Yesterday, the Pope Center and The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education released a report
looking at the state of the First Amendment within the University of
North Carolina system. The report was released to the media during a
press conference held in the Legislative Building and has received a
fair amount of coverage from the local and state media.
Within a few hours after the press conference had concluded, The Associated Press sent its story
across the wires that included a comment from Leslie Winner, vice
president and general counsel for the UNC system, where she claimed the
report was a “clear case of smoke with no fire.”
Winner’s comment reminds me of a scene from one of my favorite movies, “Naked Gun.”
In case you’re not familiar with the movie, Leslie Nielsen plays the
part of Lt. Frank Drebin in the spoof film on police dramas. There is a
scene in the movie where Drebin, after causing yet another mess, is
telling the crowd that there is “nothing to see here,” while a fire
rages behind him. To say that the report is “a clear case of smoke and
mirrors,” is doing just what Drebin did in that scene. That is to
attempt to divert attention from one’s own messes and to get it focused
on something else.
Unfortunately for UNC, Winner’s comments are
not nearly as funny as those made in the movie. In this instance, the
situation is real as are the violations of the First Amendment found in
the report. It something the entire UNC system should take seriously.
