4/19/02: Obama, Ayers & Dohrn spoke at Chicago conference "Intellectuals: Who Needs Them?"

Univ Illinois Chicago ^ | April 2002 | UIC

[cgk]

Intellectuals: Who Needs Them?

A public gathering
sponsored by
The Center for Public Intellectuals
&
the University of Illinois-Chicago

April 19^th-20^th, 2002

Chicago Illini Union

828 S. Wolcott

 

This conference is part of the Center's mission of helping to create a more engaged civil society, working towards social change, fostering coalitions between theorists and activists, and combating anti-intellectualism in contemporary culture. It will be both a celebration of ideas and a rigorous examination of the roles and responsibilities that intellectuals play in society. We will engage the public in the following ways: Lively panel discussions that encourage public discussions and debates Breakout sessions that include activist tours of the Chicago area and innovative collaborative projects in diverse Chicago neighborhoods A working breakfast session that will be a chance to learn about exciting scholar-activist projects in Chicago and network with one another for future collaborations A "mini-conference" on the ways that intellectuals intervene in the critically important topic of genetic ethics. The participants will draw from many different kinds of intellectual work, including journalism, activism, academics, public policy, business, and the arts. The Center for Public Intellectuals is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) educational organization that fosters intellectual curiosity in the Chicago area. We build bridges between the city's intellectuals and the general public and facilitate collaborative partnerships between people that might otherwise not meet in order to work towards social change. One particular focus is on strengthening the ties between the city's higher education institutions and its surrounding communities. Please click here to register. For further information, please call 312.413.2518.

Dr. Patricia Williams Keynote Speaker Friday, April 19th, 6:00 Harold Washington Library Center (Wintergarden) 400 S. State St. Free and open to the public! Co-sponsored by the Chicago Public Library. Interdisciplinary legal scholar, public intellectual, and MacArthur "genius" award-winner, Williams is the author of Seeing a Color-Blind Future: The Paradox of Race. Conference Schedule April 19th 2:00-3:30 p.m., Chicago Illini Union, 828 S. Wolcott Conference Registration 3:30-5:00 p.m. I. Why Do Ideas Matter? (a keynote panel) We introduce the “meta” theme of the conference by hearing “success stories” from diverse voices discussing their experiences intervening intellectually. Timuel Black, Chicago activist; Prof. Emeritus, City Colleges of Chicago Lonnie Bunch, President, Chicago Historical Society Bernardine Dohrn, Northwestern University Law School, Children and Family Justice Center Gerald Graff, UIC, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Richard Rorty, Stanford University, Philosophy 6:00 p.m. Patricia Williams (Columbia University Law School) Harold Washington Library Center 7:30 p.m. Dinner for Patricia Williams and Conference Presenters Saturday, April 20th 9:00-11:00 a.m. I. Working Breakfast This session brings together people taking on important social problems in theory and in practice. They will gather according to interest, such as "housing," "poverty," "human rights," and "education," to teach each other to create new collaborative networks. All are invited to participate. Guest participants will include: Arvis Averette (housing issues) Jim Duignan (DePaul, Stockyard Institute) Stevan Weine (UIC Psychiatry, refugees and survivors of terrorism) and others 11:15-2:00 p.m. III. Lunch and Public Encounters Alternative breakout tours led by Chicago activists. Tours of Bronzeville and other communities, and visits to organizations that are working on partnering theorists with activists. 2:15-3:45 p.m. IV. Intellectuals in Times of Crisis Experiences and applications of intellectual work in urgent situations. William Ayers, UIC, College of Education; author of Fugitive Days Douglass Cassel, Northwestern University, Center for International Human Rights Cathy Cohen, University of Chicago, Political Science Salim Muwakkil, Chicago Tribune; In These Times Barack Obama, Illinois State Senator Barbara Ransby, UIC, African-American Studies (moderator) 4:00-6:00 p.m. V. “Mini-Conference” on Genetics and Ethics: a special topic panel that acts like a test case of public intellectual work. Lori Andrews, Chicago-Kent College of Law Rex Chisholm, Northwestern University, Center for Genetic Medicine Eduardo Kac, School of the Art Institute of Chicago Martha Nussbaum, University of Chicago, Law and Philosophy Dorothy Roberts, Northwestern University, Law Arnold Eiser, University of Illinois at Chicago, General Internal Medicine (moderator) 6:00-6:45 p.m. End of conference reception.

Partially funded by the Illinois Humanities Council

 

 

[cgk]

Saturday, April 19th, 3:30pm-5pm: Bernardine Dorhn spoke as a member of the Keynote panel "Why do Ideas Matter?"

