A university in south Texas has banned the “come and take it” chant and flag due to its association with “cultural and political issues beyond its traditional political context.”
University of Texas San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy made the announcement last week in an email sent to all faculty, staff, students, and alumni. While he doesn’t claim that the slogan is racist, a petition to have the slogan banned claims that it is “steeped in racist ideology and racist history.”
“It has carried those white supremacist beliefs from 1835 to today, and in that time has also been widely adopted by anti-government, pro-gun extremists, such as at the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol,” the petition reads.
Eighmy doesn’t make such broad claims. Instead, he justifies his decision by arguing that the slogan has been adopted by organizations that have “values and agendas” that differ from the school’s.
“In the time since it was last used at a home game on Nov. 23, 2019, the phrase has been adopted by organizations and movements across the political spectrum. A simple online search of webpages, articles and images involving this phrase reveals the myriad of ways numerous organizations have adopted it for their particular cause. Many of these organizations have values and agendas that differ significantly from ours and our clear focus on excellence in intercollegiate athletics and higher education,” he writes.
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The “Come and Take It” slogan originated during the Texas Revolution at the Battle of Gonzales. When Mexican dictator Santa Anna sent troops to retake a cannon he had given to the men at Gonzales to defend against Native Americans, Texas militiamen defeated the Mexican troops with the challenge to “come and take it.”
That battle marked the first victory for Texans during the revolution, which ended in Texas’s independence from Mexico.
More recently, the slogan has been adopted by Second Amendment groups as a challenge to unconstitutional gun control policies imposed by federal and state governments. Though President Eighmy claims a “simple online search” will reveal organizations that contradict the school’s “values and agendas,” a GunsAmerica investigation revealed only pro-gun groups on the first pages of a Google search.
If Eighmy is taken at his word, he’s suggesting that the school has taken a firm stance against gun rights.
SEE ALSO: Man Facing Felony Charges After Firearm Falls Out of Pocket During School Board Meeting
Not everyone in the UTSA bubble has supported the move—far from it. The UT System Board of Regents Chairman Kevin P. Eltife slammed the move in a statement published online.
“The Board of Regents does not support abandoning traditions and history that mean much to students alumni, and other Texans. I am very disappointed with this decision and will immediately ask our Board to establish policies that ensure that the governing body of the UT System will have the opportunity in the future to be consulted before important university traditions and observances are changed,” Eltife said.
Students have also begun flouting the new rule. At a recent game, attendees chanted “Come and Take It” and waves flags bearing the slogan.
Sound on 🔊 pic.twitter.com/ZcySu94jaO
— Malak Silmi (@MalakSilmi) September 12, 2021
The school has said it will not take action against fans who show up to the games with items that have the phrase on them or are chanting it, according to the San-Antonino Express News.
The phrase “Molon Labe” (come and take it) is much older than Texas settlers, but it has the same spirit.
What is racist about cherishing liberty and showing defiance to tyrants??? I’ll consider a honor to fight beside anyone who loves freedom I don’t what your color is!
And if your a true alien from another world I’ll show you how to use our weapons and welcome your comradeship.
Perhaps a new word is needed. I envision t-shirts that read ‘Kommentagit’ in bold lettering on the front. Should drive the university lefties nuts. Well, granted they’re mostly nuts already, but it would be fun to watch their rabid response to it.
Nice to know these supposed places of higher learning are so open minded to the thoughts of others. Can you ever see a time they would ban Black Lives Matter and their constant racist diatribes. Keep saying what you want and believe in, it’s called peaceful protest. Unlike the blm burn loot and murder fests that ensue. Don’t forget the free shopping those savages enjoy during their peaceful protests also.
Just one more academic, with his head up his liberal rear end. Pol Pot may have had the right idea for dealing with them.
Damn, we know that that pesky Second Amendment needs to be stopped so we can all be safe from criminals, but now that pesky First Amendment appears to also need to be limited to make other people feel safe!
A simple online search will show President Eighmy that the Democratic Party was pro-slavery and the party of Jim Crow and the KKK. Will he disassociate himself from the Dems?
All words will be racist, as long as idiots keep bowing to their demands. It will never end. Draft these cry babies and send them to the front line.
Since they erase history, guess it is time to make new history with them. MOLON LABE
Pseudo intellectuals/academics will never learn, never.
Ok, we’ll play……”Come and get it”. Feel better? The American spirit is completely (like totally…dude) unknown to those with petty power who are more concerned with tenure and political correctness than The Constitution. As is widely believed, “political correctness is intellectual fascism”.
More liberal rubbish!
and this MyEigh or Eighmy tiddly wink is ruling a Texas University and was not summarily fired and was also obviously hired…..
…..we need to fight back in all ways peacefully and reasonably, though more and more, and in pretty much all cases the real enemies of the People are indeed domestic and they are the violent source and too often rulers in power.
..fire this Mayeye and send him back to Canada—the always frozen part, or the hole from which he came, eigh??! WE MAY!
..This is non-violent and easily doable, and it certainly is not racist, it is a war against the leftist fascists who are the real racists as well. We need to start there, and especially against the schools who receive tax money—all the schools in every state. Fire these fascists now, before they pollute the minds of and indoctrinate any more of our children.
Home School your children in the meantime, and give refunds on our taxes that support un American schools.
We have to start fighting back now! It’s getting out of control every inch of our country, this leftism is encroaching more and more. We really have to start fighting now, like really fighting. Our forefathers would have by now
Keep saying it and keep flying it! Let’s cancel ‘cancel culture’ wherever it tries to take hold. Sue their a$$e$ otherwise – we have a right to free speech and those rights do not stop when feeling are hurt.
Texas is on the road to being the next California! Better wake up. Before you know it, the homelss will be permitted legally to piss, crap am steal from your business providing it’s under $900. You’ll be able to have sex with minors or knowingly give hiv/aids to someone. And you’ll be registered as an owner of an assault weapons owner if you have an AR15, even if you have all the dumb shark fins, approved length and it’s not full auto.Progressive politics at its finest! Stay asleep and watch what happens! They also will have compulsory medicines for your children! Even though government employees, illegal immigrants and welfare recipients are exempt! A lawless government, republicans included.
No one should ever be free to utter any words that have not been approved by the University Leadership. – F-ing Idiots
🥴 are you on drugs?
That’s sarcasm.
!835?!?!?! Uh, No. And race had nothing to do with it’s original use, but it DID have to do with one people exerting their will and rights against those that would trample them.
And now it’s happening again.
This isn’t the first time the Left has tried to take or stifle our rights as outlined in the 1st Amendment, and it won’t be the last.
Well as long as the board wants to upset tradition, perhaps tenure should be eliminated.
I live in Texas, have for more than 45 years now. And I say “Come and take it”. In other words “Come and get some”. All the big cities all over are liberal. It’s that “huddle” mentality. Strength in numbers only counts when you are armed and ready.
I used to live in Gonzales TX and have seen the battle grounds where that flag was flown and seen the cannon at the Gonzales museum. The town has a “come and take it “ celebration (Oct 1st – 3rd 2021) and I can’t help but wonder how long this Celebration and the history of “ come and take it” will continue until these “woke liberals” will tear it down as racist white supremacy and “cancel culture” such Texas and U.S. history. It has already began! History may have to repeat itself again!
“Racist” generally connotes whining Negroes, but in this case a few whining Hispanics have taken up the cry. Most Texas Hispanics are pleasant, some of the older generations are courtly in their manners, and a pleasure to be around. But punks come in all shades.
The point that should be recognized is that these people are not stupid. This is right out of the Marxist handbook. A significant part of communist revolution is that patriotic history must be destroyed to the point that the people have nothing to be proud of. These leftists have been waging war against America, it’s people, and it’s values for decades and they are winning.
The amount of stupidity shown these days by people who THINK they have authority over others is amazing.
SOOOO many SNOWFLAKES in Austin… there may be an AVALANCHE !!!
UT !!! … Pointy headed liberal professors… and administration…
This is the University of Texas at San Antonio. Not the University of Texas in Austin.
But I wouldn’t put it past them either.
I Guess You don’t have to Know History to be President of a University Today. Leftism has No Place in Education!
Just show up to all the games with “molon labe” hats….the idiot President has already said he won’t stop anyone🤣
Time for the students at the University of Texas San Antonio, to tell their administrators to go pack sand. They have every right to chant, “Come and take it” any bloody time they please. The students have the right historically, and they have a Constitutional Right to their chant. President Taylor Eighmy, can “Come and take it” if he dares. Too bad the Eighmy has a bad case of wokeism…it keeping him running to the john.
I wonder if they’re also doing the “F*=! Joe Biden” chant? And if so when he’s going to ban that?
The Board of Regents will “develop policies”… Here’s a thought; fire the idiot in who made your school look bad…
Or better yet, start hanging libtards from light posts until they get the message that REAL AMERICANS are pissed off at their actions and don’t give two sh!ts about their feelings.
-Have a nice day!
Is there anyone left on college campuses, that are not full blown crackheads. Seriously now, these people have severe mental problems. Like schizophrenia’s delirium they see something scary around every corner, and something sinister behind every saying, or symbol. These people must have very pathetic lives, almost to the point of being Agoraphobic. The boogie man is coming for them.
“Freedom Lodge” took down my Comment?
That’s what my search turns up to. The phrase dates back a lot farther than the Battle of Gonzales.
Just because it was appropriated by a group with racist ties, does not make the phrase racist.
I’ll bet chanting “Black Lives Matter” or “Fry The Pork” is probably OK in this Moron President’s world view.
Leftards are Mentally Ill.
” Those whom do not learn from history , are doomed to
repeat it . ”
Hyperbolic sensitivity yet again runs amok .
Yes, but why would you expect a university to teach history?
Reward him with empty seats.
No disrespect to Texas Militia men at Gonzales but wasn’t “Come and Take it” generally attributed to King
Leonidas Of Sparta?
I’ve done a quick internet search, because I have heard this also before, and yes, you are absolutely correct:
“The phrase “Come and Take It” dates back to King Leonidas I defying the Persian army to take his army’s weapons with the phrase “Molon labe” at the Battle of Thermopylae.”
https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/Texas-revolution-Come-and-Take-It-flag-Gonzales-13275757.php