Today the BDH published an article discussing a new petition making its way around the net called Support Bill Ayers. If you don’t know who Bill Ayers is, He’s a “former” TERRORIST and a current educator in Chicago who participated in a number of bombings during the late 60s and early 70s including bombing the pentagon in 1972. In a NYT article published on 9/11/2001, Ayers said that he did not regret setting bombs. “I feel we didn’t do enough” he said. And your faculty supports him. While Ayers does not use bombs anymore, he views his current projects which focus on educational reform as an extension of his 60s and 70s radicalism. Thank God, however, that excepting Mr. Keach, the faculty that support Mr. Ayers, are little more than no-name, ersatz pedagogues. Their signatures are likely little more than a self-important desire to pay lip-service to the all-important intellectual diversity. Sure, when a conservative speaks out, he is spewing hate speech, but when a liberal bombs stuff, we should, as Constance Crawford says, consider his point of view. These signatures don’t make me suspect of McCain’s criticism of Ayers. They make me more cognizant of the radical position of a number of our professors.
Wanna know who signed the petition. Here are their profiles:
1) Signature #312, William Keach
William Keach is, at the very least, a semi-serious academic. He’s written a number of books and he knows a lot. Not really surprising that he signed this thing. As he makes clear in the BDH article, Keach is an unapologetic leftist who opposed Vietnam. He even has (or had at one time) a picture of Lenin proudly displayed on his office wall. He says that he doesn’t support Ayer’s actions, but let’s be honest, he does.
2) Signature #486, Tracy Steffes
Tracy has only recently joined us here at our fair Brown University. She came from the University of Chicago, where she received her Ph.D. in history in 2007. Tracy’s research and dissertation (not surprisingly) has focused on educational reform (sort of like Ayers). Tracy may or may not have a shrine in her office with an Ayers effigy as its centerpiece. Of course she signed the petition.
3) Signature #1313, Tracie Shea
M. Tracie Shea’s research is in personality disorders. Maybe she signed the petition because she wants to gain favor with Ayers so that she can research him. I couldn’t find a picture of Shea, so, for now, she’ll just have to remain faceless.
4) Signature #2213, Rebecca Schneider
Rebecca is the Chair of the Dept. of Theatre, Speech, and Dance. Wtf! Why are theatre people even pretending like their opinion matters? It’s like when Sheryl Crow talks about politics, no one cares!
5) Signature #2255, Constance Crawford
Connie, who was a finalist on SNL’s “Anyone Can Host” contest in 1977 sounds nothing like a committed communist. If her BDH quote is accurate, she is nothing more than a bleeding heart who wants everyone’s perspective to be aired. I generally agree with Connie. But I think that Ayer’s was already heard. He was heard loud and clear everytime one of his bombs exploded.
6) Signature #2282 & #2285, Kym Moore
Kym Moore was so enthusiastic to join the ranks of her radical, faculty cohorts that she signed her name to the petition twice. Kym directs a lot of plays at Brown, and they all seem to focus on race.
Apparently, our whole theatre department is filled up with radical crazies. Either that or these theatre-types have no idea what they signed.
6) Signature #2415, Student Michael Da Cruz
Michael Da Cruz is a member of Brown’s now infamous SDS. It’s no wonder that SDS members would support Ayers. Ayers was a leader of the Weather Underground which actually split from SDS back in the 60s. That’s right ladies and gentlemen, I know it’s a surprise, but SDS is and always has been a radical organization. While the Weathermen were always regarded as more radical than the original SDS, it’s no secret that their ends were one in the same. Good luck with what’s to come Mr. Da Cruz. Supporting terrorists openly is probably not the best way to secure a good future for yourself.
Interesting material. However, if I may make one correction, Prof Keach is a serious academic. God knows that I do not sympathize with him on many issues — except, perhaps, on Vietnam, as that was an über-liberal war — but do not call into question his academic credentials.
He, at the very least, makes Brown an exciting place. (And his course on literature’s prominent place in many revolutions was phenomenal.)
SBQ
Dude, I don’t know what you’re reading, but I alluded to Keach’s credentials as an academic twice.
‘William Keach is, at the very least, a semi-serious academic.’
My statement should be read as contrasting that statement.
SBQ
This is appalling. Brown student’s two-faced toleration of this liberal crap and their attempts to silence conservatives is ridiculously apparent.
…
Cheers for this post, guys, retain up the wonderful perform….