The Anti-American Academy
Charles Johnson
Fri Feb 18, 2005 at 4:13 pm PST • Views: 290
Colorado University professor Ward “Little Eichmanns” Churchill has been invited to give a lecture at the University of Hawaii next week, titled “Speaking Truth to Power: Academic Freedom in the Age of Terror:” Controversial professor to speak at UH. (Hat tip: The 50th Star.)
A University of Colorado professor whose comments about the 9/11 terrorist attacks created a national firestorm has been invited to speak at the University of Hawai’i next week.
Ethnic Studies Professor Ward Churchill will hold a public lecture, “Speaking Truth to Power: Academic Freedom in the Age of Terror,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the UH Art Auditorium. His appearance is being sponsored by several UH and community organizations.
Churchill has come under fire since he compared some World Trade Center victims to a Nazi war criminal soon after the attacks. His comments led Colorado’s governor to call for Churchill’s firing and the University of Colorado Board of Regents to launch an investigation into whether a tenured professor could be removed.
Several colleges and universities have canceled scheduled lectures by Churchill. Others have invited him to speak because they feel that Churchill’s First Amendment right to freedom of speech is being restricted.
“We figured we better at least signal that, here in Hawai’i, which is a little more open-minded state than some others, we wanted to signal that we really believe in free expression not just for non-controversial ideas, but for controversial ideas, because that’s what free expression is for,” said Robert Perkinson, a professor of American Studies, one of the sponsoring groups.
Frank says: