Crossword Clue: Liberals Know It When They See It

Paul Vincent of Bristol, Rhode Island, has broken the seal of the unspeakable in a letter to the Providence Journal:

One of President Nirschel's responses to the negativity engendered by the creation of the [whites-only] scholarship was to establish a lecture series treating all the related issues -- an idea that, in my opinion, all reasonable people would agree was excellent. However, when asked if conservative speakers would be welcome, the president answered yes -- provided they were "thoughtful." Mr. Nirschel didn't say whether such a stricture would be applied to liberal speakers, but -- count on it! -- it won't be.

Yes, political correctness -- by which I mean sympathy for left-leaning attitudes and policy prescriptions -- is in the saddle at Roger Williams University, as it is on most campuses. So sure am I of this that I will make the following assertion -- only a guess, but take it to the bank: Al Sharpton, an unreconstructed race hustler (only the utter cravenness of the Democratic National Committee allowed his serious participation in the presidential primaries), would be welcomed as a speaker to this lecture series with open arms; by contrast, David Horowitz -- author of Left Illusions and an articulate opponent of the slavery-reparations movement -- would be well advised not to wait by the phone.

I can hear President Nirschel's opinion of Horowitz now: "He's too unthoughtful"!

Not know enough about Mr. Nirschel, I won't place bets as to the likely reception of such folks as David Horowitz. Broadly, however, it's accurate to suggest that "thoughtfulness" is one of those vague criteria that can substitute when there is no justification. Applied to all sides of a debate equally, one can trust that it's likely meant as a measure of productivity — allowing discussion to move forward. Applied only to conservatives, it presumes at least a greater inclination toward unthoughtfulness on their part, or at least that "forward" is a predetermined direction.