Got a tip via the Tip Line saying that activist and two-time vice presidential candidate for the Communist Party Angela Davis will be speaking tonight on the Georgia Southern campus at 7p:
Davis will speak about what the civil rights movement means for 2011, which Consuela Ward, director of Georgia Southern’s Multicultural Student Center, said will add new perspective to Dr. King’s vision for current and future generations.
“I think it will be a great honor for Georgia Southern to host this living legacy,” Ward said. “I am sure Georgia Southern and the Statesboro community will gain invaluable lessons from her rich insight and experience.”
A political activist since the 1970s, Davis has remained entrenched in the struggle for social justice and equality. Through activism and scholarship in the educational and public spheres, she aims to reshape the future for those facing injustice in the realms of economics, race and gender. Professionally, she teaches feminist studies and history of consciousness at the University of California Santa Cruz.
There’s also another speaker that has be re-invited back GSU. Communist terrorist and Obama supporter Bill Ayers will be speaking on Feb. 7th at 7p. He was originally slated to speak back in 2009, but the invitation was rescinded when the university balked at the $13,000 security bill.
Alan Downs, also an associate professor in the history department, said the possibility of controversy over Ayers’ return does not worry him.
“It might create controversy, but I’m not worried about it,” he said. “It’s okay to have controversy. It’s a good thing; it makes people think.”
…
“It’s okay if people don’t necessarily agree with his distant past. They have the right to do that, but you can’t keep a person from speaking because of that,” said Downs.
Hmm…controversy over his “distant past” that we may not necessarily agree with? You mean a man who was a part of an organization that planted bombs and tried to overthrow the government would cause controversy?! No, surely you jest!!
I wonder how much they’re going to give Mr. Ayers. If I were an alumnus of GSU, I’d certainly be reconsidering the continuance of my donations to them if he was welcomed on campus.
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I’m a 1970 graduate of Ga Southern and you can bet I’ve sent them my last dollar.
Downs is correct, you can’t keep Ayres from speaking. That doesn’t mean you have to pay him do so, or furnish him a microphone
As a 2008 Grad I completely agree with you. I will continue to support the athletic programs by going to games, but as for my annual alumni giving…that’s over!
What about the open exchange of ideas? I’m sure this lecture will generate conversation there on campus – and here on PP, obviously – about the broad concepts of freedom, justice, even the rights of people with non-mainstream points of view to be heard. This conversation, in and of itself, is of value. Isn’t that what America is all about? Don’t we want our citizens to be able to hear alternative points of view, synthesize those points of view, and be able to think and respond critically, if not for anything but to be able to question and challenge those in power, whether liberal or conservative? Or do we want institutions of higher learning to simply be extensions of our underfunded, substandard K-12 education system, propping itself up on the ability of students to regurgitate what we feed them?
This reminds me of a line from the cinematic classic, “The Blues Brothers”:
“We have both kinds of music. Country, and Western.”
“If the sh*t fits, wear it.”
Seems more apropos.
I have as much interest in hearing him speak and spew his hate filled rhetoric as I do for hearing Bin Laden speak. Someone like Ayers absues the very freedom that this great country has provided by promoting the very destruction of the country and actually taking steps to do harm to its citizens. I have no problem with him promoting his point of view, but I do have a problem with him abusing the freedoms in this country in effort to destroy the country where he has such freedom. If this nation is so bad, go somewhere else and speak all you want.
Bill Ayres then David Horowitz would be the free exchange of ideas. Angela Davis then Bill Ayres is rather one sided, don’t you think?
Couple things:
1) Why is Bill Ayers’ personal choice for President relevant? I’m sure criminals and terrorists supported a plethora of candidates.
2) Neither event is about Communism. The one tonight will be about social justice (a subject that seems to be up Davis’ alley) and Ayers will speak about, in essence, First Amendment rights. Yes, it’s odd that they’re both known Communists. But people are allowed to associate with any political ideology. Sorry they’re not Tea Partiers. Not everyone has to be.
3) Your mug shot of Bill Ayers? From 1968. That’s pretty “distant.” When was the last time Bill Ayers was part of the organization? I mean for crysakes, anyone here can talk about how the 1960s was a different time. Doesn’t mean it was right but…oh screw it, you don’t care about a lesson in American history.
Your mug shot of Bill Ayers? From 1968. That’s pretty “distant.”
I’ll see your ’68 Ayers and raise you a ’69 Manson.
1.) It isn’t. Nathan drinks the kool-aid. Want an interesting fact? Sonny Perdue was endorsed by NAMBLA in 2006.
2.) Communists in the Americas are different from the communists you grew up seeing defamed on television. A few lectures on communism, socialism, marxism, and other ideologies might be useful for the ignoramuses that think Obama and the democratic party fit that ticket because they do not unplug from talk radio and FauxNews. These ideologies are real things and have real meanings…just because Rush Limbaugh likes the truculence of calling his dissenters communists does not make it so. Remember…none of these people have training, academic or otherwise, in the fields of political theory, political economy, public policy…go down the line. They are entertainers in the communications industry. Nothing more.
3) It does not matter how long ago anything happened…people have short memories and only remember that which is convenient for them at any given moment. Nathan obviously has forgotten that Nazi Germany treated dissenters, violent or not, as terrorists. I am certain that if Nathan and his ilk had their way after a decade of their rule many of my friends and colleagues from academia, business, and politics would be labeled terrorists merely because we disagree with Nathan.
