Dear Regents … Some International Perspectives …

June 23, 2007 on 3:37 am | In Analysis

Many people writing the CU Regents have shared their letters with the WCSN website. Particularly interesting are some international perspectives:

Dear CU Regents,

I am an American Citizen living in Germany where I am currently completing my Ph.D. in Biophysics. I have been following the case of Ward Churchill’s alleged academic misconduct. It appears to me and I would venture to say much of the rest of the Western world, especially here in Germany, that these charges are foundless. When I discuss this case with other graduate students here they are repeatedly astounded at the treatment Dr. Churchill is recieving. They are shocked, as they somehow have a notion that America is a bastion of free speech and this case is clearly about censorship. As open discussion about September 11, 2001, terrorism and America’s war on Iraq are much less emotionally charged and more rational here in general, such scapegoating of prominent intellectuals is viewed in a quite negative light. I would hope that you consider that these issues attract international attention and are actually very closely followed here. They do not sit well with many in Europe and are especially disturbing to those in academia, who consider censorship based on blatantly political motives contrary to the very idea of academia itself. Please reconsider your position on these charges. It is obvious that they are spurious. As a scientist and a rational human being I would have to say that any serious evaluation of the charges as they stand do not have any merit and are not sufficient as a basis for the dismissal of a tenured professor.

Sincerely,

Brian Gentry
University of Leipzig
Germany

And …

Dear Sirs:

I am living in Portugal, what representatives of your federal administration use to call “Old Europe”.

As perhaps might have come to your attention, Pew, Zogby, and a host of other worldwide opinion polls have shown that the standing of the United States of America in the rest of the world has suffered a great deal during the last years. However, I have been able to use Ward Churchill’s Essay “Some People Push Back” with considerable success in countering antiamericanism here. Most people respond like, “well, not everything is lost over there if they still have people like Ward.”

It is true that the Nov. 2004 reelection of George W. Bush was not exactly helpful in this matter, however I think you should award Mr. Churchill a medal for improving America’s image worldwide, not fire him.

Sincerely yours,

Martin Kratz
Portugal

And, on the other hand …

The United States should have completely finished the Native American problem and not wavered like Vietnam. It would have been a lot easier. Then no one would have to listen to you tell twisted versions of the truth.

love,
andy thompson
President
Ward Churchill is a Bad Man Society for University Re-Polarization

Thank you for your time Mr. Churchill!
May Allah take away your carmel latte, you ivory tower bastard!

Send your views to the CU Regents, c/o Millie.Cortez@cu.edu.