1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: So those of you who listened to the Armstrong and 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:05,720 Speaker 1: Getty Show a little or a lot are familiar with 3 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:09,479 Speaker 1: the fact that we have been pushing for Professor Joshua 4 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 1: Clover of the University of California Davis to get booted 5 00:00:12,920 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: off a campus for repeatedly advocating the killing of cops. 6 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:20,079 Speaker 1: David French, who is the is a senior writer for 7 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:23,200 Speaker 1: The National Review and senior Fellow at the National Review Institute, 8 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:26,960 Speaker 1: wrote a piece recently that is entitled there's a fake 9 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:29,840 Speaker 1: outrage machine on the right also and suggests that we 10 00:00:29,920 --> 00:00:32,760 Speaker 1: are part of said fake outrage machine. Oh, there's a 11 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:35,199 Speaker 1: fake outmerage machine on both sides, no doubt about it. 12 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,479 Speaker 1: Absolutely true. This is not one of those instances we disagree. 13 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: But so we've invited Mr French to come on the 14 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: show and talk about the issue in general and our 15 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:45,920 Speaker 1: little corner of the world. David, how are you, sir? 16 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:50,279 Speaker 1: I'm good. How are y'all? Excellent? Hey, listen, Uh, We're 17 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: especially interested in having this discussion with you because before 18 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: uh we we joined in the call to get rid 19 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: of this guy, we discussed both on and off the air, 20 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: whether it was the sort of thing which we hate, 21 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: which is calling for somebody's job because we don't like 22 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: something they said, as opposed to calling for someone's job 23 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: for you know, a serious offense, something deserving of it. 24 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: And we have the stance of if somebody says something 25 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 1: crazy and then they say I lost my head or 26 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: I was trying to make a joke or whatever, we 27 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:30,559 Speaker 1: let people Okay, fine, then left right, Sah, you should 28 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:32,640 Speaker 1: be able to move on from that. This guy has 29 00:01:32,640 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: been asked repeatedly you actually mean that. Yeah, I think 30 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: cops should be murdered. So what what are we getting 31 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,640 Speaker 1: wrong in your opinion? Well, there's a there's a legalistic 32 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: aspect of this that asn't pregnant? Isn't pregnant? Is it 33 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:49,600 Speaker 1: present in the say, the Tucker Carlson case that I 34 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: think is important. And then there is sort of the 35 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: cultural aspect. So the legalistic aspect of it is that 36 00:01:56,480 --> 00:02:01,279 Speaker 1: because he's a public employee, he enjoys First Amendment rights, 37 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: and as repugnant as that speech is, it's protected by 38 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,519 Speaker 1: the First Amendment that there are there there's a long 39 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:12,119 Speaker 1: line of case law that indicates that even if you're 40 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:15,120 Speaker 1: talking about violence, even if you talk, for example, about 41 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 1: the violent overthrow of the US government. Even if you 42 00:02:17,760 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 1: talk there's a Supreme Court case involving as someone who's 43 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,440 Speaker 1: saying that if he was drafted, the first thing he'd 44 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: do when he got a wifle is go after President Johnson. Uh, 45 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: that there is a wide burth of protection even for 46 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 1: speech this repugnant. And so therefore you have a First 47 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: Amendment issue present here in the case, and the fact 48 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:42,079 Speaker 1: that he is a public official factors in exactly how 49 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: for folks who aren't into this sort of thing. Yeah, 50 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: so a public official is able to speak on a 51 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: matter what's what's called a matter of public concern, which 52 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: you generally means a matter of public controversy. So they're 53 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: going to enjoy First Amendment protected rights. So for example, 54 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 1: if I'm upset because, uh, someone keeps drinking too much 55 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: