Wonderful story on Kevin Barrett (teacher who questions 911) in Cap Times

[undeterred]

What makes Kevin Barrett tick?
UW lecturer just doesn't believe the government
By Aaron Nathans

LONE ROCK - Kevin Barrett's father could have won an Olympic gold medal in 1964, if not for a mistake that nobody noticed but he. Peter Barrett was competing in a series of seven sailing races in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He accidentally hit a mark, grounds for disqualification, but wasn't caught. He nearly finished the race, but at the finish line, in first place, he dropped out, admitting the foul. He ended up winning the silver on the strength of his performance in the other races.

Sitting in front of his grandparents' television in Madison, a 5-year-old Kevin Barrett was watching. He recalled being proud of his father after learning what happened. He said he also learned an important lesson. "It's important to do what's right, and to follow the truth, no matter what," Kevin Barrett said in a recent interview, noting that his late father won the gold four years later. "Cheating for strategic advantage is unacceptable."

Kevin Barrett, now 47, says he has long searched for truth and deeper meaning. More often than not, he finds that truth in the pages of a book. Many of his books line a log cabin he often visits here in Lone Rock, a sparsely populated town an hour west of Madison. He takes care of the cabin for Khidria, the Madison Islamic organization that owns it. It is surrounded by towering pines. His 1964 Dodge camper, with a faded San Francisco State University bumper sticker, is parked out front. Visitors are greeted by his tan shepherd dog, Rushdie.

He calls the cabin his zawiya, or Islamic spiritual retreat. There's a lot of peace to be found here, an escape from the academic and political rigors of Madison, where Barrett, his wife and their two boys, 12 and 9, live in University of Wisconsin staff housing. Here, Barrett tends the peppers, tomatoes and squash in the organic gardens, complete with rain barrels. On a bright day, the sun reveals bass swimming in the lake out back. But there is little peace for Barrett these days.

http://www.madison.com/tct/mad/topstories/index.php?ntid=92026&ntpid=0

Sounds like my idea of a terrific person to teach at a university.

[Beam Me Up]

1. Yes, and Kevin Berrett is under fire from Wisconsin government

For his unconventional views regarding 9/11:
http://www.mujca.com/cnn.htm

Teacher under fire for his Cheney-9/11 theory
State legislators demand college bar him from teaching Islam course
CNN.com, 7/21/06

MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) -- More than 60 state lawmakers are urging the University of Wisconsin-Madison to fire an instructor who has argued that the U.S. government orchestrated the September 11 terrorist attacks.

A letter sent Thursday and signed by 52 Assembly representatives and nine state senators condemns a decision to let Kevin Barrett teach an introductory class on Islam this fall.

U.W.-Madison Provost Pat Farrell launched a review after Barrett spoke last month on a talk show about his views that the terrorist atta cks were the result of a government conspiracy to spark war in the Middle East. After the review, Farrell said Barrett was a qualified instructor who can present his views as one perspective on the attacks.

Barrett has said he thinks the most likely theory about the 9/11 plot is that it was an "inside job" organized and commanded by Vice President Dick Cheney.(Watch why Barrett thinks Dick Cheney authorized 9/11 -- 1:45)

[undeterred]

2. From the article

In recent weeks, politicians have sought Barrett's ouster as a University of Wisconsin-Madison lecturer on Islam in an elective, four-credit course. Provost Patrick Farrell last week reaffirmed the university's offer for him to teach a class this fall, citing the university's tradition of academic freedom.

Barrett, who has taught folklore at UW-Madison and Islam at Edgewood College, says he may apply for a tenure-track position at UW-Madison, if the right job becomes available.

Yes, there are plenty of lousy legislators in Wisconsin who oppose academic freedom. We're planning to dump a lot of them in November.

Fortunately its the Provost's opinion which ultimately matters in this situation, and not theirs.

[Broca]

3. WI assemblyman Suder will attack Barrett on WPR Tuesday.

THE IDEAS NETWORK PROGRAM NOTES FOR TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2006



8:00 AM Joy Cardin - 07/25C
Sixty-one state lawmakers are demanding that UW-Madison fire
controversial lecturer Kevin Barrett for his teachings about 9/11
conspiracies. Joy Cardin talks with one of those lawmakers, after
eight, who says Barrett is an embarassment to our entire state.
Guest: Scott Suder, Republican state representative from Abbotsford

[RevCheesehead]

4. Let's spin this story like FOX does, but our way:

Sixty-one state lawmakers have again shown the world their ignorance, in being intolerant of diverse ideas, and the freedom to question our government. Joy will again kiss Scott Suder's ass, and never quite get to the heart of the story: the growing intolerance and hatred by narrow-minded conservative bush-bots.

[undeterred]

6. How do these lawmakers survive having to drive through Madison?

You'd think they'd get so worked up by the bumper stickers alone that they'd all have heart attacks. :hippie:

Send them to classes for a week and they'll want to fire the whole UW system. :bounce:

[ewagner]

5. Listening to Suder

He's using this as a platform to attack Doyle...saying that if the University doesn't fire Barrett then the Governor must step in....he's found another wedge issue....

taking focus off of his own trouble
taking focus off of Green's troubles.

[Slaughtermeyer]

7. Barrett interview

Check out the following article, and be sure to click on "Watch The Show" just after the first paragraph, for a great 23-minute interview with Kevin Barrett by a remarkably fair interviewer:
http://www.channel3000.com/news/9560741/detail.html

For those of you who are unaware of it, a Republican Congressman has publicly praised the views of BYU professor Steven E. Jones who like Barrett also thinks Bush deliberately allowed 9/11 to happen and used explosives to bring down three of the WTC buildings, details here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=125&topic_id=100977&mesg_id=100977