Ayers protesters take front row A group known as the Sons of Liberty Riders attended the Bill Ayers lecture last night to show their opposition to his presence on the GSU campus.
The group refers to themselves as “a political movement of riders and supporters,” and they do not “endorse or tolerate radical, extreme, violent or racial behavior.” “We’re just appalled that the university would invite someone who is a known terrorist to come here and to speak to our students,” said Don Hodges, President of the Sons of Liberty’s Georgia chapter. Opposition to Ayers’ appearance was due to his radical past in which he co-founded the Weather Underground, a communist-anti war group, responsible for the bombings of several federal buildings. The group, however, did not apply to use the free speech area on campus in the required 48 hours in advance. Mike Russell, director of public safety and chief of GSU police, said the protestors did not cause any problems during the lecture. “They were very easy to deal with. We told them exactly what we had to tell them and they understood,” said Russell. Rather than actively protest, the riders sat in the first three rows of the auditorium. The group was not opposed to Ayers speaking, but rather the location where it occurred. “We are not opposed to him speaking, but the venue that he is speaking to our youth, as him being a known terrorist, is not what needs to be done to our youth,” said Mickey Snelling, road captain for the Georgia Sons of Liberty chapter. After the conclusion of the lecture, many members of the Sons of Liberty Riders were critical of several statements made by Ayers. “He could be a great politician because he tells you what you want to hear, but he lied through his teeth up there,” said Keith Kruse, member of the Sons of Liberty. “He has no remorse for anything he has done in his past.” “After being in the military myself, I don’t want to say the wrong words but the man does know how to tap dance,” said Snelling. Ayers said he did not lie about any of the statements he made during the lecture. “No I didn’t lie, but there’s a narrative out there that has me painted as a boogey man and it doesn’t meet or comport with who I actually am,” said Ayers. Ayers said the university did not act irresponsibly in inviting him to speak because colleges are places where ideas should be shared. “That’s the role of the university. It’s not a mistake to invite somebody. It’s not a mistake to invite me; it’s not a mistake to invite Sarah Palin. The difference is she costs $200 thousand.” Snelling said that regardless of whether or not Ayers regrets some of his past actions, he continues to portray radical behavior and should not be allowed to speak on university campuses. “America has to finally stand up and put this kind of rhetoric down. He’s been tied to bombings, he’s been tied to anti-war demonstrations, tied to President Obama,” he said. “I think America needs to stand up finally and do something about it.” -- http://www.gadaily.com/index.php/news/1-local-news/2399-ayers-protesters-take-front-row%3E 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.
