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While I appreciate your point of view, I must respectfully disagree. From where I sit, I see students that have hijacked the primary function of a university, which is to educate. If they are truly trying to change the tragic state of affairs in that part of the Middle East, they are going about it in an ineffectual and counterproductive way. Enough is enough...and no, I am not a stereotypical right-wing jerk. I believe you have lost perspective on this issue and are conflating it with other points of contention that are better addressed elsewhere.

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Exactly what options remain if non-violent protests are taken off the table?

It's stomach-churning to read oblivious posts that lecture students for exercising 1st Amendment rights, but provide no alternatives.

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Some people need to sit down and read King's Letter From a Birmingham Jail. I'm sick to death of being lectured by people who claim that they, too, are "concerned" about what Israel is doing, may even support some of the goals of the protesters, but then have nothing but criticism for the protesters themselves. And you're absolutely right, NO alternatives offered.

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You have a right to speak. And no right whatsoever to trespass or obstruct. Or to force people to look at or listen to you.

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The right to protest has been recognized for decades. Of course, destruction of property has consequences, as does running over protestors with a car....something that recently happened in NY. The offender is an orthodox rabbi. I assume your words apply to him as well...

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Actually, in a number of states running over protesters on roads is specifically allowed. Makes sense -- if you lie down on a busy street, the consequences are on you.

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Well, the rabbi was arrested, the protestor wasn't lying on the ground, but your absence of logic and abundance of hypocrisy is evident. Breaking windows is an outrage, but running over a human with as multi-ton vehicle is completely acceptable.

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Depending on the circumstances, yeah. As I said, if you lie down on a street, getting hit by a car is a logical consequences. You have no -right- to block a road. None, zero, zip, nada.

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The protesters were standing, the driver was arrested, but keep embarrassing yourself.

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"If I was paying $67,000 a year to attend a university and a cop told me to get off the grass I would stand there even harder."

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You'd change your mind when a nightstick slammed into your head.

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Do you think that those who protested against the Vietnam War on these exact same campuses were "hijacking the primary function of a university?" Should Socrates have stuck to teaching arithmetic and safe subjects, was he actually guilty of corrupting the youth? Maybe your definition of "primary function of a university" isn't broad enough.

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What they were protesting was danger to their own precious pink personal buttocks. I was around then, and it was very notable how the size and temperature of protests nosedived when conscripts weren't being sent there anymore.

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Concern troll is concerned.

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I'd say that the University have hijacked the primary purpose of having students - which is to have people in who see things anew, in a fresh light, and without the in-built prejudices of before.

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Well, that's a rather odd viewpoint. The purpose of having students is to teach them knowledge and skill -- which is to say, to fill the echoing void between their ears.

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I take it you haven't worked in an educational environment. That really is not how it works and if you try that you will fail. Moreover if you even claim to do that you will get kicked out in weeks.

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