As reported a few days ago, the College Republicans have been considering bringing Jim Gilchrist, co-founder and president of the Minuteman Project—a controversial group aiming to stop illegal immigration—back to speak at Columbia.

For those of you who don’t remember Gilchrist’s last visit to campus in October 2006, violence broke out between a group of protestors and some of Gilchrist’s supporters. The ensuing controversy dominated the national media for some time.

Now, Spec has spoken to Gilchrist, who has expressed a great deal of interest in returning. According to Gilchrist, he’s “been in touch with [the College Republicans], and they have given [him] an overture of interest but no formal invitation.” The topic of the speech would reportedly be a combination of immigration and free speech—the latter being relevant to Columbia, according to Gilchrist, because “free speech on the campus environment has been compromised by indoctrination.”

Gilchrist candidly remarks on the incidents that occurred during his last visit: “I expect next time will be less rabble-rousing and more interest in listening with mature debate and questioning.” In addition, Gilchrist himself (or at least whoever controls his Facebook account) left a lengthy comment on the Spectator article, included below.

Dear Columbia Student Body and Academicians,

Anti free speech zealots like Rudi Batzell and Maria Lantigua are exactly the kind of campus scoundrels who find a meaningless purpose in life by turning our First Amendment into a mockery through intimidation of anyone with whom they disagree.

Columbia’s anti free speech fanatics should seriously think about what constitutes “hate speech,” rather than cry wolf at the thought that someone, somewhere in the world, might be engaging in some sort of freedom of thought, assembly, or speech without the permission of Batzell and Lantigua.

From the mindless perspective of Batzell and Lantigua, and their mindless act-alikes, hate speech is anything they do not understand (because they are essentially stupid) or, simply disagree with because they are mean-spirited souls who want to corner the market on hate speech for themselves.  It is almost hilarious to consider Columbia an institution of higher education when it produces such selfish, empty shells like Batzell and Lantigua.

Real hate speech, ladies and gentlemen, is the kind of intolerant and incurably ignorant rhetoric from philosophical fascists like Batzell and Lantigua.

I told you I am candid and blunt…but right on point.  If I am “intolerant” according to Columbia’s standards, then that intolerance extends only to those who would deliberately trump another person’s right to liberty by selfishly claiming it is their right to halt discussion that does not fit their narrowed agenda.

If I appear at Columbia, I fully expect this warp-headed duo to lead the stampeding charge onto the stage to once again “dictate” to Columbia University and the world what is “allowable” speech and what is not, who is allowed to speak and who should not.

Perhaps Columbia should replace any invitation to the Minuteman Project with another invitation to Iran’s Emperor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  After all, he wouldn’t dare speak about something as horrific, cruel, and destructive as U.S.immigration policy or free speech.  He would probably just speak about annihilating Israel and exterminating a few million Jews.   Hmmmm…..Columbia, not too bright.

Without Apology,

Jim Gilchrist, President, The Minuteman Project
-a multiethnic immigration law enforcement advocacy group-
-the first casualty of propaganda is the truth-