"Silencing Conservatism": Column by my son Roger in the Dartmouth newspaper

As usual, Roger's column (available here) is at the top of the most read list. His column starts this way:

Having grown up in a college town that cast more votes for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader than for George Bush in the 2000 U.S. presidential election, I’m used to being something of a laughingstock for my conservative-leaning views. Nevertheless, it’s been an eye-opener to see my columns for The Dartmouth garner accusations of racism, calls for censorship and even the occasional personal attack such as, “Mr. Lott, I pity your future wife or husband.”

The upside of being a vocal conservative at Dartmouth is that being on the receiving end of intensive scrutiny inevitably improves your argumentation skills. The attacks made on my column criticizing the Orozco Murals (“Points in Perspective,” Nov. 10) caused me to recognize that I had been too overtly provocative, and the experience proved valuable in teaching me the importance of objectivity and dispassion. Many of my critics, however, would also benefit from learning to refrain from hostile, emotional arguments that detract from intellectual discourse.

Out of my columns, “Truly Color Blind” (March 7), received perhaps the most disturbing reactions. . . .