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This Speakout has not been edited.

By Andrew H. Dral

As an alumnus of the University of Colorado, receiving my MBA in 1989, I am very troubled by the witch hunt conducted by University of Colorado President Hank Brown and the Colorado Board of Regents against Ethnic Studies Professor Ward Churchill. Clearly, from the timing, Ward Churchill was removed for referring to the victims of 9/11 as “little Eichmanns.” Hank Brown’s July 26, 2007 Wall Street Journal article is a fine display of hypocritical nationalism, in the world of Hank Brown and his minions dissent against the government has no place. Ward Churchill’s rhetorical point was the United States (US) is not always on the side of justice, virtue, or liberty, and in many instances our government — driven by corporate greed — perpetrates genocide, human rights violations, and war crimes.

The nineteen hijackers of 9/11, 15 of them Saudis, had a well defined negative view of the US, equating the US with medieval Saudi monarchist oppression.

The monarchy is the perfect example of totalitarian oppression of its people.

US administrations have had a long history of disgraceful Saudi quid-pro-quo.

The Bush administration and family have shown much more disregard for bringing freedom to the people of Saudi Arabia than most. Bush has admitted economics trumps torture, civil rights, or human rights. It’s no wonder that roughly half the captured foreign fighters in Iraq are Saudis. Saudi oppression will only be made worse and our reputation more damaged when the US delivers $20B in arms sales to the oppressive Saudi regime, so the monarchists can further repress its people under authoritarian medieval rule. Hank Brown and the Regents have done much harm to the University’s reputation by squelching academic freedom, making sure unconventional thought — often the truth — never sees the light of day.

Talking about taking responsibility for errors, when will the US fess up to the great genocide perpetrated against the American Indian. Who were the 20 academics which found a pattern of misconduct? The same academics that condoned the massacre at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, which resulted in at least 18 medals of honor for the 7th Cavalry for gunning down a few hundred innocent women and children by Gatling Gun. Maybe these were the same academics that discount the atrocity committed in 1830 by President Andy Jackson against the Cherokee Nation, the Trail of Tears death march that resulted in thousands of Cherokee deaths.

Most likely these are the same academics that would support Israel right or wrong, as it continues to perpetrate both the economic and carnal genocide of its Arab neighbors. For these academics the Lebanese massacre orchestrated by Ariel Sharon at Sabra and Shatila never occurred. These same academics probably discount the 3 to 1 kill ratio of Palestinians to Israelis, since the September 2000 Intifada began. How about the invasion in 2006 of Lebanon and the 10 to 1 kill ratio admitted by an Israeli general as a goal? The colonization of the West Bank, amorphous Israeli border, building of the Apartheid wall, building of an Intel plant on Palestinian land, and the oppression of Palestinians and Lebanese continues with a wink and nod from the US. In Iran, during the early 1950s Kermit Roosevelt never perpetrated the downfall of a freely, democratically elected Mohammad Mossadegh, but of course, there was no reason to blame the US for the atrocities committed by the Shah of Iran through SAVAK.

To these same academics the killing of 3 million Asians never occurred during the Vietnam War, No Gun Ri the killing hundreds of women and children in South Korea was an aberration, so was My Lai in Vietnam and of course Fallujah in Iraq. After No Gun Ri the US military knew there would be no penalty for gunning down hundreds of unarmed civilians during war time. Or better yet, the carnage is justified by US interests. The assassination of pro-football player Pat Tillman by his own comrades had nothing to do with his atheism or free thinking view against Bush’s war of imperialism in Iraq, it was, of course, purely friendly fire.

To these same academics in the American South the 1898 massacre in Wilmington, North Carolina by white supremacists never occurred, neither did the genocide in Rosewood, Florida in 1922. How about the 1955 murder of Emmett Till in Mississippi? Maybe slavery never occurred nor did the turn of the century lynchings? Just footnotes in the white man’s history books. Recent investigations and commissions have rewritten prior notions of these events.

