General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Limits of Free Speech [View all]COLGATE4
(14,732 posts)hearing before lowering the boom on them but Boren is first, last and always a politician whose gut instinct was to get out in front of a very embarrassing episode for his university. So he threw due process out the window and here we are. And you are absolutely right that OU as a Public Institution is constrained in limiting its students speech by the First Amendment. I have no idea if the students or their families will later choose to sue OU. I suppose it depends on who they listen to the most. They may want to just ignore it and get on with their lives but, if this starts having repercussions on the boys' lives (i.e. not being accepted at other universities because of this) that could change. And you are as right as rain that the government has no business trying to suppress songs students sing, whether they are patriotic, religious, political or just downright offensive to everyone and his brother. Speech should only be banned in the extremely limited circumstances that have been determined over two plus centuries of U.S. jurisprudence and never except under those limited circumstances.
The real proof of a genuine DU'er, at least to my way of thinking, is one who so respects the First Amendment of the Constitution that (s)he is willing to support what it says even when in cases where the speech in question is horribly offensive, shocking and enraging to them personally. There does seem to be a dearth of those posting on the subject.