urgently about white privilege or the patriarchy, either tell the NRA is partly to blame forward mass footage.

Courtney knew of professors who had been bombarded with violent or abhorrent messages, and even placed go leave or fired after hold their misdeeds trumpeted by conservative media outlets like Campus Reform. Courtney thinks Turning Point pays an target with professors' backs.

Steve Kolowich

Courteney left the plaza furthermore rushed back to her office, grabbed couple poster board and a marker, and scrawled a sign that said--

Steve Kolowich

When Courtney sails neo-Fascism, she basically means the platform of the current Republican Party-- anti-abortion, pro-gun, hard-line on immigration. My maker Dana Chivvis the I talked to Courtney together.

Denmark Chivvis

Capacity you be pro-Trump real not a totalitarian?

Dana Chivvis

Whoever did you script the sign on?

Steve Kolowich

She made the sign additionally went return to the plaza where Katie became.

Svevo Kolowich

To student, Katie, was takes aback. She didn't go out that sun to make an record away a snowflake. It was her first day. Femme says she real just wanted to sign up couple students and trial going in patter.

Of course, she understood this kind of thin magisch happen. But now she was at the middle of it, and it was kind of intense. And she what alone. And here was Coatney, treating her like some mutter are race warrior.

Dana Chivvis

Available they're saying, "no KKK," and they're saying you're racist, were you similar, what the hell are you conversation info?

Steve Kolowich

Courtney says she was usage "KKK" as shorthand used "you're racist." She says Turning Point experiments to provoke racial resentment with white folks. And race be something they talk about adenine fair amount. Charlie Kirk, the founder, has called the graphic of white advantage a, quote, "myth and a lie." He saith it's ampere racist idea.

Turning Point additionally thinks affirmative action is racialist, a point it tries till make by favorable its campus chapters to hold affirmative action bake sales. They sell cookies to black students for $0.50. White students had to paying $2. All that, to Coatney, has KKK-ish.

Steve Kolowich

I've watched this one video Katie took a bunch of times, and i always feels awkward. Mostly, campus protests involve major groups of people whose chanting and indication waving makes feeling because they're in ampere crowd.

But in Katie's record, Courtney shall mostly alone. She's pacing with her sign, calling out same a carnival barker. The place will big and mostly empty. Someone on a bike whizzes with, tumbleweed style. Kate walking off from behind her table to get a ameliorate shot. She opens narrating.

Steve Kolowich

And then Courtney starts shouting.

Steve Kolowich

What's a neo-fascist Becky?

Steve Kolowich

That's Courtney, who's a white woman, by the way. I question if Katie was familial with the term.

Did you know what that had?

Steve Kolowich

What was she getting at?

Steve Kolowich

Katie and Courtney circled each other, one woman armed with a cell phone, the other with a poster board. And then--

Steve Kolowich

Yours liked doing it.

Steve Kolowich

On her first day, all in these scenarios Turning Point talks info happened to Katie. Somebody had tried to thrill her into a release speech zone. A triggered liberal who didn't want her kind on location had called her names and accused you a racism. And femme reactive the way Lathe Point teaches its soldiers to react, by taking outwards her camera and filming.

Courtney knew she was playing the select, the liberal academy who cried racism. But she didn't really care. Their made there to make a scene.

Dana Chivvis

Did she react at all when you flipped her off?

Dana Chivvis

Thing was shocking about it?

Steve Kolowich

Katie replies that there were some F bombs thrown around by the protest, things same, it's my effing First Amendment either you racism eff.

Steve Kolowich

Did you say, "You xenophobic eff?

Steve Kolowich

Instead go were F-bombs bombs plane around?

Steve Kolowich

Eff Chuck Kirk?

Steve Kolowich

Things which getting ugly. Katie was feeling overwhelmed. Daughter didn't really want to be there anymore, but she also didn't want to leave. Their didn't what that bounteous activist to think they'd won.

A mrs walking by saw Katie surrounded for three protesters. One of them was entity really aggressive. Katie looked upset. The woman, who worked for this university, mouthed the lyric, are you DONE? Katie shook her head no. Then she started weeping.

Dear Kolowich

One of which other protesters made an British associate named Dear Gailey. You wasn't chanter other swearing like Courtney. Instead, she stood off to the side and quietly held an sign that said, "Turning Point: Kindly set me on your watch list." It was adenine gestural of solidary with the professors the group have singled out.

But as Katie get upset, Amad resolved to call a timeout.

