US – Tuesday, February 9
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Published 02:16, November the 16th, 2009
 
 

You gotta be bleeping kidding me

So the University of Massachusetts worked overtime to protect the rights of a convicted terrorist to exercise his so-called First Amendment rights — rights I would argue that bomber Raymond Luc Levasseur relinquished when his group killed cops and blew up buildings — but if a kid utters the noise “Meep” in Danvers, it’s an immediate suspension. 

UMass Amherst offered this bomber $1,200 to spew his conspiracy theories, and was planning to go ahead with it until police organizations pressured the Department of Justice to call on the U.S. Parole Commission to rescind permission for Levasseur to travel from Waldo, Maine, to Massachusetts. In his place was his wife, who had the gall to whine about FBI agents plying her children with pizza when she and her husband were locked up for crimes against the country.

And she did that in front of Donna Lamonaco — whose husband Phil was shot dead by members of Levasseur’s group, the United Freedom Front, in 1981 — who was met by hundreds of cops to lead a peaceful demonstration outside of the so-called Colloquium on Social Change at the college Thursday night.

Levasseur’s group was responsible for roughly twenty bombings, including one at the Suffolk County Courthouse in Boston, and for the attempted murder of two Massachusetts state troopers. He was released from prison in 2004 after serving 18 years.

His attorney, Elizabeth Fink, said Thursday night, “Levasseur is brilliant. If he was here, he would have blown you away.” What an absurd remark, considering her client is a convicted bomber. Lamonaco saw it differently. “They were treating a terrorist as a hero,” she said. “The governor was going to let him educate college students at a public school, a guy who represents an organization that killed my husband.” 

Which brings us to the students at Danvers High School who are being subjected to suspension, even expulsion, for walking around the hallways uttering a word made famous by the Muppets. The word: Meep.

So the First Amendment rights of a terrorist are apparently more important than the First Amendment rights of a high school student.  The word Meep is apparently more dangerous than the rantings of a madman. All I can say to that is “What the bleep.”

Metro does not endorse the opinions of the author, or any opinions expressed on its pages. Opposing viewpoints are welcome. Please send 400-word submissions to letters@metro.us.

 
 
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MMMpod
The February MMMpod features conversation from Ozzy Osbourne. Michael Emerson from "Lost" tells us about his days enjoying punk rock in Boston. We also dig up an old interview from the late great Howard Zinn. We have a song from Delta Spirit and The Soft Pack, who tell us where they got their name.

 
 
Metro Life Panel