The Neo-Nazis and freedom of speech in America: The case of Professor Ward Churchill

The US is always passing themselves off as the patron saints of democracy and free speech.  In speech after speech the con artists surrounding the White House and their propaganda machine in the US and around the world puke out time after time the same message of how they represent democracy, liberty and freedom of speech.  

As we have seen by the brutal attack on Iraq and the more brutal and savage attacks and murder of the people of that nation, the illegal occupation that prevails to this day and the horrendous acts of torture perpetrated by the so called "liberators", these neo-Nazis are far removed from the concept of representing the good of humanity.  The constant ravings of a former alcoholic and pot smoker that God talks to him and that he is doing God's work show the planet that these neo-Nazis are not the good guys but rather it shows the cynical and sinister character of these drunk with power war lords.  In summary it shows that their whole message is based on lies and fraud; their whole scheme is nothing but an imperialistic sham.

The concept of free speech in the US has always been a fraud.  The way it has always worked is that the press and the propaganda machine controls 95% of the press and they allow 5% for dissenting point of view.  As this is not enough when the neo-Nazi forces - that have always had control - see danger they go out of their way to exterminate them.  For those naive enough not to think that there has always been repression use your imagination and go back to 140-150 years ago while the great white father was lying to the native Americans while carrying out genocide against native Americans.  If you spoke against the atrocities perpetrated by the then president of the US Andrew Jackson - the same that is displayed on the 20 dollar bill - and the reactionary bigots of that time you were jeopardizing the life of yourself and your family.  You were portrayed then as an Indian lover, and that meant to the evil ones of the time that whatever you got you deserved; that is, all the threats and violence that came your way from the "good neighborly folks", for siding with the "Red Skins" was your own fault.

Now we all know what happened when in the 50's Senator McCarthy's witch hunt destroyed all those who the system saw as a threat.  Many good people saw their lives come to an end by the inquisitors of the day.  Let us not forget that many years before one of the great geniuses of all times, Charley Chaplin, had to flee the land of the free because he feared for his life.

At the present time in the US, the bastion of free speech, the neo-Nazis at seeing that less and less people are buying into their imperialistic and colonization schemes have resorted to curtail free speech by using threats and coercion.  The mass media which has always been the cheerleaders of the neo-Nazis and which have supported their illegal and immoral schemes are often more than eager to attack all those who dare speak out against the immoral and unjust actions of the power brokers.  They all use the age old trick of demonizing their opponents, slandering all those enemies - all those with opposing views- with half truths and outright lies. 

When Nelson Mandela spoke against US aggression in Iraq the US press was quick to label him anti-American.  This label "anti" which has always been around - the Nazis used it as they called anyone who didn't get with the program anti-German - is now very fashionable among the neo-Nazis.  Any one who who dares question the present evil powers to be is quickly dismissed as being anti-American.

The latest furor among the fascist mob is the case of University of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill. Fox News a propaganda machine for the neo-Nazis was quick to label him anti-American.  In matter of fact it was the same newsmen O'reilly - if you can call him that - that had called Mr. Mandela anti-American and who referred to the Nobel Peace Prize winner as, "that guy" that now referred to Prof. Ward as anti-American.  This is the same "newsman" that labeled Canada as anti-American, as I guess some Canadian policy makers do not want to go along with the new Hitler in the world. 

What did Professor Churchill say that was so dangerous to the neo-Nazis?  What did he say that warrants that he be fired from his teaching position at the University of Colorado? What makes the fascists tremble so much as to demonize the Professor from Colorado? 

The truth is always dangerous to those wallowing in falsity and immorality.  In essence what disturbs the fascist is the other point of view, the other side of the story.  What they are afraid is that people may start thinking for themselves. That they say wait a minute there is more here than meets the eye.  That they question the policies of the war monger and come to the dangerous conclusion that they are the ones to blame.  This is exactly what the professor did.

What he said was that what happened on 9/11was caused by years of US policies in the Middle East, policies of arming Israel to the tune of billion of dollars each year, a policy which had degraded and humiliated the Palestinian people for decades, a policy which was helping with the genocide of a people, the murder, the segregation of a people; the decades and decades of exploitation of the Arab world, the embargo of Iraq which caused the death of hundreds of death of Iraqi children, the mass and indiscriminant bombing of civilians.  For the Professor the attacks on 9/11 was a consequence of all of this; it was not a mere senseless act as the news media had so cleverly portrayed it.  To Prof. Ward, paraphrasing a quote by Malcom X, "the chickens had come to roost" .  The Prof. never condoned the attacks. No one should.  

Besides labeling him anti-American - to them that finishes the whole argument - Fox News tried to insinuate that he had spoken against those little guys who were the window washers, the waiters, the firefighters who lost their lives in the World Trade bombings.  This is again a lie, since whether you agree or not he spoke about those people who worked in those companies as technocrats of corporations who by their deeds of exploitation and greed are fostering US capitalism; brutal capitalism that is not only destroying the planet but is pushing people into fighting back.   

It should not surprise anyone that the neo-Nazi scum have come out of the woodwork to crucify the Professor for having written this article.  In a very democratic fashion the governor of New York George Pataki called Professor Churchill a "bigoted terrorist supporter". As an activist friend of mine from New York City stated, "the governor should pay more attention to the homeless, the high rents and the the big rat population that exists in the city, and less attention in attacking freedom of expression".  

As punishment for daring to say the truth - the truth does hurt when you are lying - the governor of Colorado and the President of the university Stewart have asked Prof. Churchill to resign. Something which Mr. Churchill said he would not do and that he would fight.  

If this wasn't enough the poor Prof. along with his wife have received 100 death threats.  Of course none of the people who have sent these threats have ever been caught nor will they ever be caught.  Damn you just can find a good FBI agent when you need one.  I bet you that if it would have been the other way around, that is, a neo-Nazi would have received a death threat there would have been one hundred arrests already made.   

In another show for the respect of freedom of speech Isaiah Lechowit, president of CU's College Republicans said that this issue is not a matter of personal free speech.  Of course it is not, it is a question of fascism.  It is question of you can say whatever you like as long as I approve of it.  There is little doubt in my mind that the person who got up and shouted to Prof. Ward, on C-Span, in a question and answer session, "You have the gall to criticize our government", is the neo-Nazi Lechowitz or one of his followers.  I would ask Mr. Lechowitz and his group if they know the meaning of free speech.                         

It is this little neo-Nazi with high future expectations that said, as Prof. Ward among the controversy has stepped down from being the head of the Department of Ethical Studies, "I think our actions helped lead to his resignation, and I hope our actions help lead to his termination". Seig Heil!! It seems to me that he would have made a great Youth for Hitler leader, in Nazi Germany.

By the way for those who think this an isolated incident.  No way.  Since 9/11 more than 500 professors have been fired from their teaching positions for saying or writing things that offended the neo-Nazis now in power.  

If this represents democracy and freedom of speech then I have to throw away my history tests, and dictionaries, and encyclopedia.  Maybe the White House has published some books on the subject:  Freedom of speech for Dummies by Donald Rumsfeld,  Ethics in the White House by George W. Bush,  A Woman's Guide to Democracy and Freedom in Iraq: Cooking with Oil by Condoleezza Rice.    

All that is transpiring with the onslaught of the Nazis curtailing free speech brings to mind a saying of a former history professor friend of mine, when he summed it all up , by saying, "It's a democracy as long as you say what they want to hear."

Cuba Socialista, Juan Casa de las Americas

RETURN