"To those who have misused their free speech in such a reprehensible way, I have a message for you. You are disgraceful. You have violated all that we sand for. You should not have the privilege of calling yourselves "Sooners". Real Sooners are not racist. Real Sooners are not bigots. Real Sooners believe in equal opportunity. Real Sooners treat all people with respect. Real Sooners love each other take care of each other like family members.

"Effective immediately, all ties and affiliations between this University and the local SAE chapter are hereby severed. I direct that the house be closed and that members will remove their personal belongings from the house by midnight tomorrow. Those needing to make special arrangements for positions shall contact the Dean of Students.

"All of us will redouble our efforts to create the strongest sense of family and community. We vow that we will be an example to the entire country of how to deal with this issue. There must be a zero tolerance for racism everywhere in our nation.

President Boren"

My recent post Commemorating Selma's 'Bloody Sunday'

And yet, what could be more American than what happened in this place? …

What greater expression of faith in the American experiment than this, what greater form of patriotism is there than the belief that America is not yet finished, that we are strong enough to be self-critical, that each successive generation can look upon our imperfections and decide that it is in our power to remake this nation to more closely align with our highest ideals?

The American instinct that led these young men and women to pick up the torch and cross this bridge, that’s the same instinct that moved patriots to choose revolution over tyranny….

It’s the idea held by generations of citizens who believed that America is a constant work in progress; who believed that loving this country requires more than singing its praises or avoiding uncomfortable truths. It requires the occasional disruption, the willingness to speak out for what is right, to shake up the status quo. That’s America. That’s what makes us unique. [….]

I commend ALL the students at the University of Oklahoma who gathered together in a pre-dawn rally on campus, just hours after a SAE investigation confirmed the contents of the video and announced the closing of their local chapter.

H/T: TheGrio.com

The University President, however, who also attended the rally gets no such recognition from me. As I see it, those students who took part in that Racist chant did NOT appear to be the least bit worried about engaging in such disgusting behavior. On the contrary, they appeared to be quite comfortable, as if it is quite a common thing in the cultural environment at the University of Oklahoma. The only difference is….this time their actions were video-taped and posted online by someone for ALL the world to see.