of the coffee and the faculty lounge, that's not a 56 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,799 Speaker 1: matter of public concern. But police community relations definitely are 57 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 1: a matter of public concern. So, uh, public employees still 58 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: have these First Amendment rights, especially when they're not speaking 59 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: in their official capacity. Okay, fair enough, that's the legalistic 60 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: part of it. I'm curious about the other half. So 61 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 1: the other part of it is and this is something 62 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: that I'm I'm concerned about in particular, is so there 63 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: is a difference in my mind between um, let me 64 00:03:35,440 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: let me just move it to like the Fox News scenario, 65 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: like to help sort of understand the differences. So Chucker 66 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: Carlson is going about his business. Um, some of the 67 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: things he says on the show are controversial, Summer. Not. 68 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:51,320 Speaker 1: What Media Matters does is not it critiques you show, 69 00:03:51,320 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: of course, But what Media Matters does it goes back, 70 00:03:54,920 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: finds a bunch of old things that he says and 71 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 1: brings them forward as a new controversy to say, you know, 72 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:04,840 Speaker 1: you called iraqis primitive semiliterate monkeys. What do you have 73 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: to say about that? And the reason why I call 74 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: that fake outrage is it's not because it's not that, Um, 75 00:04:11,480 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: it's fake to be upset at the primitive similiterate monkeys. 76 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: It's at the whole enterprise. The whole exercise of digging 77 00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:23,200 Speaker 1: around in somebody's past with the hope of finding something 78 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 1: really bad is a process that's destructive and people who 79 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,559 Speaker 1: are engaged in it. It's not like when the Media 80 00:04:30,640 --> 00:04:34,159 Speaker 1: Matters found this quote by Tucker, but they immediately started 81 00:04:34,160 --> 00:04:39,000 Speaker 1: weeping for the hurt feelings of Iraqis it was, yes, 82 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: we've got him now. And one of the things that 83 00:04:41,800 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 1: I think is disturbing that I have seen happen time 84 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: and time again on college campuses, is there there's a 85 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: version of this that occurs often involving relatively obscure professors 86 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:58,080 Speaker 1: who are quite radical. Either it's something they might say, 87 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: you know, in contemporary you know, they've they might publish 88 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:03,640 Speaker 1: an article or have an appearance on the MSNBC or whatever, 89 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 1: or you know, you go through, you don't like them, 90 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:08,159 Speaker 1: you hear their radical So you go through and you 91 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: try to find something that they said that's really really bad. 92 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 1: And then it doesn't mean it's not bad what they've said. 93 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:19,719 Speaker 1: But the entire enterprise, the entire object here is to 94 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 1: find the offensive speech, elevate the offensive speech, and then 95 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:29,039 Speaker 1: punish the offensive speaker. Right, Okay, that's what I object to. Okay, 96 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 1: And and well said, well said, and we agree with 97 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:35,960 Speaker 1: you actually on that point. Counterpoint, Uh, students on campus, 98 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: he's a jerk, that's my counter And that's in a 99 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 1: strong point made well well said. Um students on campus 100 00:05:41,640 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: had been hearing there's a professor that advocates killing cops, 101 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:47,960 Speaker 1: and they thought that was amazing. So they set about 102 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: trying to figure out if it was true and who 103 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: was saying it, and they found this professor Clover and 104 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:58,800 Speaker 1: his tweets from and and an an interview, a rather 105 00:05:58,960 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: lengthy interview with San Francisco Weekly. I believe it was 106 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: and And. Frankly, David, I was a little surprised you 107 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 1: left this quote out of your article because it's awful 108 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: and it's one that's been discussed over and over again. 