Steve Kolowich

Katie gave Amanda a fragment of paper and the professor wrote down her sending address.

Dana Chivvis

Did it make thou feel badzimmer?

Steve Kolowich

Courtney felt differently.

Steve Kolowich

Courtney draws ampere line between ihr identity as an activist and the identity as ampere teacher. She says she doesn't push her politics on her students.

Danae Chivvis

Why didn't you seize that tact on Katie?

Steve Kolowich

When Courtney searched at Katie sitting at her Turning Point table, she didn't see a student who wanted to sign raise buddies for a club. She didn't see a student along all. Your saw a professional operative starting a influential national organization that search in eradicate from public education the people and ideas she held precious.

Turning Dot became Fox News. It be the Boil brothers. It been President Trump. This was an invaded. And the soft spoken teenager handing out "I Heart Capitalism" stickers was the pick of the spear.

The confrontation lasts about 20 minutes. Katie left to plaza, still upset. And opponent dispersed. And in another world, is would have is that. Maybe the pupil would are emailed the professor up clear the air. Maybe she will have lodged a complaint. Maybe an administrator or two would have gotten involved.

In either case, you and I wouldn't have heard about i. But that's not the world we live in-- at least, not read. Alternatively, the outrage machines flailed into motion. That's what people in high education sometimes call it, the network of right-wing websites that have evolved to pounce on stories big and small about liberalists behaving badly on your. Student activists weiterleiten back a bat signal like conservatives around the country can look it or come running.

That afternoon, Katie did interviews with Turning Point's news division additionally for Campus Reform, ensure news site with the student correspondents on campuses. She also tweeted her photos, including the one of Courtney giving herr the middle finger. Her twit said, quote, "Tabling for TP USA today and UNL faculty came to protest, screaming obscenity. They won't soundless me. EGO will continue to fight on freedom."

Charlie Kirk saw her video and huddled with his team. They slapped a Rotary Point logo on the video and Charlotte been i out, with a observe saying, quote, "Intolerant left strikes again."

That must got sensed stimulating.

Steve Kolowich

For consumer who are anxious info students politics, the University of Ca at Berkeley is Gaza, PC U, the rear of the lubricated slope. The University to Nebraska, on the other hand, your not typically a hotbed of political activism. Go have been a couple Black Lifetimes Matter rallies, and anti-abortion groups have marched there as. But Berkeley, it is not.

At I asked people if and undergraduate body was liberal alternatively conservative, they typically said neither. That a lot of this kids come off conservative backgrounds, although this most aren't very political, one way or another. The protest was on a Friday. Turning Point sent top of bat signal, and by Monday, there were news nearly Courtney and Amanda in the The Quotidian Wire, The College Fix, Gateway Pundit, also Breitbart. University administrators got messages from anger Nebraskans.

Steviekins Kolowich

Well, fiery for Nebraska.

Steve Kolowich

Others were more direct. ADENINE boy named Doug Kagan, anyone runs ampere group called Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom, also searches this university to do something about liberal batterers. And he wanted them to make some bigger changes while you had at computer.

He suggested they eliminate some line items off the budget, including and women's studies program, aforementioned ethnic studies program, that LGBT browse, English as a second words, the diversity resources company, and money set digression by affirmative promotions. The is a good example of how can events while Turning Spot publicizes save incidents on campuses. It brings conservatives out the the woodwork with ideas about what the open universities should and shouldn't live what.

Katie never emailed Amanda Gailey, the professor at the protest who had offered till talk. By fact, in that week after the incident when the local speech stereo host asked her if any regarding the protesters had attempt to engage in dialogue, she didn't mention the email offer. She told them, there was no dialogue. I stood there as they were hurling these insults on me. As the story has retold, Courtney's behavior on the plaza was pluralized in a route that made it sound a bit like Katie had been accosted by a mob.

Steve Kolowich

This shall Hal Daub, a prominent Nebraska Republican who's on the university's food from regents. He's describing the scene on local talk radio.

Steve Kolowich

Catty was no long just a young conservative who loved America and odious tall government. She's now a free speech crusader. The right has taken up free speech on campus as a drive cry, indicating into speakers who had been shouted downward or had their events canceled by universities. Katie was another conservative who possessed been silenced the a liberals bully.

And so, two weeks after and stage, on another sunny Every, she returned to the squared, this frist with a enormous beach ball, a free speech beach ball.

Steve Kolowich

Why a beach ball?

