This is really nice, thank you very much, Jewelnel. Never mind that I am on a Greyhound bus from Boston, approaching NYC, coming to NY with the sole purpose of attending the event, and by chance decided to check my e-mail on my mobile phone PDA, which I hardly ever do. Who needs advance notice anyway, right?

I wonder what prompted you to suddenly change the attendance policy? I mean, I have signed up well in advance (prior notice, hint-hint), got the confirmation on time (hint-hint), and left Boston on time, having spent $50 for the roundtrip ticket.

It couldn't be due to political correctness, could it? I mean, you wouldn't be afraid of some outsiders coming to the event from afar so as to get educated, enlightened, and inspired, right?

This, dear Jewelnel, smells of a scandal. Which you are about to have, on account of this cancellation, as well as for quite a few other reasons. Your decision is outrageous, unfair, inconsiderate, undemocratic, anti-intellectual, anti-academic, frivolous, gratuitous, etc. Oh, wait, I forgot -- did I mention it was also highly untimely? This decision flies in the face of the First Amendment and everything else that makes this country great.

It's not as if Columbia U. didn't have enough scandals already, especially lately. So what's another scandal? No sweat of Columbia's back, right?

Well, we'll see about that last one, won't we? I hope you have good legal in-house counsel, for you have just made a whole lot of people quite unhappy. I am sure the reporters will have a field day once again. Enter the press ...

Unbelievable ...

Seva Brodsky
Somerville, MA

The Columbia U College Republicans are urging people to complain to the administration about the Shoebat event.

Someone on my email list in NYC, who had RSVPed and was planning to go, reminds us:

The same thing happened a few months ago at NYU. An NYU club was showing the Mohammed cartoons. At the very last minute attendance was restricted to students and employees.

We blogged this at the time. NYU backed down after receiving a threatening letter from the Islamic Center at NYU. Subsequently it came to light that British journalist and jihadi convert Yvonne Ridley had reached across the ocean to encourage the student Muslim group (scroll down).

FIRE reported on the NYU controversy:

While the event was held, with what students called their largest crowd ever, NYU did not allow the cartoons to be shown—nor were all of the off-campus guests even allowed in. . . . . the students were allowed to admit only 75 of the approximately 150 off-campus guests who had registered. Stephan Walker, the vice president of the Objectivist Club, confirmed to FIRE that even several members of the media had to be turned away. Later, Lukianoff and a blogger both observed a student being forced to remove a shirt depicting one of the cartoons. Finally, following through on plans divulged in an e-mail in FIRE’s possession, members of the Bengali Student Association apparently obtained and then ripped up many of the student tickets for the event. Walker has a bag of these torn-up tickets.

Was Columbia U threatened? Or was the decision just based on fear that out-of-control protestors would give Columbia another black eye? Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Mary Madigan didn't get the email and called me from 116th St wondering where everyone was. I told her the bad news, and she said she would hang out anyway and see what happened. She called me back to report an impromptu protest outside the hall, and she's taking pictures. Check back later at her blog for a report.

(Mary is also an intrument-rated pilot and I look forward to hear what she has to say about today's fatal air crash in Manhattan.)

UPDATE: Another friend emails "reply all" in response to Seva:

Make sure you complain to the Earl Hall Chaplain. That's her name on our e-mails. Google her. According to Columbia Republicans this was NOT their doing; they are victims of this deceit as well. Columbia must be exposed to the press for this as well as this Chaplain who clearly hold a great deal of power. She shut this event down. I just came from the campus. I wanted to witness the situation. Their big lie is that this is a student event and it was a mistake to open it up to the public. Odd how they couldn't figure that out until after 5 PM today.

Mary just arrived at my apartment from the event and confirms that the University spokeswoman was telling people that the event was just supposed to be for students and that the College Republicans shouldn't have invited outsiders. If you read the email Mara posted earlier it is clear that the decision was made to simply disinvite a large group of people at the last minute. If the College Republicans were in violation of some policy, the email would have mentioned that to CYA.

Mary is sitting here drinking tea and drying out from a heavy rainfall, and says that she witnessed someone (with a yarmulke on) try to get in who had a Columbia ID, but it was an old one. "I got my master's degree here!" he said, but they still didn't let him in. A large tall guy with a big white beard yelled that he had come all the way from Harrisburg PA on the bus to hear Shoebat. They didn't let him in. He thundered, "Have you no honor!!" I assume Seva had arrived from Port Authority Bus Terminal, but Mary didn't recognize him. Maybe he will send another email from his PDA. (Mary took video and will post when she gets home.)

More from previous friend who emailed:

I just came from Columbia. . . . . We have to make a push on this because none of this is what they are going to spin which seems to be: This was a student event and all outside guests were a mistake. But, they couldn't figure that out until 5 PM today? We saw some very odd behavior this evening that doesn't even fit the new criteria for admittance that was substituted after our reservations were cancelled. I witnessed them refusing entry to four guests of Walid Shoebat's. He even came to the door and tried to get them in but the Columbia Nazis said NO!! So much for getting in if you knew one of the speakers. I also, watched them turn people away who had Columbia ID (adults) so that was bogus as well that an ID would get you in.

(Mary says this friend was shouting "Hail Columbia!" and making a seig heil.)

I am enjoying the impromptu email list created by Seva's outraged "reply all." Ross Brand is soliciting comments at The Daily Infidel, so further responses may end up there.

UPDATE: Solomonia says the event may have been intentionally sabotaged to make it look like Shoebat couldn't draw a crowd. Nice try, guys. You have no idea what you are dealing with.

UPDATE: Seva continues to email as his Greyhound bus wends its way in the rain back to Boston.

UPDATE: Mary's pix and video are now online. The video of the doorkeeper lady made me laugh. Poor lady. I think she didn't want to open the door because she was afraid they would rush the door like the anti-Minutemen protestors rushed the stage last week. Maybe they would have - looks like people were getting mighty frustrated out there.

UPDATE: One last email from Seva in which he attempts to engage Columbia U's self-respect. I searched our archives for many additional examples of Columbia shooting itself in the foot and added them to that post.