Providence College refuses to let Tom Tancredo speak, thanks to Bishop Thomas Tobin

Former U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo was planning to speak at Providence College in Rhode Island on Wednesday, but college officials denied the request (link). Instead, he'll be speaking at a VFW hall and in front of the college's gates.

One reason given for the rejection is that the group that invited him - Youth for Western Civilization (link) - is not accredited. However, they're actually open about the real reason:

Just as important, [PC spokeswoman Pat Vieira] said, were Bishop Thomas J. Tobin's views on immigration and how immigrants -- whether here legally or illegally -- should be treated, which contrast sharply with Tancredo's... "The Bishop of Providence ... is a member of the College's Board of Trustees," Vieira said in a written statement. "If a similar request to host a speaker on this topic is made in a future semester, the College will encourage and facilitate a format that allows for multiple points of view to be expressed."

The school - home to such notable alumni as Janeane Garofalo and Chris Dodd - is a private institution run by the Dominicans. The president's email isn't listed, but if you want to send a polite suggestion try bbartoli *at* providence.edu and chaberle *at* providence.edu.

Point out to them that Tancredo wants to treat illegal aliens better than Tobin. Tancredo wants them to return home and press for reforms in their own countries. Tobin is engaging in false compassion and what he supports would lead to even more people dying in the desert and a host of other negative impacts.

UPDATE: Tobin clarifies here that he had no role in preventing the appearance. "Nonetheless... Bishop Tobin fully supports the decision of the administration regarding this matter." He's being disingenuous: PC did what he wanted them to do; it wasn't necessary for him to take an active role. There's an after-action report here. At the PC gates, protesters wore multi-colored masks as a sign of their diversity, and then, after fifteen minutes of silence, turned their backs on him. At the VFW protest (link), they chanted "Tom Tancredo, out of our state, we don’t want your racist hate" and "racist, sexist, anti-gay, Tom Tancredo go away". (For those wondering, the average mental and emotional age of the protesters was 5 years old).

Mon, 04/27/2009 - 13:01 · · Importance: 4