- If Churchill was a blogger, an author, or a newpaper columnist, it would be a totally different thing. But as an educator in a position of power over inexperienced students, some of these extreme examples of behavior approach an intellectual version of harassment.

He probably is an author. But that doesn't address your point.

I could make a case for Fox News as an intellectual version of harassment, as their personalities are referenced daily without my ever having to seek them out. I have to look at O'Reilly's smirking mug on his book covers at work, and have no choice. I have to look at Ann Coulter calling me treasonous and traitorous on the covers of her books at work, and have no choice (except to quit). But no one on God's green Earth has to take another class from Prof. Churchill ever again, unless they freely register to do so.

No one is forcing anyone to take his courses. No one needs to be forbidden from taking them either. Let the students vote on registration days. They're old enough to vote in elections that decide far more consequential issues than whether Churchill will have an audience. Ignatius Loyola said, "Give me a boy when he's seven, and he's mine for life." He didn't say, "Give me a student at 18," because an 18-year-old's character is largely formed. These people are adults. They do adult things all the time; if they do wrong, they are punished like adults. We need to treat them that way in their intellectual lives as well.

- Just out of curiosity, are there any things a college professor might advocate to his students that you would say warranted his dismissal? Freedom of speech is not the same thing as a right to a job.

Payment for grades, in any form. Murder and other capital crimes.

There should be a public and effective board of appeal for students who believe their poor grades are the result of personal or ideological animosity rather than of poor scholarship. If a course is being taught which includes politically or religiously controversial materials, and the student opposes the professor with the consistent argument that boils down to "you're wrong because my mom/dad/pastor/president says you suck", without other scholarship to support the position, the student loses. Debate is the issue. Free debate is desireable. Professors need to be called on the carpet for squelching students based on personal opinion when ample work has been done by the student to demonstrate the validity of his position. Students need to be called on the carpet for claiming persecution because they disagree with established authority without wanting to make a credible, exhaustive case for their disagreement.

Professors who show a pattern of poor grades to students with whom they disagree, if these students have otherwise demonstrated effort in support of their dissenting positions consistent with the highest standards of academic excellence, must be dismissed. Such use of academic authority undermines free debate, which is the foundation of academic freedom.

- For the record, it isn't necessary, or even advisable to fire every extremist from teaching positions at universities. I find that a lot of good is done by simply exposing them.

Good! Why do you insist the extremists are all in charge?