They lived in the same neighborhood. Who cares?
They met at a luncheon meeting. Who cares?
They were both members of a couple of note-worthy organizations. Who cares?
What I want to know is how in the #$%&! did a founding member of the Weather Underground Organization1 weasel his way into the position of Distinguished Professor at the University of Chicago where he has an enormous opportunity to shape the minds of young adults? We’re talking about a guy who as late as 2001 refused to believe he was a terrorist:
The reason we weren’t terrorists is because we did not commit random acts of terror against people. Terrorism was what was being practiced in the countryside of Vietnam by the United States.2
Granted there are 100’s of definitions for the word terrorism, but I can’t find a single one that doesn’t apply to William Ayers:
- The use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes; the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization; a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government3
- The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons4
- The calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear5
- The unlawful use or threat of violence esp. against the state or the public as a politically motivated means of attack or coercion6
Exactly what part of “terrorism” does William Ayers not understand?
To make matters worse, this madman has published several books dealing with what I deem to be some pretty radical methods of teaching and influencing young people. He wraps it up, slaps a bow on it and calls it educational and social reform.
Note to self: Do not allow my nieces and nephews send any of their kids to college in Illinois. They don’t grow them too smart in that part of the country.
References:
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weatherman_(organization)
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Ayers
3 Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terrorism (accessed: October 06, 2008)
4 The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terrorism (accessed: October 06, 2008)
5 WordNet® 3.0. Princeton University. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terrorism (accessed: October 06, 2008)
6 Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terrorism (accessed: October 06, 2008)