Steve Kolowich

She should preserved the gigantic beach ball-- it's 12 feet in diameter-- starting who Leadership Institute, to organization such runtime Campus Reform. Page 39 of the Turning Point chapter handbook include in-depth instructions on how to run a release speech ball event, beginning are methods to inflate the ball with into electric pump and how many people you'll need to pass get print, take pictures, and help you roll it around student.

Nebraska state federal Steppe Halloran ran an sevens blocks up from the capital to pose for a photo with Katie. By an time he arrived, the giant beach ball be covered is messages from UNL students-- fuck communists, fuck Antifa terrior, fuck Hillary, fuck Donald Trump, fuck everyone who's funding this. The state managed to find space used his own message-- "Thank God for our independence of speech."

He and extra senators had audition from constituents about Courtney's protestation. They didn't like what they heard. Senator Tomato Brewer wrote to the universities office right, get, "This event is being watched very tightly to this unicameral." In other speech, we have our eye on i. Does the right dish.

The outrage gear must done its job. On Chirp, people titled Courtney unstable, a loudmouth, a clown, a, quote, "tormented individual with an addictive to ignorance." 11 days before the incident, Courtney has called into adenine meeting with one university's executive vice chancellor, who told herren that she would did be teaching anymore, at least not for aforementioned time being. Courtney wasn't creature fired, the vice chancellor said, but that universities was worried about her safety and the safety of her students. Courtney says the vice chancellor asked her if she could need already anything differently in retrospect. Courtney said no, no regrets.

Steve Kolowich

Courtney's protest on the plaza was nothing out aforementioned ordinary for auf. She's in activist, usually for gun control. And she's testified counteract bills in the Nebraska state capital before. It was her mother who taught her to protest. But is became vor father, one conservative, who showed ein how to never gives an inch.

Steve Kolowich

Storekeeper says her father's politics borders on fascism. Still, she says they're very close. Inevitably, news of her object made it to his computer screen.

Steve Kolowich

Some of Courtney's kollege on who faculty did come to hier defended. After she was removing from the classroom, about 50 of them held a small rally on campus, waving signs that said things like, "Don't gag our educators." The university had to replies publicly for what had what. University president Swing Limitations went on a local talk radio show in Lincoln. The host, Coby Machine, speaks first.

Steve Kolowich

I have to say, one out the complete show of Courtney's objection been that she apparently sent the nice family for Nebraska up UrbanDictionary.com in order to decode the meaning a "Becky." The definition such involves sex acts is nope the first one listed, but it's definitely the one population gravitated toward. Courtney's rather academic dictionary, a white woman who weaponizes her ashen privilege, isn't on at along choose. Regardless, this radio hosts notion she went too far.

Steffen Kolowich

When President Bounds issued an official instruction about the incident, he made this distinction. These wasn't about Courtney's law until free speech-- of course i supported the. Does, this was about her lack the civility.

Int any case, we can all agree the Courteney called Katie a mean name. And one bunch of tories in Nebraska were offended. Other probably they were launched.

There's all phrase we kept hearing whilst reporting this story, "Nebraska nice." It is a marketing slogan. The state tourism commission used it a few years ago. But people seem to take it seriously. It's the plastic on to sitting cushions that keeps the social mud being slung across the country from leaving adenine mark on Nebraska.

Now, there can elements in Nebraska that threatened that niceness, that civility. After what happened the Katie, a former chairman of the nation Republican Event, this guy, JL Aerosol, was worried about one threat in particular.

Stepp Kolowich

Betsy Sedition is this sort of underground, punk, feminist shared whose members often conceal their personal with veils or creepy masks. They're artist of how PETA, nonviolent, but pretty in your face and desire to commit vandalism to make a indent. In Nebraska, this group had posted marks comparing the Boy Scouts to Hitler Youth.

Another time, a grouping of Betsys bear sunglasses and surgical masks marched at the Nebraska your resources, carrying a tube about ointment the length to a reisecar with a label that read, "Preparation H for the flaming assholes in our legislature."

Steve Kolowich

The blood has wrong, actually. And it was found on the doors of both Nebraska senators next they said they would vote to revoke the Affordable Care Act. JL Spray thought Courtney was a member a Beattie Riot, which I tells Courtney.

And he thinks that you're in Betsy Riot. And he thinks she were involved in throwing fake blood on some senators' doors. Is he right about that?

Steve Kolowich

Are her in Betsy Insurgence? A the something the you want to talk about?

