Posted on 01/29/2009 8:50:02 AM PST by NormsRevenge
MORAGA — The much-anticipated speech Wednesday by militant-turned-college-professor Bill Ayers at Saint Mary's College attracted nearly 600 people, many of them very clearly in diametrically opposite political camps.
That figure does not count the roughly 200 people who loudly protested Ayers' appearance outside the packed Soda Center auditorium in an unparalleled level of interest in an academic lecture at this rural, private Catholic college.
Inside, Ayers' 90-minute presentation drew jeers, boos and an emotional outburst from a woman who swore at him and left. He also received plenty of laughs and claps and even a few standing ovations from the half of the crowd that liked him.
Critics had called for the college to dis-invite Ayers, an education professor at the University of Illinois who was thrust into the national limelight during President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign when it was revealed that the two men sat on several boards together and ran in the same liberal circles in Chicago. Ayers' opponents call him an anti-American terrorist who helped found Weather Underground in the 1970s, a militant group that bombed several public buildings including the Pentagon.
But despite promises from Saint Mary's officials that residents would be allowed to ask questions of Ayers during the question and answer period, the college permitted students to ask questions first and the clock ran out before local folks had their chance at the Advertisement Lifestyle aricles by: ARALifestyle.com Compare Auto Policies and Start Saving Today Working Moms Can Go Back to School with a $10,000 Scholarship! Building Strength and Muscle without Illegal Substances ARALifestyle.com microphone.
"I wanted to offer some balance to some of the points Mr. Ayers made and I am disappointed that I was not allowed to speak," said Becky Kolberg, echoing the argument of others who say the college is obligated to offer its students other points of view.
Yet, Ayers' speech lacked the kind of fire-breathing, radical language that some might have expected from a militant who once thought blowing up a Pentagon bathroom could change the course of war. (Ayers admitted in an interview prior to his speech that the bombings did not stop the war.)
Today, the 60ish college professor is slightly thick about the middle. He wore two earrings, worn blue jeans and an oversized casual jacket.
An unapologetic liberal and socialist, Ayers spoke earnestly.
He urged students to open their eyes and act when they learn about injustice in the world.
Ayers praised Obama and his community organizer background.
He called for the nation to stop treating education like a commodity that can be manufactured like a Chevrolet and instead open numerous, small schools where students are known by their teachers.
He advised students to reject dogma and challenge conventional wisdom, noting that slavery and women's inability to vote were at one time accepted legal and social norms.
And he embraced the rights of the protesters in the room and outside, although he objected to their suggestion that he would "warp (students') impressionable minds," he said. "Really, are there books they shouldn't be allowed to read, too?"
Ayers biggest radical moment of the night may have been when he said — at a Catholic college — that he supports a woman's right to have an abortion.
His most insightful statement, though, came early in his speech when he remarked that had it not been for the intense publicity around his ties to Obama, his appearance at Saint Mary's would very likely have drawn a far smaller crowd.
FRom last night
Raucous Protest Greets William Ayers at Moraga Speaking Engagement
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2174000/posts
01/28/2009 9:04:38 PM PST · by Harley · 30 replies · 942+ views
Contra Costa Times ^ | o1/28/09 | Paul Thissen
MORAGA — The shouts of “Shame on you!” resounded across the small Saint Mary’s College campus Wednesday night, where under the glare of television lights, a couple hundred sign-carrying, flag-waving protesters gathered around a megaphone to object to an appearance by 1960s anti-war militant William Ayers.
Ayers enjoys being protested. Makes him feel even more self-important.
Then publish their names.
“At least one man had to be escorted out of the auditorium by campus public safety officials when he walked up to the podium where Ayers was speaking, carrying a book that resembled a Bible, and began shouting profanities.”
It APPEARED to be a Bible? Was it or was it, say...a manhole cover? Good reporting...this writer appears to be a jackass...
He’s still the same cheap street punk he was back then.
Screw St. Mary’s.
A college that would invite a clown like this to speak probably has an on-campus abortion clinic already.
Exactly right...just more “Catholics” supporting abortion proponents.
“Ayers praised Obama and his community organizer background”....
Ayers praised Obama and his corrupt Chicago political background”....fixed it.
I believe the term "domestic terrorist" is a more accurate description.
Kudos to all who showed up to protest this despicable piece of fecal matter.
“he advised students to reject dogma and challenge conventional wisdom, noting that slavery and women’s inability to vote were at one time legal and accepted norms.”
he must be speaking about the conventional wisdom of communist thought which has enslaved billions of people, murdered countless millions, deprived other millions and millions of a true vote between different ideas, forcibly imprisoned millions and millions of people behind iron curtains, bamboo curtains, berlin walls, established killing fields in asia, assasination lists in southeast asia and re-education camps to eliminate the “enemies” of communist unity? is that the conventional wisdom he’s speaking of?
IMHO
also FRom last night
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2174074/posts
Large Crowd Protests Ayers’ Appearance At St. Mary’s College Campus
Thursday, January 29, 2009 2:28:22 AM · by Jim Robinson · 33 replies · 1,115+ views
PipeLineNews ^ | Jan 28, 2009
January 28, 2009 - San Francisco, CA - PipeLineNews.org - St. Mary’s College in Moraga CA received a black eye this evening as a large and angry crowd of protesters turned out to provide counterpoint to the Ayers’ presence. The event was organized by the Simple Justice not Social Justice Coalition’ an ad hoc organization comprised of many partners, that came together in response to Ayers. Since the public became aware of the controversial founder of the Weather Underground’s scheduled speech, college officials have stubbornly maintained that he was nothing more than a respected professor of education and a proponent...
I don’t suppose anyone thought to ask him if he ghostwrote Obama’s bio?
Ayers is not a "liberal and socialist."
Ayers is a revolutionary communist.
I hope that when B.O.’s foreign policy bears its poisonous fruit Ayers will be among the first to get beheaded (or more justly, blown up).
I would not suggest they send any fund-raising letters to the alumni anytime soon.
KSFO personality Brian Sussman had calls last night from San Francisco policemen. A retired policeman described the aftermath of the bombing. The case is "open" (a murder) but none, city, state, or federal is working on it.
I saw an article reporting that the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California took over the case in 2003. Little if anything has happened since. Both policemen thought that Mrs. Ayers, Bernardine Dohrn, should be arrested and charged with the murder. Mr. Ayers is said to have known in advance of the bombing.
Who the hell is protecting these, IMO, murderers?!!
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