I don’t do this very often. Actually, I am not sure that I have ever done it. But Peggy Noonan’s words need no commentary.
You don’t want to judge Christ by Christians, someone once said. He is perfect, they are not.In a similar way you don’t want to judge capitalism by capitalists, or the legitimacy of democracy by the Democrats, or the vitality of our republic by the Republicans. You have to take the thing pure and in itself, while allowing for the flaws and waywardness of its practitioners.
I say this because here in America we have reached a funny pass. People are doing and saying odd things as if they don’t know the meaning of the thing they say they stand for. In particular I mean we used to be proud of whom we allowed to speak, and now are leaning toward defining ourselves by whom we don’t speak to and will not allow to speak. This is not progress.
Conservatives on campus are shouted down. A crusader against illegal immigration is rushed off the stage at Columbia University. Great newspapers give ad breaks to groups with which they feel an ideological affinity, but turn away ads from those they do not, such as antiabortion groups. And they call this a business.
So much silencing. It seems so weak, so out of keeping with who we are. We love the tradition of free speech in America, but you don’t want to judge its health by what we’ve done with it lately or to it. Opinion Journal
Do consider reading the rest.
Hat Tip: The Education Wonks
Principled Discovery is a place to stop and discuss news and information related to faith, family and particularly education. Pour yourself a cup of tea and join the conversation! 
I was just reading about the new Academy on Capitalism and Limited Government Fund at the University of Illinois. Robert Novak (alumni) and Steve Forbes were there to kick it off last week.
The quotes were interesting:
What’s the purpose of the fund? Academy fund founder and director Jim Vermette invoked Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg when he said the group is calling for “a new birth of freedom.”
“That’s what our fund for capitalism and limited government is really all about. We’re calling for a new birth of freedom,” he said.
Relating to this “new birth of freedom”, some of the University of IL faculty had some issues:
But not all members of the UI faculty are on board. Since hearing about the academy fund over the summer, faculty members have expressed concerns about quality control, academic freedom, shared governance and the possibility for “mission creep”– donors going from sponsoring research and classes to dictating research and classes.
I had to take economics 101 in college. But my kids don’t have to take these courses in college now. Anne Neal, president of the American Council of Trustees & Alumni, said this about her Harvard University experiences.
She herself never learned about economic principles of supply and demand while a student at Harvard University, she said, because such classes weren’t required.
“The fact is in most universities across the country today, the curriculum has gone from one that provides students guaranteed exposure to broad areas of knowledge to one in which students can pick and chose from a veritable smorgasbord,” Neal said.
Ignorance isn’t bliss. I would think the faculty would be happy that there is a “competition of ideas”, but I imagine there will be some outspoken opponents of this fund creation. Even as they weren’t specifically quoted in this article.
http://newsgazette.com/news/local/2007/09/28/calling_for_a_new_birth_of_freedom
Concerned about academic freedom? And that is why these people cannot start this fund? What sense does that make? And quality control? Maybe I am just a cynic, but if they have to control what is being taught, what academic freedom is there?
Thank you so much for the link and excerpts!
I have to agree with you, Dana; no commentary needed. These are strange times we are living in right now.
Do we fear talking and listening to those who have differing views because we don’t understand our own beliefs? What has happened to reasoning?
Emoting seems to be the common method of communication. Emotions are not bad but governing life by them is detrimental.