Posted on 10/22/2008 7:38:38 PM PDT by STARWISE
Over 3,000 educators nationwide, including six Brown professors, have signed a statement supporting the man Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain called a "washed-up terrorist" at the third presidential debate last Wednesday.
In recent months, the McCain campaign has criticized Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama for his connection to William Ayers. McCain and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, have accused Obama of being "friends" with Ayers and claimed Obama has hidden the extent of their relationship.
Both residents of the Chicago area, Ayers and Obama first met in 1995 when they served on the board of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a school reform initiative. They also were board members of the Woods Fund, a Chicago charity, from 2000 to 2002.
Ayers, now a distinguished professor of education and senior university scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago, was a co-founding member of the radical activist group the Weather Underground in 1969. The group's extreme tactics to end the Vietnam War included planting bombs in the Pentagon and the United States Capitol.
In response to the McCain campaign's focus on Ayers' radical acts of the 1960s and 1970s, "Friends and supporters of Bill Ayers" are circulating a statement online to vouch for the professor he has become.
"I think he's doing a lot of positive, progressive, constructive work right now," said Professor of English William Keach, the first member of the University's faculty to sign the statement of support. Keach was referring to Ayers's work in the field of education.
As a professor, Ayers has written more than a dozen books on his holistic approach to learning that downplays the boundaries between teacher and student. Ayers was one of the original proponents of "free schools," where students call teachers by their first names and don't receive grades on assignments.
Constance Crawford, an adjunct lecturer in theater, speech and dance, was educated in free schools and said she disagrees with the concept, favoring a more traditional approach. But she signed the statement supporting Ayers, and said his ideas "should be combated with clarity, not with personal demonization and vilification."
As a parent with a child in college right now, I would dearly love to see the list. Because, I will not tolerate my hard earned tuition money going to support this. Period. I will (no idle threat) go to my son’s school if anyone at his University is listed. The day’s of sitting on our hands folks have to be over. We are the consumers here. I wouldn’t shop at a store thats ownership supported this a-hole, and I won’t financially support an institution whose employee support an anti-American radical.
This is like asking 3,000 Russian KGB agents to sign for Russia. Piece o’ cake.
have the teacher unions ruined education? Do Doctors have unions, and if they did, would that be the end of healthcare?
It was just on Fox News. Haven’t seen a link.
I signed as Dr. Theodore Bundy of Florida State University
then we need to send letters to these schools saying that we was about to send out child to that school but because you have this teacher supporting this radical terrorist then I can only come to the conclusion that your school employing this kind of teacher is not good for my child
Guess what?
Auburn University will never get a thin dime from me ever again.
NEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my taxpayer dollars are going to UW Madison and UW Milwaukee-time to make this list go VIRAL!
I’m sure those small schools will not be happy getting mail saying we do not want our child attending your school because of this teacher at your school
Is there a giant butt in which all these leftist professors keep their heads?
Yeah. That's compelling.
http://www.supportbillayers.org/
Scroll to the bottom of that horrible webpage, and hit CTRL F.
Then, enter the university that you seek.
I found 2 hits for my school, and they will now receive nothing from me over this outrage.
some of these clowns are not even teachers , some are students etc
Pump ot the Emails and phone calls-this will piss people off
some of them are signed as friend, retired, student etc
seems the petition isn’;t all teachers
There are too many Arizona State Professors on that list.
As an Alumni, IMHO it makes ASU look bad.
“Profs sign statement in support of Ayers (more than 3,000)”
3,000 ‘useful idiots’ ... Stalin would be amused!
STE=Q
Same group that demonized the Duke student’s falsely accused of rape?
“Guilty as hell, fee as a bird” and “I wished I cold have done more”
Doesn’t seem like the new Bill is that different from the old Bill.
Auburn University has 2 professors on staff that are pro-actively supporting a terrorist who is responsible for bombing the Pentagon, Capitol Building and NY Police Headquarters.
They will receive NOTHING from me for paying these jerks to "teach" at Auburn.
that list is just stupid
one is a student, another is friend another is concerned citizen, that list is pathetic and I will happily send a letter especially to the smaller schools telling them I am not sending my children to their school
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.