Why do I think this is so? Because Bill Ayers was neither charged with, nor convicted of, terrorism, for one, secondly, all violent charges brought against him were dropped.
Here we are, 40 years after all of this, and Nathan is more interested in labeling the people he doesn’t like a terrorist rather than learning the facts. Typical conservative. Eat up what you hear from your fuhrer without fact checking. Encyclopedias, history books, works of philosophy and political theory exist to be read and bestow their knowledge. You are not going to learn what socialism or communism are without reading the primary texts and their related works.
You are 100% correct Toxic Avenger! He is not interested in a history lesson. Fox News and conservative talk radio would be out of business if he were.
Worse still…these same people that do not know what socialism, communism and marxism are all hail capitalism and probably do not really understand capitalist theory.
THIS x 1000
A first I thought Pete has posted this, damnit.
Must be some stupid in the water.
Charges being dropped is what happens when the FBI bases it’s case on wiretaps they neglected to get a court order for. It has nothing to do with Ayers being innocent.
“I don’t regret setting bombs, I fee we didn’t do enough” Bill Ayers 9/11/2001
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E1DE1438F932A2575AC0A9679C8B63
+1
Communists in the Americas are different from the communists you grew up seeing defamed on television. A few lectures on communism, socialism, marxism, and other ideologies might be useful for the ignoramuses that think Obama and the democratic party fit that ticket because they do not unplug from talk radio and FauxNews.
Communists in the Americas are different? Really? Despite the proof, both circumstantial and confessional, that the Communist Party USA took orders directly from Moscow? Read The Venona Papers if you must.
Does the name Harry Dexter White ring a bell? What about Alger Hiss? David Greenglass? Julius and Ethel Rosenburg?
Nah, none of them could even spell Moscow.
Repeating the left-wing lie that the CPUSA was always independent of Moscow is a non-starter.
Ken,
What do you know about stars like John Wayne, Lucille Ball, and others who joined the Communist Party in the 40′s? Do you think they really understood what the CP was all about? It cost many Hollywood people their jobs during the McCarthy Era with the blacklisting and other penalties.
Hi LT,
Actually, Wayne was a noted Anti-Communist, complaining loudly about the movie, “High Noon” because of the script implications.
Lucille Ball did register to vote as a member of the CPUSA at her grandfather’s urging but always denied membership in the party itself.
I don’t have a problem with individuals being registered Communists, except that I disagree vehemently with their ideas. I most certainly have problems with individuals who spy against the US for foreign powers or who practice sedition to benefit other countries.
Actually it did cost about 320 people their jobs. There was pressure from the Communist Party to alter scripts to meet the party line. Edward Dmytryk testified before the HUAC and named John Howard Larson, Albert Maltz and Adrian Scott as Communists who actively pressured writers to follow the party line.
If you get a chance, read Reagan’s War by Peter Schweitzer to get a good feel for the pressure put on Hollywood actors, writers and film crews by Communists.
Oh, I forgot to mention that Wayne was a member of the Motion Picture Alliance which worked against Communist influence in Hollywood.
Oops!!! Looks like I had some of my beliefs wrong. Thanks for clearing that up for me. I will look for the book you recommended.
No problem at all. Reagan’s War is a good read, by the way. You may also want to read historian Paul Johnson’s (not the bumblebees’s coach) book, Intellectuals.
Personally, I was sorely disappointed to find that one of my favorite authors, Ernest Hemingway, was a communist and voluntarily altered some of his writing during the Spanish Civil War to toe Moscow’s line. He “repented” later and did include some things disapproved by Moscow.
Yea, I was surprised to find that out also. I really liked his book loosely based on Castro called something like, “Island in the Streams.” The storyline was about trying to bridge the gap between two sons he had abandoned while Cuba was losing its independance.
$13K for security? The man isn’t that important.
He is probably that targeted. “And all life is a blessing? Right”
First of all, GSU is Georgia State University by right of precedence if not size, quality, or the fact that it is a research institution. The fact that these people are speaking at an institution in Statesboro speaks for itself………….
Georgia Southern has been recognized as a Doctoral and Research University by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. They also offer twice as many degrees (104 vs. 52) as Georgia State University. Plus, there are the 6 National Championships.
Beer Pong and Flip Cup are not universally recongnized as National Championship events.
Southern is not a research university…it is a regional university. I can read Wikipedia too.
Furthermore, those are degree programs…not degrees. GSU (georgia state) has over 250 degrees offered as well as being in the top 100 for PhD programs. Southern has only 1 phd program. Look at the endowments and dates of establisment.
I hear Metamucil does wonders.
Forget Wikipedia, look here for a list of research universities
http://www.washington.edu/tools/universities.html
I would personally just as soon be the University of Southern Georgia ( USG) and let you fight with Grambling State as to who is the real GSU
SAT scores are about the same at State and Southern
http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=3718&profileId=6
http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=3741&profileId=6
Nothing compares like good research. Thanks GC.
I remember visiting East Berlin in the old days at the same time Angela Davis was there. The lead headline in “Neues Deutschland” read, “Rote Nelken für Genossin Angela” – Red Carnations for Comrade Angela. She was/is a hard communist.
“Guilty as hell, free as a bird—America is a great country” – Bill Ayers
+1776
lol. its a shame that reference probably went right over Harry’s head
Time to defund a department. GSU will get the message.
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