STUPID DAILY NEXUS EDITORIAL

Oh those poor campus right-wingers, they just wanna be heard!

Over and over we hear the same hypocrisy from the campus liberals and it's getting quite sickening: Republicans are closed-minded; conservatives don't know how to listen to alternative beliefs. Throughout my short-lived time here at UCSB, it has become blatantly clear to me that the exact opposite is true; never have I encountered a harsher one-way-only environment than this university. Gaining national recognition, the university has been profiled in leading magazines as one of the most liberal and anti-conservative campuses in the United States.

Uh, Pat? You haven't been to a lot of universities, have you.

Take, for example, the Michael Moore lecture. Obviously it's supposed to be pro-liberal philosophy - that's not a problem. However, the level of pure hatred and bitterness towards conservatives during that event was appalling. Having just returned from a Republican convention across town that failed to even mention Democrats, the juxtaposition revealed the absolute immaturity of parts of the left wing.

Even before getting into the silly idea that Callahan expected anything different from Michael Moore, it's important to note that the Michael Moore appearance was . . . off campus. Not just off campus, but in downtown Santa Barbara, a good 15 miles away from campus, in the historic Arlington Theater. Tickets for that event were priced at a very-Republicanish $18 (part of the reason why I didn't go).

Patrick Callahan is identified as a sophomore. Unless he's really taking his time on the units -- which is alright, of course -- he might not remember that such divisive hate-spewing attack dogs as Ann Coulter and David Horowitz made appearances on campus. (More recently, the rabidly anti-gay former editor of the Dartmouth Review, Dinesh D'Souza, spoke on campus as a guest of the UCSB Republicans).

What else ya got, Pat?

Then there was the Phyllis Schlafly debate: An event sponsored by the UCSB College Republicans, it was the first political event I'd seen where both sides had a fair chance. Schlafly and her counterpart were both given equal time and equal opportunity to present their views. As soon as I left the debate, the liberal feminists began whining about how unfair and pro-conservative the setup was. Considering that the event could not possibly have been any more balanced, it shows the liberal demands for a biased environment.

Soo, "liberal feminists" who observed the debate were critical of the conservative representative in the debate? Holy shit! Stop the presses! Were they supposed to be swayed by Phyllis Schlafly of all people? Sounds like somebody else aint that tolerant of disagreement here.

A warning to all conservatives who wish to express their political views: watch out for the ice cream. I placed a George W. Bush re-election sign in my window to show my support for his campaign. It immediately sparked a great deal of conversation and tension throughout the entire Manzanita Village. The conversation was good - I like the political fervor and discussion. However, when the John Buttny and Howard Dean signs and the non-removable stickers began popping up on my window, along with the recent addition of someone's chocolate soft-serve ice cream, I got a little angry. What right do people have to place their signs on my window? Is it not my freedom of speech and expression to place what signs I want on my property, or is that speech only reserved for the liberal causes? According to my memory of history, people fought and died so that everyone could possess the opportunity to express their political beliefs. In order for this guaranteed right to mean anything, it requires respect; it requires maturity. You don't have to agree with me; you don't have to listen to me; you don't have to read my signs. You do, however, have to respect my rights.

First of all, it's not your window, it's the state's window.

Beyond that, let me put it this way: The Republican Party has, within its membership, a contingent of disturbingly unreformed racists, particularly from the southern United States. The UCSB left has, within its membership, a contingent of disturbingly unreformed ice-cream vandalizers. But I do find it interesting that when he did engage people in discussion on his support for Bush -- you know, "expressing your political views", and not just putting up a sign -- the response seems to have been positive.

And yet, after mentioning these discussions, our poor conservative says:

The one-track mind of this campus is increasingly ridiculous. A university is an institution for, alongside academics, absorbing knowledge of one's self and one's surroundings. Open your mind, leftists, and accept those who are different. Grow up and have some political maturity.

Read your own work before you send it in, kid.

In other Daily Nexus opinion news, I wholeheartedly support columnist Kate Rice's call to rename February 14th "National Get Laid Day"