one more dose of leftist radicalism on campus

The unrepentant terrorist came to Monmouth College this past week, speaking to a captive audience of freshmen, at a mandatory convocation, theme for the year being "Living an Exemplary Life". Well, as an alumna with long ties to the school, I must say I can see how terrorism, especially that of which one is still smug, must indeed qualify as exemplary in some people's minds... just not in sane, mature, responsible ones:

He [Ayers] spoke primarily about the need for students to be active. [English Prof and head of Introduction to Liberal Arts freshman seminar Mark] Willhardt said Ayers told students to go out and act on their beliefs — and then to doubt, because that is the only way to double check yourself.

Ayers spoke for about 15 minutes then took questions for another 45 minutes. When asked whether he had any regrets about his past actions, Willhardt said Ayers did not discuss any specific Weather Underground activities but told students he acted on his own moral beliefs and conscious [sic] at the time, then talked about the larger nature of activism.

Gosh. Conscious conscience is such a good guide, isn't it? (No indication yet of actual regrets!)

So when is MC going to invite Eric Rudolph to speak? How about we hear from Harold Covington? Can we get a work release so that Terry Nichols can come? After all, they, like Ayers, acted on their consciences, such as they were. Laws be damned, kill the guys with whom you disagree. It's the conscientious democratic way, no?

Willhardt, however, called this "exactly the right moment for him to speak." He said whatever students think of Ayers, having these conversations are crucial to a liberal arts education.

It would be nice if the "conversations" were designed to inoculate the young against this kind of obscene radicalism. Sorry, no. Willhardt, and probably 80% of the faculty of this and most colleges, now, are gullible leftists themselves, and hope to continue the indoctrination process another generation down the line. One-sided "conversations" are not really conversations, are they? They're a bit like old-fashioned lecturing on dogma. How quaintly Victorian!


What interests me is that Monmouth College's faculty and/or administration were sufficiently nervous about the impact of this thing that they didn't broadcast it:

The event, which was purposely "kept under wraps from the public," was part of the college's Introduction to the Liberal Arts (ILA) freshman seminar, said Mark Willhardt, a Monmouth College English professor and ILA director.

Guilty conscience, anyone?



If you have offspring approaching college age, and if you are bothered by the tendency of colleges like ours to indoctrinate on your dime, let the admissions office know you have no intention of paying for that nonsense. And if they continue to make an annual event of inviting this creep or his ilk to speak, encourage your kids to go elsewhere -- even a trade school is more positively future-oriented and long-term fulfilling than this garbage.


Update: As it has been pointed out by my retired-professor Pop, the faculty and staff who support bringing Ayers to the campus do so largely out of the "sticking it to the man" attitude so prevalent in their generation... and yet they fail to realize that they, themselves, are now "the man." So, at whom are they thumbing their noses?

Allow me to use Pop's word to describe them, on this: foolish. They beclown themselves.