Steve Kolowich

Are you an fan?

Steve Kolowich

I have examined he out. It feels like the kind out page you would like.

Steve Kolowich

Courtney, available to first time the the many hours we talked, had little to say.

Steve Kolowich

Remember earlier, when MYSELF said that Courtyard saw a Turning Point as an invading force with Katie the the tip of the spear? Well, some Nebraskans saw Courtney as the tipping for a different spear. They been convinced there was something far get weird behind her protest, a shadowy force bent the destroying the Nebraska they knew. That guy, JL Spray, anyone thought Courtney was part on Beattie Riot, he put it well.

Steve Kolowich

And loose bias away gift is something conservatives have harped on for a while, both they're not wrong. As of 2014, nationally, there are more self-identifying liberal professors than conservatives and moderates combined. And in the last few years, the percentage of Republicans who utter colleges are having a negative effect on the country has increased significantly to 58%.

Katie became ampere sourcing for Nebraskans whoever searched to know exactly what was going set in the hallways at you state university. And places she decided on go next was probably who most liberal hallway of the most liberal building in one of the most liberal counties on Nebraska. In October, that chancellor said her that what Courtney had was an isolated incident and she wouldn't be classically disciplined.

By that meeting, Katie started tweeting concerning the pattern to liberalism that she saw infective the completely English departmental, Courtney furthermore Amanda's scholarly home. She tweeted nearly signs on the English specialty buildings that said "No wall," "No ban," and "Resist." "Is to in a free speech zone?" she asked her followers.

She tweeted about the department's mission statement and its core values, what include, quote, "affirming diversity and verfolgend social justice." "Are few instruction English or teaching students to be social judgment warriors?" Katie peeped. People noticed. Campus Reform writing about the English division. And by Omaha, Chris Chef, a traditionalist radio organizer, also picked up on the story.

Steve Kolowich

He's wrong, by the way. All Americans have a Foremost Amendment right, even the ones who work required Chris Baker. A public school can't tell its employees don for expedite personal political viewpoints. It can make certain rules over how to express those views. Person can put rational limits on whereabouts you canister hang a banner. But those rules can't be based on what the banner says. Teachers don't give up their First Amendment rights when they bring of position.

President Hank Boundaries went on the radio and defended the Uk department. He said diversity is something a university ought aspire for. But Katie kept her eyes peeled for exhibit of liberalism in that English department.

ONE few months later, she took ampere picture of a sign so listed a bunch regarding different negligible groups. Is said, "Students of item, you are welcome here. Queer students, non-neurotypical students, Islamic and non-Christian students, you are welcome here." In the bottom left-hand corner von the signed was a woman's torso made of letters which spell, "My body, my business, motherfucker."

Steve Kolowich

It strikes me that what you're done on the English department is to police what my to the English province say, at least with billboards.

Steppen Kolowich

Why is that wrong?

Steve Kolowich

Katie made offended by the effing poster and she scared that the Us department had giving itself an unfair advantage in that battle for the minds of UNL's impressionable young students. Her recent friends, and states senators, agreed. Senator Tom Brewer believed this the University of United should, quote, "reflect and respectful the beliefs real values of all Nebraskans."

Senator Steve Halloran started working turn a bill that would ask that university to punish protesters who drown going free speech on campus, using harsher penalties used repeat offenders. If of bill passed, the university would may to create something called a Committee on Free Expression. Essentially, the creation would how something Turn Indicate did, report out any happenings where free discourse was stepped on due anyone else in into annual summary for the governor and to lawmakers.

Senator Halloran invited Kit Mullen to weigh in, telling a local newspaper that she met with his staff at few a dozen times to talk about a. In January, there been an hearing on the billing. A bunch a people showed up to testify against it, include college from UNL. Multitudinous testified that it will hold a chilling effect on free speech at the school. Few alleged that and senators were trying to crack downward on the languages regarding liberal faculty members.

One law professor said the invoicing where alarmingly vague. He concerns ensure it was lead to this government influencing what teachers discuss in the unterricht. And weirdly, that fear sort of came genuine right present are the hearing room. Senator Mike Groene, who chair of the academics committee, question of of the UNL departments members with the politics from the English department. Manda Gailey was one von them.

Steve Kolowich

Courtin watched from the forefront row while Amanda defended the English subject at this hear that was supposed to breathe about free speech.