In South America these academics condone military aid to the Nicaraguan contras to be used against poor peasants and workers fighting for a government that represents their interests, not that of the US. Throwing Catholic priests, nuns, and Nicaraguan peasants out of helicopters had absolutely no connection to the US or John Negroponte’s School of the Americas. The assassinations of Panama’s Omar Torrijos, Ecuador’s Jaime Roldos, Guatemala’s Jacob Arbenz, and Chile’s Salvador Allende, all legally and duly elected in free and fair democratic elections, had nothing to do with the jackals on contract to the CIA.

The coup-detat to depose Hugo Chavez, the democratically elected president of Venezuela, had nothing to do with the US, even though the US quickly recognized the coup leaders as legitimate.

Who is in denial at the University Colorado? Unfortunately, history has new twists and turns, the powerful interests of the day will distort and obfuscate the truth for their own ruthless ends. Academics must have the freedom to question history, the writers of history, and the current powers of the day unencumbered, so the truth finally wins. The massive hate against the US by various people around the world is clear, legitimate, palpable, and understandable.

Hank Brown and his Regents don’t get it and may never get it. Ward Churchill gets it. Hank Brown and the Regents have harmed academic freedom and the first amendment, sending a chilling message to those who question conventional thought that may later be found baseless in truth, but just the propaganda of the day.
Hitler sent the same message to the citizenry of Germany by executing Sophie Scholl of the White Rose Society for distributing pamphlets against Germany’s role and atrocities committed in World War II at the University of Munich.

How much different is this from what Hank Brown and his Regents have orchestrated? Both methods get the job done, snuff out the truth by killing the messenger. If anyone should be removed from the university, it should be President Hank Brown and his Board of Regents.

Andrew H. Dral is a resident of Wayne, N.J.

READER COMMENTS

One night, Archie the Cockroach went into the kitchen and turned on the light. The homeowner awoke, and, wondering why the light was on, went to the kitchen, where he saw Archie.
Now, Archie can shout all he wants about how light is Good, and it is his Right, but the fact remains that if you are a cockroach and you call attention to yourself, you'd better be prepared to prove you are a butterfly.
Ward Churchill turned on the light. Light is good. It drew attention to fraud, bullying, lying, theft of intellectual property ,and plagiarism.
Mr. Dral conveniently uses the debating technique of drawing attention away from the subject. Are we sure he did not have a minor in Poli Sci? He offers no evidence that Ward is not a cockroach.
Cockroaches get swatted.Mr. Dral can go sulk in the dark.

If Mr. Dral is hoping to come across as an unbiased judge because of his degree from CU, then the story is not properly referenced. A simple Google search reveals that Mr. Dral is an outspoken critic of corporate greed. Giving his track record, is he sympathizing with Churchill because he believes in free speech or because he shares a personal vendetta against corporate America? Unlike Mr. Churchill I believe it is crucial to check your source.

that isreal kills palestinians is true as true as the palestinian freedom fighters that bomb buses of old folksand kids-send over those nasty little rockets -if they could get that 10-1 ratio of the hamas and other terrorist crews the middle east would prosper and every one would be happy except of course the terrorists. fatahs long time darling arafat was the biggest one of them all.vietnam was a sad story but how about after we left and the real killing began .where was your outrage then?i saw where the last couple of guys in pol pots gang finally are coming to trail.
sir you and ward should form your own little country and invite all your friends maybe hugo would give you some land.goodbye.

that isreal kills palestinians is true as true as the palestinian freedom fighters that bomb buses of old folks and kids-send over those nasty little rockets -if they could get that 10-1 ratio of the hamas and other terrorist crews the middle east would prosper and every one would be happy except of course the terrorists. fatahs long time darling arafat was the biggest one of them all.vietnam was a sad story but how about after we left and the real killing began .where was your outrage then?i saw where the last couple of guys in pol pots gang finally are coming to trail.
sir you and ward should form your own little country and invite all your friends maybe hugo would give you some land.goodbye.

Did Ward Churchill teach in the MBA program in the late 80s?

Israel is doing "carnal genocide"....!!!
Dral sounds like a moron.

"....harmed academic freedom and the first amendment..."

