ENDORSED: Prof. Thom Lambert: Supporting My Mizzou Students.

I could not really support my Mizzou students in this difficult time if I did not point out a few things.

First–The top administrators of a school of 35,000 people cannot prevent all instances of racism. Ignorant, mean people are sometimes going to yell slurs from their pick-up trucks when they drive through campus. Drunken frat boys are occasionally going to say ugly things. When you ambush the homecoming parade, to which parents have brought their small children for a rah-rah college experience, some people are not going to be nice to you. Those ambushed may be taken aback and may not say all the right things. People who draw things with poop are especially hard to control. Be prepared: The people who replace the deposed president and chancellor at Mizzou are unlikely to prevent every racist incident on our campus.

Second–The U.S. Constitution forbids state institutions from employing racial quotas. Having been involved in hiring at Mizzou for a number of years, I can assure that we bend over backward to fill open positions with qualified minority applicants. It is highly unlikely that Concerned Student 1950’s demand that the percentage of black faculty and staff at Mizzou be raised to 10% by 2017-18 can be implemented in a manner consistent with constitutional obligations. You should know that.

Third–Free speech means more than the freedom to express views with which you agree. I honestly think most Mizzou students understand this point, but I’m afraid that the administrator and communications professor in this video don’t grasp it. Lest you be misled by their ill-advised bullying, you should know that the First Amendment is for everyone.

Fourth–Unreasonable demands have consequences. We will survive this, but Mizzou has been badly weakened. I can’t imagine that the press accounts from the last week will help with minority student and faculty recruitment next year. That’s a shame, because based on my encounters with a great many minority students and professors at Mizzou over the past twelve years, I believe most have had good experiences. Perhaps they haven’t been honest with me. Or perhaps the situation has changed in the last couple of years. If so, I’m terribly sorry to hear that. But, following the events of the last week, I can’t imagine that next year will be better.

Fifth–Regardless of your take on the events of the last week, I hope you will not let bitterness reign in your hearts. Unlike many of my gay friends from conservative religious backgrounds, I chose years ago not to write off those people who were once unkind to me. I’m glad I made that choice. I hope any Mizzou student who is currently feeling marginalized for any reason will keep calm, carry on, give others the benefit of the doubt, and be open to reconciliation.

So, Mizzou students, I support you. But I will not coddle you. You’re adults and should be treated as such.

And should act as such. As should the administrators.

JOEL KOTKIN: So Much For The Death Of Sprawl: America’s Exurbs Are Booming. “It’s time to put an end to the urban legend of the impending death of America’s suburbs. With the aging of the millennial generation, and growing interest from minorities and immigrants, these communities are getting a fresh infusion of residents looking for child-friendly, affordable, lower-density living. . . . How could this be? If you read most major newspapers, or listened to NPR or PBS, you would think that the bulk of American job and housing growth was occurring closer to the inner core. Yet more than 80% of employment growth from 2007 to 2013 was in the newer suburbs and exurbs”

Well, when you have hard-left organizers promoting riots and lawlessness in urban areas, naturally suburbs will boom. It’s like 1968 all over again. And if you rely on NPR, PBS, and “major newspapers” to give you an accurate review of what life is like in most of America, well. . .

BUT DON’T WORRY, IT WILL COME HOME TO ROOST: Chicken Little isn’t squawking — yet.

YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK: U.S. to Help Iran Rebuild Nuclear Reactor.

AT LEAST THEY HAVE PHILOSOPHIES: GOP Debate Highlights Conservatives’ Philosophical Divisions.

I’D NEVER WASTE A BOTTLE OF WINE THAT WAY: Seriously, though, if you expect everyone to love your work, even if it were the most brilliant thing ever, you’re delusional and need medications. British Writer Tracks Down Teen Who Gave His Book a Bad Review, Smashes Her With Wine Bottle.

THESE HAVE ALWAYS FASCINATED ME: For a while younger son had a nose cone ceiling fan. PAINTINGS: Nosecone Art.

WHEN IT WAS ALL RIGHT TO READ THE POLITICALLY INCORRECT: Appendix “N” Looked At Again.

THE FEDS LIED? THEY LIED? INCONCEIVABLE: The free money promised by Washington to states agreeing to Medicaid expansion has turned out to be a sucker’s bet.

NO ONE I KNOW, AT LEAST: Nobody Is Actually Upset About The Starbucks Cup. Stop Saying Otherwise.

CLOSER TO MY HIGH SCHOOL DREAM OF LEARNING WITHOUT STUDYING:  (Yeah, I was a lazy teen.  Deal.) Watching a memory form.

