Colorado governor wants 9-11 prof out

Colorado governor wants 9-11 prof out
Says state not compelled to accept pro-terrorist views at taxpayer cost
Posted: February 2, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern

Prof. Ward Churchill under fire for 9-11 comments
Ward.Churchill@Colorado.EDU

The governor of Colorado yesterday called for the resignation of the University of Colorado professor under fire for comparing the victims of the 9-11 World Trade Center terror attacks to Nazis while praising the suicide hijackers for their "gallant sacrifices."

Gov. Bill Owens sent the letter to the president of the University of Colorado College Republicans, Isaiah Lechowit, who was scheduled to read it at a rally in opposition to professor Ward Churchill.

"All decent people, whether Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, should denounce the views of Ward Churchill," wrote Owens. "Not only are his writings outrageous and insupportable, they are at odds with the facts of history."

As WorldNetDaily reported, the controversy stems from an essay Churchill wrote titled "Some People Push Back: On the Justice of Roosting Chickens," written shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks. In it, he describes the thousands of American victims who died in the World Trade Center inferno as "little Eichmanns" (a reference to notorious Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann) who were perpetuating America's "mighty engine of profit." They were destroyed, he added, thanks to the "gallant sacrifices" of "combat teams" that successfully targeted the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon.

On Monday, Churchill stepped down as chairman of the Ethnic Studies Department but remains a professor of Ethnic Studies and Coordinator of American Indian Studies at the Colorado school.

Tomorrow night, the university's board of regents will have a special meeting to discuss the tenured professor's fate.

Wrote Owens: "Not only are [Churchill's] writings outrageous and insupportable, they are at odds with the facts of history. The thousands of innocent people – and innocent they were – who were murdered on September 11 were murdered by evil cowards Indeed, if anyone could possibly be compared to the evildoers of Nazi Germany, it is the terrorists of the 21st century who have an equally repugnant disregard for innocent human life.

"No one wants to infringe on Mr. Churchill's right to express himself. But we are not compelled to accept his pro-terrorist views at state taxpayer subsidy nor under the banner of the University of Colorado."

Owens, a Republican, said the professor's views are more than just anti-American, but are "at odds with simple decency, and antagonistic to the beliefs and conduct of civilized people around the world. His views are far outside the mainstream of civil discourse and useful academic work."

Concluded Owens: "His resignation as chairman of the Ethnic Studies Department was a good first step. We hope that he will follow this step by resigning his position on the faculty of the University of Colorado."

Churchill was scheduled to speak at Hamilton College, in Clinton, N.Y., near Syracuse tomorrow, but yesterday officials at the school canceled the appearance, citing security concerns and death threats they had received.

Related story:

Prof praising 9-11 terrorists on school's chopping block
http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42638

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Ward Churchill Resigns Administrative Post | News Center | University of Colorado at Boulder
... Ward Churchill, chair of the ethnic studies department ... Interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano said he feels Churchill's decision is the right one. "While Professor Churchill has the constitutional right to express his ...
http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2005/44.html - -

University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309 · Campus Directory Information: (303) 492-1411
http://www.colorado.edu/

Department of Ethnic Studies - The University of Colorado, Boulder
... Ward Churchill ... Ward Churchill ...
http://www.colorado.edu/EthnicStudies/chair.html

Department of Ethnic Studies - The University of Colorado, Boulder
... These are the views of Ward Churchill, not the University of Colorado ...
http://www.colorado.edu/EthnicStudies/press_releases/ward_churchill_013105.html

Athletics Issues | Official University Statements | News Center | University of Colorado at ...
... I wish to make it clear that Professor Ward Churchill's views of the events of 9/11 are his own and do not represent the views of University of Colorado faculty, staff, students, administration or Regents ...
http://www.colorado.edu/news/statements/general/churchill_1-27.html