Vigorous defense of freedoms by college president
Given the heat of the debate and the edginess of the rhetoric on illegal immigration, it isn't often we can unequivocally say it resulted in a lot of people "doing the right thing."
In fact, the confrontation at McHenry County College last week was a primer on individual rights and the American way if there ever was one when this heated issue makes an appearance.
The leader of the lesson had to be MCC President Walter Packard, who not only allowed the controversial Minuteman group to rent space and hold a meeting on his campus, but also publicly defended its right to do so.
"If you start picking and choosing which groups can speak and which can't, you're going down a slippery path," he said. "Particularly in our college environment, you have to be prepared to listen to a wide range of ideas in order to learn."
In an era when campus speech codes are more common than college presidents who will mount a defense of individual rights, his view comes as rather a breath of fresh air.
Beyond that, the Minuteman group followed all the college's rules for rental of a room and was completely within its rights to charge a fee and limit entrance. Any group, be it a business organization or a fraternal group, would be able to do the same. And the college had an obligation to assure that meeting was not disrupted.
On the other hand, though, it was also a hopeful sign that college students recognized and exercised their rights to protest the appearance of the Minuteman group if they so chose.
And they so chose. Led by members of the Hispanic student organization, Latinos Unidos, protesters met and organized and, yes, complained to the media about not being allowed to enter the meeting if they hadn't signed up and paid the fee.
The meeting of about 150 people went off without a hitch; protesters got their message out; and a college president made a stand in defense of the entire experience.
As an example of how contentious issues are properly handled the American way, it was instructive. And fair. And it serves as an example to others who would attempt to silence the debate or limit the rights of those with whom they disagree. That has happened with more frequency than it has been handled well. A Minuteman attempt to meet at a Crystal Lake Holiday Inn turned into a debacle, and the Dundee Township Park District was intimidated into canceling a meeting on the immigration topic -- one that was to be hosted by the venerable League of Women Voters, of all groups to shun.
Was everybody happy at MCC? Probably not. But everyone was heard. And that is essential in a democratic system. We simply must agree on the big issues -- the right to meet and speak and object -- even while we must accept that such freedoms will lead us to disagree -- frequently and sometimes rather loudly -- on resolving the individual issues of the day.