Presented with “We Do Not The Cornell Review The Cornell Apologize.” Limited Government. Traditional Values. American First. American Volume XXVI, Issue 6 12 Pages: Free August 2008 A Wake-Up Call for Young What to Expect Conservatives ERIC SHIVE DR. JOSEPH SABIA FROM OUR ARCHIVE Dr. Joe Sabia delivered this Welcome to Cornell! You’ve evidently speech to members of the College believed enough of the propaganda in Republicans on September 2, the admissions brochure to shell out 2002. A transcript appears below. $120,000 to sit high above Cayuga’s waters for the next four years. Cornell As I begin my ninth year on University is a great institution with Cornell’s campus, I am still searching many opportunities for you to pursue; for answers to a question that has it’s also an absolute freak show with frustrated me during all these years. some of the biggest social misfits you’ll Why won’t conservatives—particularly ever meet outside of reality television. If young conservatives—confidently, you’re interested in politics or simply a loudly, and defiantly defend themselves casual observer of the political scene, be when slandered by Leftists? Each year prepared for a real experience. To help I look for new pieces to the puzzle to initiate you into the Cornell political explain why Republicans are content landscape, allow me to brutally dissect a to play political badminton while the few of its more common elements. other side is dropping nukes. These are the explanations I have come up with: Welcome, Class of 2012!. The Dirty Hippy irrational fear, narcissism, and plain, old- fashioned sloth. Let me try to dissuade don’t want to sit near you, Joe? her side of the argument, saying: Ithaca is a general receptacle for the you from falling into these traps. Wow, that really surprises me.” “You belong in the Ku Klux Klan.” refuse of the human race, most of which Many Republicans are That was his entire argument. I was Startled, Ken responded, “But consists of hippies. If you would like to scared that they will be called a racist. That’s it. He said this in front I’m Asian. The Klan would kill me.” observe these creatures in their natural “insensitive” or “evil” if they speak of several hundred students and got “Well,” she replied, habitat take a trip to the Ithaca Commons. up against political correctness. big applause for it. I mean, what is “you wish you were white.” The Commons sports a hemp store (or Look, people, trying to debate a liberal that? Saying “you’re a racist” is not an And there you go. This is how the what appears to be a hemp store), an is like arguing with a ten-year-old. These argument. It’s unconditional surrender Left argues. I beg you, do not be scared herbal tea cafe operated by a cult, a coffee people cannot form cogent arguments of any semblance of intellectual of these people. Get in there and mix shop decorated with pictures of ugly so they rattle off clichés, prattle on thought. Whenever someone calls me a it up. If you don’t have a thick skin, naked people, and various businesses about irrelevant minutia, and call you racist, a little bell goes off in my head get one. This nation was founded by employing a pierced and tattooed staff. names. You can’t be scared of these and I know I have won the argument. men who were willing to risk their On any given day heathens can be seen people; you have to challenge them. A Another example: When I was a lives, their fortunes, and their sacred writhing rhythmically to native music few examples of this from on campus: sophomore, a gentleman by the name honor for our liberty. The least we around the outdoor mall as white people Last year, I debated the president of of Ken Lee—who was the editor of a college kids can do is to speak out with dreadlocks dressed in potato-sack the Cornell Democrats on many of the campus conservative newspaper at the against Leftist drivel, even if it means clothing loiter about. Someone needs pressing issues facing the university. time and is a recent graduate of Harvard that our professors, administrators, or to remind them that State Street isn’t An audience member asked us what Law School—was standing with me fellow students will hate us for it. And Haight-Ashbury and that it’s 2006, not our views on race-based dormitories on Ho Plaza during a pro-affirmative honestly, if these people will really hate 1968. It’s time to move on. were. I answered first and stated that action rally. Ken and I began speaking you for expressing your point of view, Unfortunately, hippies do not confine I opposed race-based living centers about all of the reasons we opposed is their respect really worth having? themselves to the Commons. Some because they promoted de facto racial quotas—for instance, it is morally Just last week, a Leftist got angry venture into our campus for “awareness” segregation on campus, heightened wrong to judge individuals based upon with a chalking I did up on North rallies to fight The Man while others racial tensions, and institutionalized their skin color, it is dangerous to Campus. There was a picture of the actually happen to be students enrolled anti-American ideologies like black suggest that racial minorities cannot American flag along with President at the University. In the spring of 2005, nationalism and communism. I stated meet the same objective standards Bush’s famous quote, “You’re either a gaggle of greens decided that the that the situation on campus had as whites, it promotes a permanent with us or with the terrorists.” In creation of a beautiful new, much needed become so intolerable that even the victim-hood pathology, and so forth. response, she wrote a letter to the parking lot over some overgrown bushes lunch tables were racially segregated. Unbeknownst to us, a liberal in the Dean of Students demanding that this known as the Redbud Woods was a The president of the Cornell Democrats crowd overheard our conversation. organization be censored and that the disaster to be thwarted at all costs. This responded with the following statement: She turned to Ken—an American “You mean black students of Asian descent—and presented continued on page 8 continued on page 7 Inside This Issue Campus World Thought Page Four Page Six Page Nine Shameful neglect of historic Barton Last fall’s act of treason by Concealed carry on campus Hall revealed by Jordan Fabian’s Columbia University exposed stymied by the Student investigative journalism by Kent Haeger Assembly Page Two Page Eleven Page Ten Sustainability - the administration’s The secrets of Obama’s success Muslim inbreeding in Europe newest buzzword aimed at appeasing - revealed! unleashes a new, mutated the almighty Left threat? 2 August 2008 Five Great Reasons Not to be a “Closet” Conservative 5. The Cornell College A Freshman’s Antidote to Fear Republicans (CRs). For the less writing-inclined Class of 2012, welcome to aspiring active conservatives, the Cornell! I’m certain that many of Cornell CRs may be the answer. the conservatives among you have Ever an important part of campus heard myriad horror stories about politics, the CRs add to campus the monolithic liberal slant of the dialogue both in their presence at university’s student body and, school debates and in their actions indeed, the faculty. Most of them, I throughout the Cornell community. can assure you, are true to one extent Members of the CRs are always or another. Liberal and “far-left” present at political functions on students outnumber conservatives the campus and regional, and by an unhealthy three-to-one national levels—be it debates on margin, and the faculty ratio can topics from the Iraq war to stem only be guessed at (although one cell research (in which we face off poll in an earlier Review article had against the Cornell Democrats and it at about 26:1). Socialists), a Tompkins County Statistics like these can be gathering of area conservatives, or daunting, even terrifying to the the annual Conservative Political incoming Cornell conservative. Action Conference in Washington, It’s not easy to speak up and truly D.C., you can always find a number embrace a right-wing ideology in of the Cornell Republicans there. such an environment, and at first it Furthermore, we contribute to the seems much easier to suppress the campus and local communities urge to speak out against some of the both intellectually and otherwise— clearly outrageous things that you last year, Cornell’s conservative are certain to hear around campus community hosted several or in the Cornell Daily Sun. While speakers, including the National that may be a little less difficult, Review’s John Derbyshire and you really betray your personal columnist Robert Novak, and ethos by remaining silent. I know found other ways to help others, that making your views heard and such as collecting signatures for taken seriously might sound just a letter of encouragement to a Come on out. The campus left is all bark and no bite. this side of impossible, but it truly platoon of soldiers deployed in isn’t. Don’t believe me? Here are will see the biggest diversity 4. The Cornell Review and Iraq. We also make an impression five great reasons to be an active in the conservative movement. conservatism in print. on campus politics—CR President campus conservative.