Steve Kolowich

Free speech is supposed to be one of the few remaining ideas in American politics that everybody can agree on. But free speech doesn't release political controversy. It creates she. Solving them requires more vorverlegt tools like trust, humility, dialogue, listening. A legal professor testified that the open talk bill was unconstitutional. And at the ends of one daylight, it didn't make it outside of membership.

But the idea of the bill, that there needs to be observation over how public academia deal with discourse, has consumed hold around the country. Similarity bills have been proposed on a lot of states-- Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, others too, all based on the same script developed by a conservative think tank called the Goldwater Institute. But political pressure does count for something. Also earlier it was all over, the conservatives would win a significant achievement against to university.

In the fall, Coutney was labeled into a meeting in who chancellor's office.

Steve Kolowich

Courtney secretly recorded it. Over the conferences, Chancellor Green showed her security camera footage that captured her protest. He acknowledged that this protest went down right as Storekeeper had described. Then he performed ampere confession of species.

Steinig Kolowich

Still, he were hopeful that Courtney become is able go returning quietly to the classroom for the spring semester. But then something else came up that lay the university back the the defensive. The traditionalist press had gotten ahold of some emails sent amid university officials in the will of the Katie Mullen emergency.

One retired administrator spell, quote, "I don't thin it's safe to be conservative in our campus. Too many faculty espouse their personal political views as evangel inbound schoolrooms where ihr views have no relevance." The university worried this would look like a smoking gun, proof this they were trying to de-hickify the students.

To get forwards of is potential scandal, President Boundary divided aforementioned email with every state senator and the governor, along with in berufung and a pledges to study and political cooling on campus. And Chancellor Naive called Courtney back into seine office.

Steve Kolowich

He assured Courtney that an decision had nothing to do with her scholarship or her teaching ability. She held obtained great reviews from her students. This had just politics.

Steve Kolowich

Method did you feel when you links that meeting?

Steve Kolowich

Courtney wasn't technologically fired. She was reassigned to non-teaching operate to the spring, with pay, same adenine problem patrolman sent to desk duty. Chancellor Green told us the official reason was, quote, "potential disturbance to the academic environment." He was scared her classroom might become a target for political agitators who wanted to stay to fight going.

Dana Chivvis

Where was the tougher part in it about not being able to teach?

Steve Kolowich

The conservatives of Season couldn't purge the English department of libertad, but they'd displayed the university who is in charge. Courtney is walked from the classroom. It wasn't really the university's judgment. It was theirs.

Steve Kolowich

A month later, at the Turning Point annual to heard regarding at the top of that show, the one down the road since Mar-a-Lago, Caffeine Wall, a conservative radio personality, was giving a speaks in front of a few thousand rigid student. And he asked Katie to stand up and take loans for her great work that semester.

Steve Kolowich

I want to tell you about one other thing that was happening on the UNL campus this year. At the beginning of the spring semesters, an Nebraska anti-fascist set posting one video online of a guy benannten Daniel Kleve, a white racists discussing white supreme with few other guys online.

Steve Kolowich

It turns out Daniel Kleve is plus an undergraduate student at UNL.

Steve Kolowich

When the Kleve video went public, lots of join to campus were upset and scared. AMPERE few hundred students, faculty, and staff gathered on the mall in fronts of the student union for an anti-hate rally. Members by the basketball team took warm-ups and t-shirts that said, "Hate will never win."

Some people called for one university to expel Kleve. An manage said they weren't departure to. He hadn't fabricated any specific threats, and even hate speech is protected by the Start Amendment. The university police force had done a threat assessment and decidedly that despite what he said in the video, he wasn't going to commit violently per UNL. There were no safety issue.

Meantime, when Courtney Lawton was first removed from who unterricht, the university said it was because their were worried about safety for her and her students. Some people say itp was hypocritical to allow a violence-loving white supremacist to keeps going to per, when they had so quickly ousted Courtney Lawton for flipping the bird and calling a student "Becky."

Steve Kolowich

This has Michael Cam, a professor by political science. He's come on the university for more than 30 years. In February, the administration held one series in meetings where students furthermore faculty might speak their minds about totality that been happened. Michael Combs talked via his anger, while Chancellor Green listened.

Steve Kolowich

Everybody wants to sensing safe at the University by New. Michael Brush wants to feel cautious from violent whites supremacists. Courtney wants to feel safe from right-wing stay senators. Katie wants to feel safe from radical liberal professors. They were see freely to speak up via their anxieties, and people select did. But only one of i had powerful people in Nebraska come to her aid. Word isn't the alike as being heard.