As every high schooler knows, you can not shout fire in a crowded theater. Free speech is not absolute, it comes with responsibility and accountability. Lets take a look at the complete 1st amendment and see how incredibly wrong this MBA is:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right ofthe people peacably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of greviances." That's it, nothing added or deleted!

The very first word of the very first amendment is CONGRESS. Where does it say or even imply that an EMPLOYER can't fire anyone who engages in activities--speech--that counter the employer's objectives? Did congress fire Churchill?

MBA? The MBAs I know can read and comprehend. Dral is a socialist clown right out of Havana.

Oh yeah, Churchill was a good guy, yeah, he was fired for what he said.. What a pantload. Using that same logic, I can call Micheal Moore a total fraud, call him every epithet I can think of and now I am immune to scrutiny. YAY.

The OP must have twisted himself all out of shape with that hyperbole. It's almost like listening to the racist rants of 40acres in its inane "logic"

Colorado conservatives might despise Ward Churchill, but a leftist like Andrew H. Dral should be ashamed of him. It is, after all, Dral's banner, not ours, that Churhill dropped in the mud.

Dear Mr. Dral,

Your friend, Mr. Churchill, did not have his free speech curtailed, impinged or violated. The First Amendment has not even been chipped, much less damaged in the way you claim. Mr Churchill may go to any street corner and say whatever he wants about all of the subjects you just mentioned. He had that right a month ago, he has that right now.

And while Churchill's inflamatory comments certainly invited srutiny, it was his questionable academic integrity that led to his dismissal.

Besides, you place too much upon the ephemeral notion of 'academic freedom.' There is no law or decree that gaurantees academic freedom and the notion of tenure defending academic freedom, or more precisely, the freedom of ideas, is preposterous. Tenure is an archaic relic from the nineteenth century that has no place in the fast paced 21st century where ides fly around the world in portions of seconds. Perhaps it was once necessary to coddle 'thinkers' and 'ideas' in higher education, however humanity has never had so much access to so many avenues of ideas... competing ideas... not just your notion of them or Mr Churchill's notion of them or The University of Colorado's notion of them or the Bush Administration's notion of them... I could go on, but you get the point (I hope).

In the end, you overplay the importance of Mr. Churchill and of academic freedom, while downplaying the significance of Mr. Churchill's own lax academic standards to support the 'truth' you claim is so important. So it would stand to reason, that if this 'truth' that both you and Churchill forward is so important, that in a nation of 300 million he should be able to find another job in higher education where he will be able to forward his views. Or maybe he could find a job at a reputable think-tank. Or perhaps at a reputable news agency.

And if his ideas have merit and his teachings are meaningful, he will find a job or an audience. If not, he will probably fade from the public conscience. So be it. That is the nature of our country. Freedom of speech is very dear to us, we just don't like being told we HAVE to listen.

Good luck, Mr. Dral, adjusting to a world where ideas must compete with one another in the openness that our worldwide connectivity not only provides, but now requires. Tenure and 'academic freedom' within the ivory tower be damned, I'll take a worldwide marketplace for ideas over that archaic system any day of the week.

Churchill's "little Eichmanns" comment is what started this investigation. If he didn't have such a history of lying and plagiarizing then he would not have been fired. If all it came down to was the "little Eichmanns" comment then he would still have his job. Unfortunately for Churchill he has a problem with coming up with his own material. His student's aren't allowed to plagiarize so why should he be allowed to.

I think Hank Brown and David Skaggs (Chairman, CCHE), GOP Swift-Boat crew, should be fired. Churchill shoud nail Bill Owens, Skaggs, and CU regents board members, as a named defendants (financially) in his civil lawsuit. Owens, Skaggs, and Brown should also be prosecuted for federal funds fraud, waste, abuse, and racketeering. Owens has shafted Colorado's 400K veterans. He stole federal earmarked jobs and contracts from vets and gave them to his GOP draft-dodging cronies. I pray he joins Nacchio at a federal prison altar.

He was not removed because of what he said. He was fired for being a liar and a fraud. Before he went off spouting such controversial comments that would undoubtedly bring scrutiny, perhaps he should have made sure that he had not broken serious codes of conduct.

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