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1. Al Arian had been spouting his anti-American "Orientalist" garbage for a long time before he was hired and given tenure by USF.

2. Many would argue that it was precisely out of a PC, multi-culti agenda embracing his viewpoint that he was hired at USF.

3. All of a sudden, USF leadership decided to feign patriotism after 9/11 and wash its hands of this scumbag.

4. They then focused on an article he published in a third party newspaper (not whatever crap he was teaching in class) saying the standard leftist "America has no one to blame but herself for 9/11" b.s. USF had no evidence that he was an actual terrorist of any sort (beyond what a decent person would have used as a reason not to hire him in the first place); they were looking to cover their asses, pure and simple.

5. Although Al Arian had not violated any of his contract, they sought to fire him irrespective of the guarantee of free inquiry and thought that the tenure system is supposed to provide professors.

6. That made it a question of principle automatically with those who are concerned about academic liberty. There is no doubt that many, if not most of those who defended Al Arian were doing so because of their sympathies to his opinions. But there is also no doubt that many were simply adhering to principle. That same adherence to the principle of tenure is often the only thing that keeps conservative professors employed at all in most universities. Violating that principle might get Al Arian fired, but it would certainly get a whole lot more conservatives fired.

7. All along, every single Al Arian defender who was doing so out of principle would make the following explicit allowance: UNTIL AN ACTUAL CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY IS REASONABLY SUSPECTED, there are no grounds whatsoever for firing Al Arian simply because the administration has suddenly decided that his ideas are unpalatable after 9/11. They should have thought of that before public opinion pressured them; they should have thought of that when they first encountered this sniveling worm of a man and his hateful opinions.

8. Now that said criminal conspiracy has been established, by all means throw the book at him. Now his firing is absolutely justified if even half of what he is being charged with is true (which I think it is).

9. Firing Al Arian would not have made America one bit safer. Imprisoning Al Arian (as they are seeking to do now) is what it is all about; I refused to allow USF to cleanse itself with a symbolic academic lynching when they should be eating crow for the rest of their miserable lives.

Thank God for Ashcroft and his men and women, using real evidence instead of demagoguery to enforce the laws of our nation.

All of a sudden, USF leadership decided to feign patriotism after 9/11 and wash its hands of this scumbag.

It wasn't as much 9/11 as much as it was the exposé of Al-Arian on local and national programs up to and including The O'Reilly Factor. That light's awful bright when it's directly on you.

Nice post.

there are no grounds whatsoever for firing Al Arian simply because the administration has suddenly decided that his ideas are unpalatable after 9/11

I'd have to agree. But if they hired him because they are a leftist leaning organization, it's not surprising they'd make him walk the plank as soon as he becomes a PR liability.

The voice of reason, sanity and our constitutional rights.

Thanks.