A letter to the editor reminds us that free speech has consequences (“Free speech has consequences,” Our Readers’ Views, June 11). Thanks, but I think most of us know that. The complaints I have heard were against the severity of those consequences, more of a “let the punishment fit the crime” kind of reaction.
The school’s reaction to Charles Chandler’s speech was that this wasn’t the proper forum, and that may be true. Even if it’s not, it’s their call. But their call was to say, “No that’s not true,” and that was the end of the discussion. Oh, and also, you can’t walk at graduation. The student still graduated, but couldn’t walk, and that’s a big deal to some.
So, a lot of the complaints are that this could have been handled in a less draconian way. If public opinion means anything to the school, they may want to handle things a bit differently in the future. Or maybe they don’t care. Is that a good way to run a school?
