AP Provost to Instructor: Stop Seeking Publicity (views on 9.11)

[rodeodance]

http://nbc15.madison.com/news/headlines/3485607.html

Provost to Instructor: Stop Seeking Publicity

3:03 PM Aug 3, 2006

MADISON, Wis. (AP) _ The provost at UW-Madison has warned a controversial instructor to stop seeking publicity for his opinion that the U.S. government orchestrated the September 11 terrorist attacks.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press through an open records request, Provost Patrick Farrell also warns Kevin Barrett to stop associating himself with UW-Madison when he's promoting his controversial views.

Farrell tells Barrett that if he doesn't do what he's been asked, he would reconsider his decision to allow him to teach a course on Islam this fall.

The letter was sent ten days after Farrell decided to hire Barrett as a part-time instructor, despite objections. Sixty-one state legislators have denounced the hiring........

[HereSince1628]

1. Part-time instructors are so vulnerable...it takes a special sort of

courage to buck the "political wisdom" of your institution.

I'm not a Lihoper or a Mihoper but I admire the guy's courage.

[movonne]

2. Why are they so afraid of the answers....

[mike_c]

3. while I despise attempts to undermine academic freedom...

...Provost Ferrell seems to be trying to walk a thin line toward making a wise decision. Questions of academic freedom aside, lecturers don't have much protection and the university has little investment in their academic success, really-- the Provost could have easily dismissed Barrett, probably without any real consequence (I don't know the details of his contract, but I doubt that he has much recourse). Asking him to dissociate his statements from the university seems a decent middle ground, given the extreme pressure from the legislature to punish Barrett for speaking out.

[longship]

4. This is where I would be on this.

I would give him great deference in his teaching, but would caution him against making it such a public issue.

The reason? 9/11 conspiracy theories are based on so much misinformation, bad science, and outright lies. The conspiracy movement is worse than the ChimpCo administration in these regards.

If we're ever to get to the real truth, it certainly won't come from making shit up and lying.

But the teacher has a right to present his course his way.

[wildbilln864]

5. Who exactly is making shit up and lying?

I agree that is the wrong way to get attention.
Can you give us an example of who's lying or making up shit?
Thanks in advance Longship.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. Of course that is exactly what BushCo wants people to believe

That the 9-11 Truth movement is a bunch of kooks who make stuff up. Gee, why would they want us to believe that?

If you are going to spread theIR disinformation maybe you could back up your statements with some proof?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

10. I really doubt it.

Honestly, I think the Bush administration is far too busy fomenting new wars to care about what a bunch of conspiracists and amateur "scholars" are talking about in online chatrooms or on Coast to Coast AM. However, these delusions of grandeur are necessary for the MIHOP mindset. After all, if the MIHOPers ARE right, then the government sure as hell would be watching them, right?

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. Here's a small example from just this morning

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1816901

It took DOD less then 1.5 hours to change the file name for Rummie's pic in his bio, after a DUer discovered it was named CRUMMIE.

Tell me someone isn't watching.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

12. This is a public internet forum.

It's just as likely that some freeper e-mailed the DoD webmaster.

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. That's an amazing quick response

considering the fact that the DOD let hijacked planes fly around the US for almost 2 hours and couldn't even launch a response.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

14. Har har.

Those two things are not exactly of equal complexity, but point taken.

[drduffy]

15. yibbehobba wrote

"Honestly, I think the Bush administration is far too busy fomenting new wars to care about what a bunch of conspiracists and amateur "scholars" are talking about in online chatrooms or on Coast to Coast AM. However, these delusions of grandeur are necessary for the MIHOP mindset...."

Thanks for the ad hominem attack. I am not sure what an 'amateur scholar' is..... Why don't you tell me?

Eh?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

16. Example of an amateur scholar:

That guy in the dungeon who lit a rabbit cage on fire to demonstrate that airplane collisions and subsequent fire could not have destroyed the world trade center.

[drduffy]

17. About what I expected

from you. Thanks for confirming my prediction.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

9. It seems like a reasonable middle ground.

In this case it looks like the Provost is trying to keep the school out of the firing line, without stifling his right to academic freedom and freedom of expression. It seems a reasonable line to walk, given that the guy was hired with this craziness already hanging over his head, and over the objections of some legislators.

[drduffy]

6. I would also like to know who is lying

or making shit up. As a member of Scholarsfor911truth I find such -off hand slam downs- particularly offensive. The process of winnowing the wheat from the chaff over the last five years has slowly gotten rid of most of the disinformation and psyops crap. The 911 Truth movement is very confident in its data, logic and reason and is willing to debate any naysayer such as yourself.

It is clear that you have not studied the data or you wouldn't make such an inflammatory and wrongheaded comment.

go to: www.scholarsfor911truth.org

[DoYouEverWonder]

8. Thank you

I am sick of people promoting the BushCo lie that CTers are all liars who don't know what they are talking about.