Posted on 02/02/2005 5:51:56 AM PST by mark1080
If you have been following some of the recent headlines, you may not have missed this one about Ward Churchill, a professor from the University of Colorado-Boulder who has written an article stating that the people that died on 9/11 are not "victims" and in fact they "deserve" what happened to them because they are a part of the destructive capitalist system.
His article, "Some People Push Back: On the Justice of Roosting Chickens" has sparked controversy in recent weeks.
To quote his article, he says that the hijackers on 9/11 have "given Americans a tiny dose of their own medicine," he says. "This might be seen as merely a matter of vengeance of retribution and, unquestionably, America has earned it."
The reason this even became a controversy was because some professors and administrators at Hamilton College (NY) invited him to speak, not on his indigenous/ethnic studies work, but instead on the subject of his article, that ultimately America is to blame for 9/11 and that the "victims" of 9/11 were not victims, but merely complacent Americans who were part of an evil capitalist system that is trying to impose its will on the rest of the world. According to Professor Churchill, the "victims" of 9/11 were either "military targets" (in reference to those that died at the Pentagon) or for those that died in the World Trade Center or on airplanes, "they were civilians of a sort. But innocent? Gimme a break."
His pending speech at Hamilton has drawn criticism from professors and students, including Matt Coppo, a sophomore whose father died in the World Trade Center attacks.
You be the judge. As of last check, Hamilton College still plans to hold the lecture, but has now made it a "panel" to get "other opinions". And, due to Bill O'Reilly and other outspoken voices, Dr. Churchill has now decided not to accept money.
While I respect his freedom of speech, I think at some point we cannot allow professors to hide behind the curtain of "academic freedom" and "freedom of speech." According to the First Amendment, the government cannot stop him from speaking, but that doesn't mean Hamilton College, or his own school, UC-Boulder, has to let him continue his hateful rhetoric. Nor, do we.
To voice your complaint to Hamilton College, you can contact them at: 315-859-4444 or e-mail the school's president Joan Hinde Stewart at jstewart@hamilton.edu
If you have any other comments on this topic, post them here at the ISI Forum
I pray for poetic justice for Professor Churchill.
hmm.. since he is also a part of american society, perhaps he feels guilty that somebody didn't drop a plane on him?
The headline is false, this is exactly how this dooshbag thinks...
Yes: Full-blown iambic-pentameter Shakespearean justice.
Since Dr. Churchill is now trying to impose his stupid theory on the rest of the world it is my hope that now he will get a taste of his own medicine.
First he should be out of a job, since no University needs a person with such an ignorant outlook . And a pop in the mouth wouldnt hurt him either.
""While I respect his freedom of speech, I think at some point we cannot allow professors to hide behind the curtain of "academic freedom" and "freedom of speech.""
From what I can see, Ethnic studies is not a discipline. It seems to be merely opinion. I had thought it was similar to anthropology, but it isn't.
I suppose anyone with the correct radical views and nonsensical statements can "create" a degree(?) program based on very sketchy ideas.
They always forget that their detractors also have the same freedom of speech which can impel others to gather in protest to mock and deride stupid statements on the part of liberal academics. The first amendment is only a shield against government restraint, not against detractors and mockery.
Well to start with ALL Corporate entities should stop donating money to CU. Especially his department. Alumni that are part of the evil Capitalist system should stop donating. And just for safety, the evil U.S Government (a republic, that promotes capitalism) should withdraw funding. I'm sure he will be happy to teach for free.
"they were civilians of a sort. But innocent? Gimme a break."
Ok, as an academic scholar, that's how he choses to prove his point? "GIMME A BREAK?" With such inescapable logic how can any ever expect to oppose him?
Of course the prof. will say he was merely speaking in the vernacular - dumbing down his speech for the benefit of the rest of us. Thanks, for the I-am-more-enlighten-than-you eye-opener there prof, now politely cram it up your arse.
Maybe it is modern finite evolutionism -study based upon observable differences resulting in subjective conclusion?
No, he gets paid by the tax-payers who make Capitalism work. He flaps his yack while on the government largesse. That makes him "a hack".
"civilians of sorts"? So those who worked in Windows of the World actually belonged to that para-military unit known as "bus boys".
Is a subjective conclusion valid?
Those 'lite' degree programs are all about generating revenue for the schools. They take in the less than stellar students, get tuition for 4,5,or 6 years and give them a diploma.
When I was in a Master's in Classics (Greek and Latin) program, the university started a BA in Classical Studies. You could do a four year program without ever learning Greek or Latin. We called it Classics Lite.
I knew that my degrees were largely irrelevant. That was what I liked about them. After coming back from the war, it was a great escape of intellectual fantasy. I was not ready to face the world when I first got back. This gave me some re-adjustment time. Some of us went to the Pine Barrens to escape, I went back 2500 years.
When I actually had to make a living, I went back to my technical trade that the Army had taught me. Still doing it too, after 36 years.
Dear President Stewart,
I have spent 22 years in education, including two graduate programs. I've been a college professor. And I've read theories of education, going back to Aristotle and Plato.
I know, and you should also, that all colleges and universities have a basic purpose of seeking truth. Since Hamilton College has violated that purpose for a more crabbed intent -- selling a political viewpoint that is non-factual, shall we say -- the failure has to begin in your office. Are you going to take steps to straighten out your institution? Or should your Board fire you and start over?
And you can forget your "free speech" apologetic. Unless you have a physics teacher who presents the flat Earth theory, for instance, your faculty does make distinctions between true and false in ideas presented.
No need to reply to me. The press will be watching Hamilton closely. Whether you get a clue, or get fired, will be a matter of public knowledge.
Sincerely,
Congressman Billybob [TWO different columns this week]
Click for latest, "Homer, Shakespeare, Pope, and George Bush"
You're right; my point was that he is very much a part of what he rails against and hates about the country he was born in, works in, and gives him his freedom and living.
"civilians of sorts"? - Ha! You mean those civilians who live and work in the big capitalist city to earn a good living for their families? As opposed to those who suckle on the State's teat while hiding behind a one-sided interpretation of the First Amendment. Oh, those civilians.
(my wife is a teacher, so please excuse this next swipe - it obviously doesn't apply universally:)
"Those who cannot do, teach."
I think we've found someone that this applies to.
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