Putting On Ayers
He was postponed at Brandeis and cancelled at BC last month, but now Obama mentor Bill Ayers is expected to visit the Brandeis campus at the end of the month.
At Brandeis University, student groups including Democracy for America and Students for a Democratic Society originally scheduled Ayers to give a talk in late March; it has been postponed to April 30. According to student newspaper The Brandeis Justice, Ayers' lecture at the university will focus on issues of activism and social justice, not education reform.It seems to me that until he admits to wrongdoing for having fought a war against the United States of America, no institution should consider bestowing any honors upon Bill Ayers. After he owns up to his crimes, they should consider banning him for life.
Many Brandeis students are excited and interested to hear what Ayers will have to say. "I think the general feeling on campus is 'psyched,'" said Brandeis senior Dan Blynn. "There has been buzz about it for a few weeks, and I know everyone who I've talked to about it seems very interested in seeing him speak."For 19 year olds, I'm sure it's exciting to have a retired Vietnam era campus radical discussing activism as if he never did anything wrong, but adults at Brandeis should know better.
Brandeis Executive Director of Media and Public Affairs Dennis Nealon said that the university has yet to experience anything approaching the unrest that occurred at BC. "Safety is always an issue, but I have not heard of any particular concerns specific to this event itself," Nealon told the Daily in an e-mail. "We are aware that some people do take issue with this speaker's past affiliations and expressed political ideologies.So where's the upset?
"I have not heard about or seen a lot of reaction to this planned visit," he added.Even high school kids know this guy is bad news.
In another example of the public controversy surrounding Ayers' speaking tour, school officials canceled Ayers' discussion of his Weather Underground activities at Naperville North High School in Naperville, Ill. on April 8.
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