Michael Bellesiles,.....or maybe still!

[one-eyed fat man]

Michael Bellesiles, whose book Arming America propelled him to great popularity among proponents of gun control for his claim that gun ownership was rare in 18th and 19th century America. This was pretty cheering to the New York Times’ reviewer (Garry Wills, “Spiking the Gun Myth,”), who said Professor Bellesiles had “dispersed the darkness that covered the gun’s early history in America” and provided “overwhelming evidence that our view of the gun is as deep a superstition as any that affected Native Americans in the 17th century.” He was quickly the darling of the Joyce Foundation, the VPC and HCI. He was lauded and awarded prizes for his ground-breaking research. He still gets quoted here occasionally as an authority. Only teeny weeny problem much of it was pure fabrication. He was discredited and lost his teaching position at Emory University.

Bellesiles Bancroft prize revoked

Now in its June 27, 2010 issue, the Chronicle of Higher Education published an essay by Michael Bellesiles, Teaching Military History in a Time of War about a student of his in Central Connecticut State University, whose brother enlisted in the Army, served in Iraq and was fatally shot in the head. He was too badly injured to be evacuated from Iraq, and he died weeks later. The event is described as occurring "this semester," and the student as being in his military history class.

The problems with the story are the only Connecticut fatality in 2010 was a Marine. He died of an IED blast. In April. A person with brain injuries who cannot be evacuated, yet takes weeks to die seems a bit questionable, as well. And there seems little indication that Bellesiles taught military history at that university.

Michael Bellesiles Fishy War Story

Michael Bellesiles Newest Tale

Ten years ago, Mr. Bellesiles’ woes over his Arming America were triggered partly by another article of his, “Exploding the Myth of an Armed America” — in the Sept. 29, 2000, issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Deja Vu` all over again?

[AtheistCrusader]

1. I remember that book.

I thought it stunk on ice. Nice to see my intuition was spot on.

[Hoopla Phil]

2. Was the essay presented as fiction?

[one-eyed fat man]

5. From reports

It apparently was published as Professor Bellesiles' factual first person account about a student in one of his classes. Coincidentally, it was the "Chronicle of Higher Education" that got burned when they published his essay “Exploding the Myth of an Armed America” ten years ago. They may have been duped, they may have failed to check, or they may have taken to publishing creative writing. I don't know.

[Hoopla Phil]

9. Thanks. Back to the same old tricks - just make shit up that you want to be true.

Very sad, sad that someone would believe anything he writes.

[one-eyed fat man]

10. Further analysis

A compelling first person account of a troubled student, his dying brother, and an exceedingly sensitive teacher, the the humble teacher, himself.

1) Immigrant student, probably first one in college from his family. Check

2) Brother tricked by the War Machine with patriotism and machismo into signing up for the military. Check

3) Semi trained, gung ho but unready, brother is shot in theater by an enemy he could never have defended against. (Cue Futility) Check

4) Long LINGERING wound in a desert . . . in a tent . . . as his life drains away friendless and alone. (Military brutality) Check

5) Brother at college is given second hand information and the American Dream is snatched his grasp as TWO lives, nay, a WHOLE FAMILY is ruined by Bush’s Stupid War. Check

The good professor should just quit fooling around with publishing in professional journals and take this to Michael Moore!

[MisterBill45]

12. + 100000 Awesome post!

[virginia mountainman]

3. I saw Michael Bellesiles, quoted by an "Anti civil rights" advocate in here the other day..

I did not have time to respond, and now I can't find the post...But be aware, Some of them are trying to use him to bolster there lost cause.

And yes, now Gun Control, is a lost cause...

[SteveM]

4. What is sadder is what the Bancroft revocation says about higher ed...

There must not have been any serious proofing of his work by those charged with dispensing such honors; they had to be "turned on" by other scholars before they got the drift. This indicates either poor verifying in general, or "assumed knowledge" (read: Fits ones prejudice). Either prospect is not reassuring.

[Pullo]

6. That guy is a fraud .....

..... and always will be

[DonP]

7. He's a victim, nay a martyr, despoiled by the evil NRA!

After the Bellesiles' wheels fell off a few years back, there actually were some editorials that claimed that this poor scholar (true in so many ways!) was a victim of a conspiracy by the "Gun Lobby" to discredit him. They totally ignored the fact that he was actually caught by fellow scholars in his own field from other universities. But that evil NRA is crafty and has agents everywhere, even disguised as department heads at major universities.

My favorite was his claim of San Francisco gun ownership records in the Costa County Library, IIRC? Except the records he claimed were used for his data, were all destroyed by the 1906 SFO earthquake and subsequent fires. Bancroft prize revoked, Tenure was pulled by the Emory board of regents and he got fired from for academic fraud. He finally found a position at a state school.

Here we go again it seems.

[Hoopla Phil]

8. Yes it is the omnipresent NRA that infiltrated his mind, made him make up

data, and wrote down false claims. Damn them, damn them to Hell- that evil NRA. Ha Ha Ha!!!

[Statistical]

11. The funny thing with that argument is ...

even if we WAS caught by the NRA he was still CAUGHT for lying, and fabricating historical data.

Even if the NRA is ebil incarnate it doesn't change the fact that this guy lied and completely made up evidence to support his position and then passed it off as historical fact.

Things like using records destroyed in a fire before he was born just go to show he isn't even very good at lying.

[Glassunion]

13. What exactly is ebil incarnate?

Is that worse than evil? Then yes, they are veeeery ebil indeed. NRA scum!


:sarcasm:

[PavePusher]

14. ebil...

is what you get from a pack of ill-tempered gerbils.

Probably with a side of nasty, pointy teef.

[Glassunion]

15. I have soiled my armor.

[oneshooter]

16. Ebils wif sharp nasty teef will cause that. n/t

[PavePusher]

17. I love you guys.

Could just be the beer talking... :toast: :beer:

[one-eyed fat man]

18. More updates

The Chronicle of Higher Ed has added an editor's note to the end of the article. Their investigation led to the conclusion that the student whose brother had supposedly been killed in Iraq made the story up, and fed it to Bellesiles.

http://chronicle.com/article/Teaching-Military-History-in-a/66023/