You can't say Ward Churchill without invoking a debate in the academic community. This man with his provactive stances has forced many individuals to think, and others to turn their heads and look the other way. Unfortunately as was the case in Hamilton College in western New York, the reaction was to turn away.

Ward Chruchill is an interesting figure. He is part Native American, and is deeply committed to his spirtual beliefs against the evils of capitalism. He sees our massive monuments of steel and concerete that makes up our cities as being the cloth of our dominance over the world. Certianly he is right when it comes to both our military and economic forces. If the United States embraces an idea, the world must follow it or be forced to follow it. In many ways it is a a new form of nazism as described in his calling of America "little ichemans".

Such sirring criticism of the US foreign policy is not new. Many radicals would deeply agree him. Indeed, the late Susan Sontag once stated that she thought the US got what it deserved on September 11th. Those remakrs where tasteless, inconsiderate, and shameful in our world of post-9/11, but they also spoke a truth that was so denied in those days.

Hamilton College should have stood up to the threats and allowed Ward Churchill to come. Maybe extra security should have been there, as long as it was put into context. His speech might have been disruptful and tasteless, but it did rise some interesting critisim of the post-September 11th world. Let's hope other schools are braver then Hamilton College.