Should this lecturer be fired because someone doesn't like what he thinks?

[NNN0LHI]

ABC News: Lecturer Under Fire for 9/11 Conspiracy Belief

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2233348&page=1

July 25, 2006 — Wisconsin lawmakers are demanding that a University of Wisconsin-Madison lecturer be pulled from his fall teaching position because of his belief that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were not carried out by terrorists, but by the U.S. government.

Kevin Barrett, who is scheduled to teach the course "Islam: Religion and Culture," said during a recent talk-radio show appearance that the attacks were carried out by the government to start a war in the Middle East.

His comments drew widespread criticism, including action from 52 Wisconsin state Assembly representatives and nine state senators.

The lawmakers signed a letter last week expressing strong disapproval of Barrett's teaching position.



http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2233348&page=2

<snip>"When 61 legislators condemn a decision by UW-Madison and demand the dismissal of Kevin Barrett, the leadership of the UW System operates at its own peril if it continues to ignore views of the taxpayers," Nass said.

"This isn't a fight about academic freedom. It is a fight about fact versus fiction. It is a fight about whether the taxpayers can expect high standards in the classrooms and administrative offices of the UW system," Nass said.

Barrett has challenged Nass to a public debate.

It appears he is not alone with his controversial Sept. 11 conspiracy theories. According to a March 2004 Gallup poll, 53 percent of those surveyed said they thought the Bush administration was covering up pre-9/11 intelligence.

[Clark2008]

1. Based on that Gallup Poll, this line is crap:

"When 61 legislators condemn a decision by UW-Madison and demand the dismissal of Kevin Barrett, the leadership of the UW System operates at its own peril if it continues to ignore views of the taxpayers," Nass said.

Apparently the 61 legislators don't mind believing the official conspiracy theory, but the TAXPAYERS (the 53 percent in the Gallup Poll) basically agree with the professor.

[longship]

6. Covering up pre-9/11 intelligence is not the same thing.

I'm not taking a stand on this issue because I am ignorant of what the syllabus of the class says. In spite of my total opposition to many of the completely wacky conspiracy lunatics' claims, I can imagine a curriculum where studying such claims would be instructive.

Unfortunately, advocates on both sides of this issue seem to be operating beyond the facts. The 9/11 conspiracy theories go way, way beyond covering up pre-9/11 intelligence. One could easily argue that such a cover-up happened. However, many pronouncements of the 9/11 conspiracy crowd have been totally falisified. They are two different things. Connecting them is not only wrong, it is totally wrong.

My position in academic matters is simple. Great deference must be given to this teacher's right to teach the curriculum the way he sees fit. It is up to the academic institution and the teacher's peers to determine the appropriateness of the curriculum, not the legislature. I am inclined to support the teacher even if I disagree with his conclusions.

[onenote]

2. should a lecturer be fired if he says the moon landing was faked?

Should a lecturer be fired if he says the Holocaust never happened?
Should a lecturer be fired if he says that abortions cause breast cancer?
Should a lecturer be fired if he says that white males are genetically superior to others?

And on and on...

By the way, the statement that "he is not alone" with his 9/11 theories is majorly misleading: there is a big gap between thinking that the Bush administration is covering up pre-9/11 intelligence and thinking that the attacks were the work of the government.

[NNN0LHI]

5. Should a lecturer be fired if he says the earth is round rather than flat?

They probably were fired at one time for suggesting such crazy things.

Don't you think?

Don

[SaveElmer]

7. Turn it around...

Should someone now be fired for teaching the earth is flat...?

Or evolution is just a "theory"?

[Warpy]

8. No, they just get hired by Liberty U

and Bob Jones U and all the smaller buy bull colleges all over the country.

There's always a place for flat earthers.

Conspiracy addicts are something else.

[onenote]

9. should a lecturer be fired if he says the world is flat rather than round?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. Legislators shouldn't have anything to do with who gets fired...

from academic positions.

[Bill McBlueState]

4. no

The taxpayers don't get a say in what faculty teach. That's why they're faculty; they know more about their fields than the rest of us do.