Why They Want to Fire Ward Churchill

What struck me about Ward Churchill's essay that caused the stir leading to his current troubles, "The Roosting of Chickens" and the thing about little Eichmanns was that it was not that radical a piece of writing. (Something I bet he admits). It was catchy though. Telling Americans they're like Nazis is like saying frog. They'll jump.

When he wrote his essay I thought the analogy was already a little thread-bare. Using Germany or the "good German" as stereotypes of evil whether ultimate or banal strikes me as a little too easy. We've got plenty to work with by comparing ourselves to ourselves.

From the first grade on and up through the university system citizens are systemically taught not to judge for themselves. We are taught we have freedom of speech but we are trained not to think. We think we have academic freedom because we are trained to believe we are free. The ultimate goal of our educational system, the dogmatic smothering of minds is overseen by the Department of Education, state boards of regents and the university education departments. Universities are one of the most policed sectors of the State. Should a university professor happen to defy the knowledge factory he has defied the State which aggrandizes itself through the university system. That's why so few do. It's why we have people like Doris Kearns Goodwin, one of our foremost court historians to show us how the game is played.