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William Ayers to speak in Omaha
FarmerRick:
Published Wednesday September 30, 2009
Ayers to speak in Omaha
By Juan Perez Jr.
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
William Ayers ? the 1960s radical, community activist and professor of education ? will speak at an Omaha hotel Nov. 14, nearly one year after controversy led to the cancellation of a scheduled speech at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Ayers was invited to Omaha by the Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska, a loose coalition of organizations that promote academic freedom in the state. He will speak at the Holiday Inn convention center near 72nd and Grover Streets, in a public event with a $35 admission fee.
The title of Ayers? speech: ?The Right to Think at All: Academic Freedom and Free Speech in Troubled Times.?
Dwayne Ball, a UNL marketing professor and president of the academic freedom coalition, condemned UNL administrators for canceling last year?s speech and said the coalition is making a point about academic freedom.
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?Nothing in our invitation to Dr. Ayers means we condone or condemn his former activities or his politics, or even his educational theories,? Ball said in a statement. ?In fact, as much as we expect to find his speech very interesting, this event is not about Dr. Ayers. It is about the idea of academic freedom.
?If the university had disinvited a controversial conservative due to threats, we would be making this same point.?
Ayers could not be reached for comment. In his 20s, he was a leader of the Weather Underground, a group that formed to violently protest the Vietnam War. The group bombed public buildings ? including the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol ? participated in riots and was labeled a terrorist organization by the FBI.
He later became a university professor and created a Chicago-based school reform group, of which Barack Obama was chairman for four years before he became president. Ayers was a political supporter of Obama?s and hosted a brunch for him when he ran for the Illinois State Senate.
Ayers is currently an education professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
His loose ties to the president and his candidacy provoked furor from conservatives during the 2008 presidential campaign.
News that Ayers would speak at UNL sparked additional outrage; state political leaders decried the university for inviting Ayers and urged UNL to rescind his invitation. A donor threatened to pull financial support.
The university received roughly 1,000 e-mails, phone calls and blog posts pertaining to the speech. ?If he does come, you better have plenty of security because it is a potentially dangerous situation,? one e-mailer wrote.
Harvey Perlman, the university?s chancellor, cited concerns about university safety when he canceled the event and denied that political pressure led to the decision. Other critics, meanwhile, disputed that claim and said the cancellation tarnished UNL?s reputation and standing in the academic community.
University of Nebraska Regent Randy Ferlic of Omaha ? one of the first public officials to criticize Ayers? scheduled appearance ? said the cancellation did the opposite and may have improved the university?s standing among Nebraska residents.
?The collective voice of citizens of Nebraska spoke for itself,? Ferlic said. ?And I don?t think he?s of the stature or accomplishments that warrant him being honored here.?
Ayers responded to the university?s cancellation in a statement to The World-Herald.
?Is a public university the personal fiefdom or the political clubhouse of the governor? ... Do we collapse in fear if a small mob gathers with torches at the gates?? Ayers wrote.
Ball said the cancellation disturbed the academic freedom coalition?s board members.
?After he was disinvited, it was clear to most of us on the AFCOM board that it was the most significant event regarding academic freedom in the past several years in Nebraska,? Ball said. ?So, it was a fairly easy conclusion to reach: that we could build our annual meeting around a speech on academic freedom by Dr. Ayers.?
Ball said he doesn?t expect the chatter or controversy to extend to this visit. The academic freedom coalition is prepared to provide security, though Ball wouldn?t discuss details.
All expenses for the event will be paid through the coalition?s fundraising, plus receipts from the event.
?There is absolutely not a single red cent of public funds going into this,? Ball said.
The cost of admission covers Ayers? speech, a book sale, autograph session and lunch.
For details, or to register, visit www.nebafcon.org. Registration ends Oct. 30.
Contact the writer:
444-1068, johnny.perez@owh.com
FarmerRick:
AFCON: The Academic Freedom Coalition of Nebraska http://www.afconebr.org/
AFCON Member Organizations
*American Civil Liberties Union, Nebraska Chapter
*American Association of University Professors, Nebraska State Conference
*American Association of University Professors, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chapter
*Fine Lines Journal
*Lincoln Education Association
*Lincoln Public Schools Media
*Nebraska Center for the Book
*Nebraska Chapter of the National Association of Scholars
*Nebraska English Language Arts Council
*Nebraska Educational Media Association
*Nebraska High School Press Association
*Nebraska Library Association
*Nebraska Press Association
*Nebraska State Education Association
*Nebraska State Reading Association
*Nebraska Writers Guild
*University of Nebraska-Lincoln Faculty Senate
*University of Nebraska at Omaha Faculty Senate
Hardwood83:
Ayers is a terrorist by definition. I'm sure the platitudes about 'academic freedom' warm everyone's soul but if that is the goal why aren't White Supremacist ever afforded the honor to speak and share their thoughts? Hypocrisy & corruption are rife in the Ivory Tower
SBarry:
Would Timothy McVeigh be accepted if he would have been let go on a technicality? I put them in the same class.
I think we need to look into why Dwayne Ball wants this radical here. Is he promoting a terrorist event on taxpayer time?
Not in my state.
rugermanx:
Oh come now lilrat, don't you see the difference, first and foremost McVeigh was a "rightwing nutjob" and Ayers was a liberal. Has nothing to do with hurting people for your beliefs being wrong or that he was an individual that made a choice. You can't group them into the same group, since Ayers was fighting for GOOD. And McVeigh well he was fighting for evil. Remember the means can only be justified by the ends.
If anyone here wants my logic on that (sarcastic) little statement....
We blame the "conservative talk show hosts" for someone killing an abortion doctor in KS, but when a pro life protester is shot and killed well that's just a nut job.
We say "there is violence coming over healthcare" and warn of the evil of the right wing while LEFT WING PROTESTERS in Pittsburgh have caused something like 50k a day in damage.
We warn of the growing tensions over healthcare and cap and trade (opponents of which have not done anything to even suggest violence could occur -side note - the only people talking violence is the left - and Hugo Chavez and his buddies) while environmental "militias" (Animal liberation front, Earth liberation front) are BOMBING radio towers- now in 2 states and threating more.
Animal rights activists have for years thrown paint onto fur coats and environmentalists have burned and otherwise damaged cars they view as "unfriendly to the earth".
Didn't we stop him from speaking here once? Oh well lets do it again.
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