MY PEEPS OFFEND COLLEGE STUDENTS: Sad Robot Puppies: Your helicopter mama breastfed you to puberty, didn’t she?

IS COLLEGE THE WAY OF THE PAST: Forget “Higher” Education.

SOME OF US MANAGE:  That said, for years I had to go to the elementary school every week to haul the boys out of SPANISH as primary language classes, so yeah, it’s not easy.  And it has to change. Why America makes it hard for immigrants to assimilate.  We either make it easier and expected, or we won’t survive very long.

IF THEY DIDN’T HAVE DOUBLE STANDARDS: Bill Cosby is being crucified for being conservative.

TAX LAWS ARE FOR CONSERVATIVES: Will Clinton Foundation accounting fraud implicate a major accounting firm?

THE END RESULT OF HELICOPTER PARENTING AND “NO FRUSTRATION” UPBRINGING: Precious Snowflakes at Yale are Revolting (UPDATED).

SHE’S ONLY RESIGNED HER “COURTESY APPOINTMENT” WITH THE JOURNALISM SCHOOL. SHE’S KEPT HER ACTUAL JOB WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPT. Missouri assistant professor resigns after dramatic confrontation with journalist caught on video.

I don’t think this will be sufficient. Nor is she the only culpable faculty member.

SHIT JUST GOT (UN)REAL? Prof. Stephen Clark emails:

I think you are correct to suggest as you did here http://instapundit.com/218576/ that the students at Mizzou are being used. I gave my more pedestrian take here: http://instapundit.com/218480/?show-at-comment=1848057#comment-1848057 Think of this as the opportunistic coup scenario that leveraged this cluster-fuck.

The question Sean Davis has been pursuing is the one to press: http://thefederalist.com/2015/11/10/was-the-poop-swastika-incident-at-mizzou-a-giant-hoax/ This question occured to me and none of the local reporting contained what you would have expected in light of the resignations. Now, there may be evidence of the “poopstika”, but it hasn’t been produced and what was offered was debunked. The reaction that Davis reports from local officials is the tell.

It’s appropriate to say that “this shit just got real”, or maybe not. But, unless some definitive explanation is produced soon. Things will get ugly. Fast.

Meanwhile, looking at the Mizzou YikYak feed, a lot of students are sorry the university caved, but worried about this potential threat:

If all this was over a hoax, it’ll pretty much suck.

INVEST NOW! Three White Twitter Board Members to Leave over Diversity Measures. “The board, which previously featured seven men and one woman who were all white before the inclusion of Iranian-born Omid Kordestani last month as chairman, was criticised by former company engineer Leslie Miley in a Medium post.”

Note: Iranians are actually the original Aryans.

NARRATIVE CONTROL: Obviously ‘No Connection To Terrorism’: U Merced Stabber Had An ISIS Flag.

ONWARD, CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS: Hundreds Of Christian Militia Fighters Swarm Syrian Town Under Siege By ISIS.

THE WAPO’S ERIK WEMPLE: University of Missouri, please immediately fire employees who taunted media.

There’s no excuse for protesters to push a photographer in a public square; there’s no excuse for protesters to appeal for respect while failing to respect; there’s no excuse for protesters to dis the same rights that allow them to do their thing.

And there’s even less excuse for faculty and staff members at the University of Missouri to engage in some of this very same behavior. In his chat with this blog, Tai cited the involvement of Richard J. “Chip” Callahan, professor and chair of religious studies at the university. In the opening moments of the video, Callahan faces off with Tai over whether the photographer can push to get any closer to the tents. “I’m not gonna push them,” says Tai.

Moments later, the protesters resolve to throw up their hands (literally) to show Tai who owns this public roost. Callahan participates in this collective action. As Tai swivels his camera from place to place, Callahan shuffles to block the sight paths. Behold these screenshots. . . . These three university employees had a chance to stick up for free expression on Monday. Instead, they stood up for coercion and darkness. They should lose their jobs as a result.

It’s a disgrace. From the comments: “These kids, and the ones at Yale, are the quintessence of hypocrisy. They take small, occasional slights and go into a rage making exponentially more people upset, and get things teetering on the edge of violence. . . . They are petty tyrants.”

Yep. Being used by people with ambitions to be not-so-petty.

STEVE GREEN IS NOW DRUNKBLOGGING TONIGHT’S GOP DEBATE, SPECIAL GAME OF THRONES EDITION.

ANALYSIS: TRUE. We Need a Better Way to Get to Space.