Wisconsin students may hate the speaker — David Horowitz — but they gave him a respectful hearing.

I'm writing up the good news. I thought there might be disruption — and David Horowitz seems almost to want to bait the students into causing a publicity-getting scene when he calls his event "Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week." He did get some attention, but the students showed a solid commitment to free-speech values by assembling before the lecture and chanting — the chant was "Racist, fascist, anti-gay, right-wing bigot go away" — and then listening respectfully to what Horowitz had to say.

But there was one man....

Former UW lecturer Kevin Barrett — who attracted national media attention to the university for promoting his belief that the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon were an inside military job — was in attendance and voiced opposition, disrupting Horowitz’s talk near the beginning of the lecture.

Horowitz may be a publicity whore, but he wasn't the biggest publicity whore in the room.

Barrett, who was booed by the crowd after he interrupted the speech, left the Memorial Union Theater shortly thereafter in the midst of a popular UW football tradition — the “asshole” chant.

Ha ha ha. Wisconsin students rule.

HOLD EVERYTHING: Uncle Jimbo was there! With video:



And text. Jimbo — who was "predisposed" to agree with Horowitz — thinks the reason the crowd didn't disrupt him was that he was too dull and uninspiring. He also says the students "maintained more decorum" than Horowitz, who said rude things like "Well I guess you just aren't able to read" and "I don't know what to do if you can't add two and two and get four."

It would have been a total bomb, but Ebo decided we needed a pitcher of Optimator in the Rathskeller and we spent about an hour talking with a couple of groups of folks who came in opposition to Horowitz. It was enagaging [sic], entertaining and so completely superior to the waste of time that was the theater in the theater [sic], that we resolved to attend the Muslim dialogue tomorrow night. I truly enjoyed the discussion with some folks who, although we disagreed on much, came with much more open minds and helpful attitudes than the headliner.

Ha ha. The marketplace — the tavern — of ideas.