Two months ago, a student journalist videoed a communications and journalism assistant professor, Melissa Click, at the University of Missouri, leading a protest against perceived microaggressions and racism, asking her acolyte students, “Hey, who wants to help me get this reporter out of here?  I need some muscle over here!”  The muscle was to be directed against another student, who, standing on his First Amendment constitutional rights, questioned her actions, refusing her imperial demands to leave.

After the video, with a close-up of her angry face, went viral, she smugly martyred herself the next day, offering an insincere apology along with her resignation as a courtesy instructor in the university's esteemed School of Journalism department, where she did little.  However she retained her lucrative position in the school's separate Department of Communications, where she is paid to spout her propaganda disguised as teaching.

As a result of the campus disturbance, the president and chancellor of the University of Missouri caved to the braying mob led by Click and another university employee, Janna Basler, who is assistant director of Greek life (as in fraternities and sororities; nothing to do with minority, er, ethnic, students of Greek heritage) and resigned.

And now, after a long winter break, the Missouri legislature, or at least the Republican legislators, have decided to act on behalf of their constituents, the taxpayers, who support the school and who send their children to the school for an education, not brainwashing.  They want Click and Basler fired.  And not by "muscle," but by law; not for microaggressions, but for failure to act properly.

More than 100 Missouri Republican lawmakers are calling for the firing of a University of Missouri assistant professor and a staff member who received nationwide attention after a video captured the two women attempting to intimidate student journalists at the site of a campus protest in November.

Eighteen state senators and more than 100 House members signed letters to top administrators of the University of Missouri System and its flagship campus in Columbia, charging communication assistant professor Melissa Click "failed to meet the obligations she has to her supervisors, fellow professors, University students, and the taxpayers of Missouri" when she called for "muscle" to help her remove a student journalist from the protest site. (snip)

"The fact that, as a professor teaching in the communication department and school of journalism, she displayed such a complete disregard for the First Amendment rights of reporters should be enough to question her competency and aptitude for her job," the lawmakers wrote. "It should be evident that these actions are inappropriate, illegal and unacceptable for a faculty member of the University of Missouri."

State Rep. Caleb Jones, a GOP lawmaker from Columbia, said that he and colleagues began gathering signatures last month but decided to make their effort public on Monday after gaining support from more than 100 lawmakers.

"It's imperative that the university act swiftly to remove her from her position," Jones said. (snip)

In the letter, the GOP lawmakers also raise questions about Click's research. According to a university bio, Click's "current research projects involve 50 Shades of Grey readers, the impact of social media in fans’ relationship with Lady Gaga, masculinity and male fans, messages about class and food in reality television programming, and messages about work in children's television programs."

"While we recognize there may be some value in pop culture studies, her behavior has the public questioning her 'research' and her unacceptable actions during the protests," the lawmakers wrote.

Well, these latter points are sure to turn Click and Basler into martyred heroes to the overwhelming liberal college faculties across the country, including the University of Missouri and even the Ivy League and other colleges across the country, even though they routinely shut down speech they find offensive, as with Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somalian-Dutch legislator speaking the truth about Islam or students, or even – gasp! – faculty daring to wear a sombrero on Halloween or other cultural misappropriations that offend the offensive.  Indeed, the university's new interim vice chancellor of inclusion, diversity, and equity (yes!), in opposition to the statement of the Missouri legislature, has royally ruled that “the First Amendment does not give people a free pass to go round saying hateful things.”

Meanwhile, perhaps Assistant Professor Click will value true diversity and learn something, as she has an up close and personal opportunity to research the impact of social media in taxpayers' relationship with those who blithely spend their money, masculinity and female taxpayers, and messages about taxpayer food and class in reality programming beyond television and messages about propaganda and work in children's television programming.  

I'm sure she'll receive enough (private) research grant money.