Good — As Far As It Goes: Paul’s Evolving Thinking, On Acceptable Protest Speech, About Israel.

Some may recall that shortly after October 7, Mr. Mirengoff tried to set rules, about what could, and could not, be said in debates about the latest eruption of this now over 3,000 year old conflict.

It was so utterly ironic, as to defy adequately mocking-description. I just mentioned it in passing — but he said that the right of Israel to exist could not be questioned, while the right to some version, somewhere… of some Palestinian state (or even the right of Palestinians, to their lives) was not a permissible topic. [Yes, I. Am. Serious.]

Overnight, thankfully — he wrote a new piece, lauding Dartmouth’s approach to current protesters (in which those views above are largely repudiated). Fine.

He closes then — and the reason I write — to say he suffered “consequences” for his takeover of Parkhurst, at Dartmouth, in ’69 — as did Hinderaker. Also fine (i.e., a few nights in jail). [Let’s ask the civil rights marchers in the South, just a few years earlier, Paul — about… “consequences“.]

So… my point: he fails to mention in his telling that all of them — all of them, as whyte kids of privilege, with high priced white collar lawyers, were released, their arrests expunged, and allowed to graduate on time, with all honors bestowed… and went on to multi-million dollar careers
in (ultimately — hard right) legal advocacy, as… big-business lawyers.

“…Fifty-five years ago, when John Sloan Dickey, Dartmouth’s formidable president, had those of us who took over the administration building arrested, I don’t think he issued a statement like this or, indeed, any statement at all.

I was in jail, though, so maybe I missed it.

Back then, I think students, including protesters like me, understood that actions have consequences. We boomers had many flaws, but we weren’t snowflakes.

But this isn’t 1969. Beilock was right to issue a statement explaining the arrests. And the statement she issued should be studied and emulated by college presidents far and wide….”

The point is… he, Hinderaker and Johnson are calling for a life-time black-balling of the kids (those who were actually students!) camping on the lawn at Columbia. Lots of them never broke into ANY Building — and took it, for three days, as these guys did, in 1969.

But the successful arcs — of their lives were singularly… unperturbed.

He should mention all of that, each time he tells this increasingly tall tale.

Out.