I may be wrong, but Ward Churchill is not our world's biggest problem

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

I don't want to defend him, I don't want to attack him. Too many bigger fish that need frying. Was he a brilliant, visionary sage for making the comments in his 9/11 essay or a fucking idiot?

Is it true that "to be great is to be misunderstood," and that Churchill's essay was "misunderstood," so by default he is GREAT?

Probably not.

I don't have time to be Ward Churchill's judge and jury, and yeah...he has the right to free speech. Let's just say that, put this little spectacle behind us, and get on with more important things.

He's becoming another "Diversionary Poster Boy" for people like Joe "They Found My Intern Dead In My Office" Scarborough, who would rather put Churchill and his fellow "Radical college professors" on notice that "anti-American views will no longer go unchallenged if a liberal arts professor mutters the words “academic freedom.”"

So Scarborough and Hannity and Limbaugh and etc. etc. etc. attack Ward Churchill, and Ward Churchill writes a book about "the experience," and takes the cash and retires to Costa Rica. God Bless America. We've seen it happen before. Al Franken sold a buttload of "Lies" because O'Reilly stamped his little feet and cried like a baby. Now Scarborough's the one who's crying.

Please, for CHRIST'S SAKE...we have better things to do than make Ward Churchill a fucking ROCK STAR.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6330851/



Radical college professors are finally being put on notice by middle America that anti-American views will no longer go unchallenged if a liberal arts professor mutters the words “academic freedom.”

But the question is whether our elected officials will have the guts to do anything about it.

For years, Americans have been led to believe that campus radicalism was confirmed to Ivy League institutions and left wing enclaves like Cal Berkeley. But the firestorm that has erupted over professor Ward Churchill’s anti-American 9/11 screed has proven what college students have known for years: That colleges in middle America have long been led by left-wing leaders who are radical by any measure when it comes to politics, culture, and faith. I loved my years at the University of Alabama, but my college professors were almost to politically left of center. And that was in the reddest of all states.

Don’t get me wrong. I learned a great deal by having professors who attacked Ronald Reagan as a dangerous war-monger, who questioned my religious faith, and who openly mocked my family’s middle American values. There were a few notable exceptions, but only one or two. So the question you need to ask yourself is this: Why are my elected officials using my taxes to promote values that are radically opposed to my own views?

[crispini]

1. There is only one answer to Scaryborough and his ilk:

"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." -- Voltaire.

And yeah, you're right, this whole Churchill thing is a tempest in a teakettle, but don't you see what they're doing? They're using it to foster their "I'm so persecuted, whaa whaa whaa, look at me!" mindset. The honest truth is that Conservatives these days need to be persecuted and feel like the underdog (even though, helloooo, they control the entire government AND THE MEDIA) and so they will keep setting up straw men (like Churchill) to tilt at.

This is why we need to get the media back. These stupid blowhard commentators like Scarborough do need to be answered, but they need to be answered on their underlying motivations: They're whining because they have to be the victim!

[izzie]

2. Running a country on 'faith' seems to be our problem

With no reason we became a 'Middle Age' country. Lets start with getting ride of the cats.

[mdhunter]

3. Notice the word "screed" is only used if preceeded by "anti-American"

No editorial comment intended, just something I've noticed.

[randr]

4. How these self righteous assholes love to get

down on academia.
I remember the comments made by Prince Bandar following the 9/11 attacks as being far more critical of America. I have looked for the article from 9/12/01 and can not find it. Maybe someone has it archived and would like to post it.
As I remember the article, Bandar essentially accused Americans of being naive and out of touch with the "real world". The gist of his comments implied that we deserved to be hit. His statements were not far from the Falwell attacks that directly blamed Americans for the attacks.
No freepers attacked Bandar at the time for his very inappropriate and untimely interjection into our business. Falwell was not as vehemently castigated as Prof. Churchill is now for what were far worse attacks on American values.
Anyone who thinks Prof. Churchill is "unamerican" while ignoring the current administrations' dismissal of Saudi involvement in the 9/11 attack should be ashamed.