A Windy War of Words

University of Colorado Prof. Ward Churchill doesn’t mince words, and it’s gotten him into a peck of trouble–and thrust him into a national debate about free speech and academic freedom. In 2001, Churchill wrote an essay suggesting that 9/11 victims deserved their fate, calling some workers in the World Trade Center “little Eichmanns” (a reference to notorious Nazi chief Adolf Eichmann). The essay–and a follow-up book–went relatively unnoticed until last month when Churchill was invited to speak at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. His appearance was canceled after a public outcry and threats of violence. Last week, his own university canceled an appearance, then backed off. Colorado Gov. Bill Owens called for his resignation in light of the comments; New York Gov. George Pataki called him a “bigoted terrorist supporter,” and CU’s chancellor, Phil DiStefano, instigated a review of all his writings and speeches to determine if there were grounds to sack him. Churchill, who stepped down amid the furor as head of the ethnic studies department but still teaches, said his writing has been misunderstood. “I’m not backing up an inch,” he said at last week’s campus speech. “I owe no one an apology.” Read the rest of this entry »