109 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:16,800 Speaker 1: People think that cops need to be reformed, they need 110 00:06:16,839 --> 00:06:21,040 Speaker 1: to be killed. Okay, Having said that, in Davis, California, 111 00:06:21,360 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 1: a five minute walk from various university facilities, a young 112 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:29,480 Speaker 1: police officer was gunned down in cold blood, slaughtered. Twenty 113 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:34,159 Speaker 1: two year old woman gunned down. And in the wake 114 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:39,440 Speaker 1: of that shooting, Clover stands by his remarks and says, currently, 115 00:06:40,320 --> 00:06:43,640 Speaker 1: I have nothing Well, he has refused to to change 116 00:06:43,640 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: his opinion. He's refused to change what he says, to 117 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:49,160 Speaker 1: soften it, to walk it back, anything. So he stands 118 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:52,480 Speaker 1: there in the community pro cop killing, as cops are 119 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:56,640 Speaker 1: gunned down. Now the First Amendment, I'm a First Amendment freak. 120 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:01,159 Speaker 1: And I love, I love protects that go that far. 121 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:04,479 Speaker 1: I don't resent them, I like them. On the other hand, 122 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:09,840 Speaker 1: there have to be things so repugnant, so awful that 123 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:14,160 Speaker 1: the community as a whole can say no, tenure will 124 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 1: not protect you, especially given given the monochromatic ideology of 125 00:07:20,440 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 1: college campuses. The people have to have a say in 126 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: how people's universities are run. Now, I'm not for a 127 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:29,680 Speaker 1: witch hunt for everybody who goes against the you know, 128 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 1: the majority view, because I would lead to exactly what 129 00:07:33,120 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 1: you know, we don't want to happen. Well, yeah, I 130 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:39,200 Speaker 1: I understand what you're saying, and I would say that 131 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 1: there is there are actual legal doctrines that support that 132 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:47,640 Speaker 1: there is speech that is so dangerous, for example, that 133 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: it can be punished, and for example, speech that can 134 00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 1: be punished as speech that's inciting or incitement. And now 135 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 1: someone might say, well, his speech was incitement because he 136 00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 1: advocated for cops killing killing cops and a cop was 137 00:08:02,720 --> 00:08:07,800 Speaker 1: actually killed, which is horrifying. Um, But incitement has legal 138 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:14,000 Speaker 1: definitions in and so actual incitement isn't incitement involves trying 139 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 1: to uh ask people or demand that people engage in 140 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,760 Speaker 1: imminent lawless actions. So imagine you're on the corn house 141 00:08:21,760 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: steps and you've got a pitchfork wielding mob in front 142 00:08:25,800 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 1: of you with torches and you say, this is one 143 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: of my fantasies, by the way, go on. In that case, 144 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:35,680 Speaker 1: what you've got is incitement because you're inciting imminent lawless action. 145 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:38,680 Speaker 1: But otherwise, you know, and there are other kinds of 146 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 1: speech like obscenity and um, child pornography and kinds of 147 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:48,520 Speaker 1: direct targeted harassment of individuals. So there's lots of things 148 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 1: where um uh speech can be limited and regulated uh 149 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: and is not protected by the constitution. This is not 150 00:08:57,720 --> 00:08:59,839 Speaker 1: one of those circumstances. And I think it's slice it 151 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: pretty thin whether it's incitement or not. But um, just 152 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 1: in general, I know it's actually not. It's pretty clear 153 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:10,280 Speaker 1: under the jurisprudence, which doesn't make it any less repugnant. 154 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:12,320 Speaker 1: I mean, that's the thing that we have to say, 155 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:16,160 Speaker 1: is there's a you can condemn the heck out of 156 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:21,080 Speaker 1: this guy, and should. He's awful, he's terrible. But the 157 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:24,120 Speaker 1: difference is when do you go from condemning him and 158 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:27,760 Speaker 1: condemning his speech, and in this case, in this case 159 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:31,040 Speaker 1: is when we do um and this doesn't refute your argument. 