'They have a right to hear me' Written by Patrick Stoker Tuesday, 01 February 2011 23:02 Bill Ayers is no stranger when it comes to controversy.
Ayers, who has a radical past, was scheduled to speak on the Georgia Southern campus in 2009, but the university canceled the lecture stating security concerns as the reason. The controversial figure has been invited back to GSU to speak about academic freedom and its essential role in society and on a university campus. After being banned from speaking on the campus of the University of Wyoming in 2010, Ayers, along with a student of the university, filed a lawsuit against the school asking the judge to allow Ayers to speak. Although GSU stated that the cancellation of Ayers’ lecture in 2009 was due to security concerns, Ayers does not believe that was the case. “It was a cover-up and it’s obvious for a lot of reason,” he said. “One is people initially asked me if I felt insecure, or if I felt that I needed extra protection, and I said that I had every confidence that the Georgia state police could get me to the podium and I had every confidence that once at the podium I could take care of myself and so I didn’t ask for extra security." Ayers said he thinks the opposition the university received came from “two guys with a series of email accounts typing in their mothers basements hyped up on scotch and cigars.” After the cancellation of Ayers’ lecture two years ago, a group of students and faculty organized a sitin for academic freedom. Ayers said that the cancellation was a violation of students’ First Amendment rights. “They have a right to hear me because they are Americans who live in a society where the right to speak and the right to listen and the right to dialogue are fundamental. It’s in our DNA and no one can prevent it,” he said. In 1969, Ayers co-founded the Weathermen Underground, a communist anti-war group, responsible for a series of bombings targeting federal buildings, which is a large reason why so many students are opposed to his appearance on campus. Ayers said a university has an obligation to allow its students to hear different ideas and without having access to those ideas, their rights are being taken away. “I objected that time and I’ve objected every time I’ve been disinvited from any place for a lot of reasons. The main one being the role of a university is to entertain a range of ideas, not to have one orthodox idea as to have a conversation going on about lots of ideas,” Ayers said. “So, as soon as you say this person is not allowed to speak here it’s a pretty small step to saying, ‘and this person’s books shouldn’t be allowed to be read here,’ and from there it’s a pretty small step to say ‘and his ideas can’t be considered here.” In a guest letter submitted to The George-Anne, GSU professor Alan Downs said Ayers is coming to speak on academic freedom, not to persuade others to his views. “Despite what some self styled pundits would have you believe, students hoping to learn how to make pipe bombs will be disappointed,” Downs said in the letter. Ayers said those opposed to his presence on campus should not criticize the university because it is the responsibility of the institution to allow its students explore different ideas. “They should not criticize the university for letting me come, they should come and sit in the front row and ask pointed questions,” he said. Ayers will speak at the Performing Arts Center on Feb. 7 at 7 p.m. The event is sponsored by the history department and the Campus Life Enrichment Committee. -- http://www.gadaily.com/index.php/news/1-local-news/2379-ayers-they-have-a-right-to-hear-me Via InstaFetch -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Sixties-L" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/sixties-l?hl=en.
