Controversial nationally-syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin talked about “peacenik paranoia,” “Bush derangement syndrome” and the level of support for our troops while presenting her latest book, “Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild,” yesterday.
“Michelle Malkin is a conservative speaker,” said Nolan C. Scaperotti ’07. “You don’t hear many of them speak on this campus.” “I’m going to take you into the deep dark cesspools of the American left,” Malkin said. She later added, “These are images, again, which you rarely see in the mainstream media.”
Malkin said that conservatives are often portrayed as being overly paranoid and irrational. She said that liberals more closely fit that description, mentioning protesters with signs claiming Sept. 11 was a government conspiracy.
“These folks really do believe that 9-11 was an inside job,” Malkin said.
To counter the claim that she had merely captured photographs of a small group of people who held a rare belief, she displayed a stream of photographs, all with banners displaying the message, “9-11 was an inside job.”
Malkin said that she was displeased with portrayals of President George W. Bush, especially when people compare him to Hitler. She showed a picture of a banner which read, “Bush equals Hitler,” and said, “Here is a typical example of liberal math.”
She then showed a series of pictures, including college protests, all which were depicting anti-Bush messages.
Malkin quoted democratic Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) in reference to Guantanamo Bay as having said, “You would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags or some mad regime – Pol Pot or others – that had no concern for human beings.”
She used this as an example of liberal anti-patriotism. “[Liberals] do not support our troops,” Malkin said. She said that Jason Gilson, a 24-year old marine in Iraq, returned to the United States and was screamed at by protesters.
She also displayed photographs of protesters holding signs which had slogans such as, “We support our troops when they shoot their officers.”
Malkin showed a picture of a protester with a sign saying, “Fuck the army.”
“And here’s another fine liberal who supports the troops but opposes the war,” she said.
Malkin also gave examples of people who went out of their way to cut down yellow ribbons which are hung in support of our troops. She said that one woman skated down her block on rollerblades and cut all of the ribbons her neighbors had tied around trees.
“If they don’t want us to question their patriotism, they should start acting like patriots,” Malkin said.
In a short question and answer session, one audience member asked, “What exactly is your point? Because these people aren’t mainstream.”
“This is the mainstream,” Malkin replied. “I can go on for hours and hours showing pictures like these.”
Malkin also said there is a double standard in the mainstream media. “You can get examples of cuckoo conservatives every time you open The New York Times,” she said. “People are too willing to believe the best about the anti-war movement and the worst about conservatives.”
Many in the audience were skeptical about Malkin’s conclusions “I think the protesting examples apply mainly to college campuses, but I think her examples of the double standard, that is mainstream,” said Katheleen N. Myers ’07.
“I believe what I’m doing is a compassionate thing,” said Malkin. “I hear this criticism that it’s only the fringe, it’s only the fringe, but the fringe is taking over.”
Others disagree.
“I disagree with her characterization of the anti-war left. She looks at an anti-war fringe group, although she won’t admit that,” said Michael S. Smingler ’06.
Still, enough people felt that Malkin’s assessment was not too far off mark.
“The liberals in the audience deny that that is the mainstream,” Scaperotti said. “I would have to say that from what I see that seems to be not out of the ordinary.”
Archived article by Sara Gorecki
Sun Staff Writer