A Vigilant Champion of Freedom

Fire of Liberty

While most elite colleges throughout the country will more than likely invite some of America's prominent leftists and supporters/apologists for some of the vile dictators of the world (Castro, Mugabe, Chavez, Assad, Mao, Che and various others of the left) to speak to their graduating classes, there's also some colleges that have decided to honor individuals that fight the good fight against such individuals. One college that seems to be going against the tide is Columbia University which invited Cuba's Oswaldo Payá (A Human Rights activist whose sitting in a Cuban jail for standing against Castro) to receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and speak before the class. Now while Paya couldn't attend the ceremony, the Wall Street Journal has a good piece out today that provides some details on what Columbia's President had to say about Payá and his brave stand against Castro. Here's a sample:
Instead, as the university community looked on, Columbia's President Lee Bollinger read the citation that Mr. Payá would have heard:

"Engineer, journalist, activist, tireless campaigner for human rights and advocate for the people of Cuba, you represent the aspirations of millions around the world yearning for freedom and democracy. Based on the Cuban constitution itself, your Varela Project -- a peaceful civic initiative to gather signatures across Cuba for the establishment of a free and democratic citizenry -- is a model of civic activism. At great personal sacrifice and despite nearly constant surveillance and harassment, you have remained committed to nonviolent dissidence and political change. . . ."

Someday, Mr. Payá hopes to receive his award in person. But he was there in spirit yesterday. And, he suggested in a letter to Mr. Bollinger, so were "all of my colleagues who are now in prison for defending the rights of Cubans, and all those in Cuba who struggle peacefully for democracy, reconciliation and the guarantee of the rights of all people. . . .

"Always under repression, but with the participation of brave citizens, we manage to define our own path of peaceful change toward a rule of law, justice and democracy," Mr. Payá's letter continued. "Friends of the University of Columbia, thank you for increasing the hope of freedom and justice."

So three cheers to the folks at Columbia University. Here's hoping other schools will also follow suit.