Speech And Consequences

Over at Left2Right Gerald Dworkin has chimed in on the Ward Churchill situation: Academic Freedom

As you might expect from the title, Dworkin feels people are being too hard on poor ol' Churchill.

Here is the full text of the article that is causing so much controversy regarding Churchill's invitation to speak at Hamilton College. So far he has had to resign as chair of the Ethnic Studies department at Boulder and his speech has been cancelled because of "credible threats" of violence at Hamilton.

While some of the language is disgusting (little Eichmanns for those killed in the WTC) and some of the claims are bizarre (were the secretaries, janitors, fireman, waiters in the restaurants, stock clerks, etc. also part "technocratic corps at the very heart of America's global financial empire?) the main theses represent moral, political, and empirical claims about the cause of the attack, and its moral character. No faculty member should be dismissed because of such claims.

Welcome to the straw-man part of the argument! Criticizing Churchill and protesting his statements at Hamilton College is now equivalent to "dismissal." Now, some people, like myself, might wonder how Colorado hired him in the first place or might wonder if this is what the University is looking for in its "scholars." That, however, isn't the same as asking for him to be fired as such. Lord knows, if you fired Churchill for being the nut job that he is, you'd have to fire hundreds of other moonbats in universities and colleges across the country. What idiot would want to open that can of worms?

I've got a few comments over on the Left2Right site for anyone to check out. It should be an interesting debate.