Sunday, April 20th, 2:15-3:45pm: William Ayers & Barack Obama speak as members of the panel "Intellectuals in Times of Crisis"

Seven months after 9/11. Seven months after William Ayers posed for photos dancing a jig & stomping on the American flag & made his now-notorious comments 'I don't regret setting bombs,'' Bill Ayers said. ''I feel we didn't do enough.''

William Ayers and Bernardine Dorhn are well-known violent radicals who were welcomed into the "intellectual" circle of Chicago & embraced by that community for their very radical view, especially those espousing revolution in education. Ayers, co-founder with Dorhn of the Weatherman Underground terrorist group was not just a speaker at this conference.
According to a letter written by Professor of Education & Scholar William H Schubert "The Bill Ayers I Know" and posted 10/11/08 on former SDS member & ex-head of the American Communist Party Michael Klonsky's blog: Ayers was one of the founding members of the board for the event's sponsor "The Center for Public Intellectuals", which later changed its name to "The Public Square".

Maoist Michael Klonsky's personal blog used to be posted on Barack Obama's own campaign website here until it was scrubbed.

Screen grab by Caosblog:

Klonsky himself was hand-picked by Ayers to run his Small Schools Workshop as a part of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge that Obama chaired. Klonsky's previous experience had been as a taxi driver in Florida and a distinguised and welcome guest to state dinners in Communist China.

More details reveal that Obama & Dohrn spoke on a previous UIC panel together in 1997 called "Should a child ever be called a 'Super' predator?".

---

...The interviewer told Ayers that we would just like to hear him say, "We were young. We made some mistakes. And we're sorry."

Ayers replied, "We were young... we made some mistakes...", and then he and Dohrn both laughingly said, "And we'd do it again!" Then they tossed in the comment that they wish they had done more.

"You don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows

[cgk]

Parts I, II & III of A Chicago Story by wptg on YouTube:

Part I: The lowdown on ACORN

Part II: The lowdown on the Weathermen (William Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn)

Part III: Barack Obama, William Ayers & ACORN

[tobyhill]

This is huge. Obama and Ayers were more than passing acquaintances.

[cripplecreek]

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.

Don’t think Hitler, think Pol Pot.

[PeterFinn]

The MSM won’t care.

[cgk]

What intellectuals would do if they were in control:
Ayers' Weathermen planned "re-education", genocide .

Full 6 part video series can be viewed as a playlist here, courtesy of Seahorse1776.

[Yaelle]

Good catch.

I guess it was a panel of random guys from the neighborhood.

Who is going to spread this fact around, along with the 3 years of having their offices on the same floor of a small building???

[cgk]

This conference was held 7 months after 9/11 and on the 7th anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

What kinds of crises do you think the intellectuals Ayers & Obama discussed on their ‘Intellectuals in Times of Crisis’ panel?

[ncfool]

AMERICAN’S ARE SO GULIBLE! THEY WILL BUY MY STORY……. Who is Bill Ayers? Never heard of him.. Nope Never Ever!

[visualops]

BUMP

[Defiant]

So they were celebrating Hitler’s birthday together.

[ikka]

Stevan Weine (UIC Psychiatry, refugees and survivors of terrorism)

Did he talk to Dohrn and Ayers' victims to ask them? Or was it all about the unfortunate, peace-loving Palestinians and Libyans?

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

It was a weekend event. They got to celebrate Hitler and Lenin’s birthdays.

I’m sure there were cake and party hats.

[CottonBall]

The MSM won’t care.

No, but many voters will. Obama out and out lied in the 3rd debate saying their only association was on whatever committee it was. Now, Obama highly praised Ayer's book AND they were together once again giving speeches. Out and out lies don't set well with Joe Public. (or is that Joe the Plumber?)

[According2RecentPollsAirIsGood]

Center for Public Intellectuals, eh?

My favorite saying (which I’m proud to have come up with myself) is:

Don’t confuse someone intelligence with intellectualism.

Intelligence is something you can see and often measure. It comes through on its own. Your typical intellectual as we see them nowadays defines himself/herself as better, smarter, more brilliant than everyone else. They force you to accept their “greatness” whether it’s true or not.

[According2RecentPollsAirIsGood]

*-someone

[cdga5for4]

Bombard Drudge with this thing. Make him run it...ask for sirens.

[impeachedrapist]

You're bring up something from 6 1/2 years ago?

RACIST!!!!

:-p

[AuntB]

BTT!

[Son House]

Øbama prefers to play hide-n-seek behind the Ayers relationship, to exposing what his relation to Dohrn is