160 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:34,440 Speaker 1: But if he were, if he mentioned regularly in class, 161 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:38,240 Speaker 1: I think abortionist murder, or that I'm a Donald Trump supporter, 162 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,600 Speaker 1: how how long do you think he would last standing 163 00:09:41,640 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: up for those free speech comments comments? Now, he would 164 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 1: not last long, and then he'd win his federal lawsuit. 165 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:49,520 Speaker 1: I mean, this is this is something that happens all 166 00:09:49,520 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: the time on college campuses, as colleges are imposed ridiculous 167 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,719 Speaker 1: double standards on speech, and it's one reason why they 168 00:09:56,760 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 1: lose in federal court time and time again, because they 169 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:03,800 Speaker 1: will bring down the hammer on certain kinds of speech 170 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,560 Speaker 1: and stand up as guardians of the First Amendment on 171 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:11,120 Speaker 1: other kinds when the when justice? When? When when the 172 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:13,960 Speaker 1: actual First Ammber inquires a viewpoint neutrality from them? And 173 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 1: so they lose cases. Pack I've litigated against colleges for 174 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,119 Speaker 1: more than two decades, and that's going to be satisfying 175 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:24,880 Speaker 1: work again. Yeah, there was a time I I don't 176 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:27,200 Speaker 1: know if it's still true, but it might be, But 177 00:10:27,240 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: there was a time when I think I sued more 178 00:10:30,040 --> 00:10:35,120 Speaker 1: universities than any other constitutional lawyer in the US. And 179 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:38,360 Speaker 1: and what ends up happening is these universities lose, these 180 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:43,120 Speaker 1: cases time again. Pay attorneys fees, pay damages. But you're right, 181 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 1: the double standard is very real. And you see Davis 182 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 1: has been has had its own issues with double standards 183 00:10:50,920 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 1: and then not too distant past, right. David French, senior 184 00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:57,839 Speaker 1: writer for National Review, Senior fellow at the National Review Institute, 185 00:10:58,360 --> 00:11:02,280 Speaker 1: and uh a joiner in of people disagreeing and not 186 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:07,480 Speaker 1: hating each other. Now, lovely, David, Hey, a real pleasure. 187 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 1: Thank you for the time. Thanks for having me. I 188 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 1: really appreciate. All right, let's do it again. Thanks. Yeah. Well, 189 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 1: you know, you get a whole bunch of lawyers together, 190 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:16,800 Speaker 1: you get different opinions. I don't agree with him that 191 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:19,240 Speaker 1: it is not a pretty thin difference at a time 192 00:11:19,240 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 1: when cops are being gunned down around the country for 193 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: a professor to say I think cops should be killed, 194 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:27,440 Speaker 1: I don't think it. It is clearly not inciting violence 195 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:29,920 Speaker 1: against cops, as David French does well. And I would 196 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: love to see the case adjudicated of a professor who 197 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:39,160 Speaker 1: repeatedly expresses something not only illegal but horrific and repugnant 198 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:44,160 Speaker 1: that arguably has had horrible repugnant results. And the if 199 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:46,959 Speaker 1: the board or the chancellors what's the term whatever the 200 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:50,560 Speaker 1: pubas of the University of California. I'll say, we can't 201 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: have this guy teaching young people and get rid of them. 202 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: I'd like to see that case tried. Yeah, yeah, me too. 203 00:11:57,280 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 1: I'd like to hear the arguments. We do have clips 204 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:04,120 Speaker 1: of the week come up? Would we get any time 205 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: we talk to universities, you always play Pump Pump and circumcision? 206 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:13,040 Speaker 1: Is there any Are there any other choices? Back to 207 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: college or animal house or okay, what's your alma mater? 208 00:12:18,280 --> 00:12:20,679 Speaker 1: Play the fight song because the Notre Dame fights on 209 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: lazy alright, the awesome I'll just forgiven. What do you 210 00:12:26,200 --> 00:12:28,520 Speaker 1: think our text line four five two nine five k 211 00:12:28,720 --> 00:12:31,440 Speaker 1: f TC. You're listening to the Armstrong and Gutty show. 212 00:12:34,679 --> 00:12:37,080 Speaker 1: Good conscience of the nation