Freedom of Speech Lost at UT

I am disappointed in the University of Tennessee for succumbing to political bullying and pulling the above novelty item from the campus bookstore.  Because someone got offended.

UT officials pulled the mints poking fun at Obama from store shelves after state Rep. Joe Armstrong, a Democrat, visited the bookstore and told the director he found the satirical mints offensive. 

"When you operate on state and federal dollars, you ought to be sensitive to those type of politically specific products," Armstrong said. "If it was a private entity or corporation or store, (that's different), but this is a state university. We certainly don't want in any way to put the university in a bad light by having those political (products), particularly aimed at defaming the president."

No, Armstrong, we want a university to promote freedom of speech, to be a forum for the exchange of ideas.  Evidently, if it doesn't jibe with yours, they are verboten.

Defamation?  Perhaps, perhaps if the mints suggested a lack of ethics, that might qualify for defamation.  But the expression of an opinion - in this case, that the promised change of Obama's 2008 campaign has not materialized - is definitely not defamation.

The store previously carried satirical mints aimed at former President George W. Bush when he was in office.

"We've never had any complaints before and we've carried them for years," Kent said.

Thought so.

Sadly, maybe it is time for UT to turn its school colors to yellow.