Death of a professor

[TheBaldyMan]

There is now a systematic campaign to assassinate Iraqis who speak out against the occupation

Haifa Zangana
Tuesday February 28, 2006
The Guardian

In a letter to a friend in Europe, Abdul Razaq al-Na'as, a Baghdad university professor in his 50s, grieved for his killed friends and colleagues. His letter concluded: "I wonder who is next!" He was. On January 28 al-Na'as drove from his office at Baghdad University. Two cars blocked his, and gunmen opened fire, killing him instantly.

rest of the article can be found at this link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1719417,00.html

[malaise]

1. The silence from colleagues

across the globe is deafening. I guess academic peers will wake up when it's our turn. I'm sending this to colleagues.

[Hissyspit]

2. The silence against the war in Iraq among academics in the U.S.

has been deafening. I've been pretty disappointed in my colleagues, as well. And against the rise of the fascist Americans.

[malaise]

3. Amazing and frightening

Academics were once brave

[Selatius]

5. People are afraid of being the next Ward Churchill

Nobody wants that kind of trouble from the public. Nevermind the federal government and its NSA or FBI or whatever else that hides in the government.

Sometimes fear alone is the best weapon to keep people silenced. It is quite a sophisticated weapon to silence dissent, far more so than a billie club or barb wire fences and guard towers for political prisoners.

[malaise]

6. Well we either all stand up

or all lose freedoms we claim to cherish.

[TheBaldyMan]

9. OT - What has happened to Ward Churchill ?

most people seem to refer to him like he's a bad smell.

Personally I think he is an academic that has spoken out on issues that need to be spoken about and has done so in an admirable way. I'd say he was more Noam Chomsky than Richard Perl.

What's not to like about the guy ?

Could someone please explain, I'm perplexed.

[Selatius]

14. He spoke an ugly truth about some people in the WTC/Pentagon

Some number of those people who died on 9/11 who worked in the office towers directly drove or encouraged the system of exploitation that made America rich and powerful and subjugated billions in the third world leading to their impoverishment and starvation. Did Ward Churchill say these big business types were innocent? The answer is most definitely no.

However, I don't think he meant janitors and firefighters and others deserved to die as well because they're not the ones calling the shots on Wall Street or calling up the big business lobbyists on Capitol Hill.

However, where I part from Ward Churchill is attempting to judge whether one is worthy of life or death. I won't go there. That's God's realm.

Do I believe Churchill is correct in condemning those in the business world who aided and abetted the exploitation of many people for power, profit, and control? Yes.

But do I believe they should die as a result of exploiting and sometimes brutally exploiting others? No, that's not my call. I believe people like that should be put in prison for life with no parole and made to atone for their wrongful ways, not put to death.

[TheBaldyMan]

15. thanks for the reply

If he has been ostracised for not automatically falling into lockstep over 9-11 then he goes even higher in my estimation.

Even if he says that the financiers deserved to die I won't condemn him for that. I can sympathise with his view in the light of the thousands if not millions who have perished because of the fat cats' greed. That was the precise reason the WTC had been a long standing target.

It is possible to agree with a terrorist's point without being a terrorist oneself and so give the lie to the whole 'you are with us or with the terrorists' baloney.

[fasttense]

4. Seems a lot of people I once thought would not stand for murder

torture, manipulation, smears and lies are rolling over and doing what the bush* regime wants: reporters, professors, scientists, religious leaders, writers, some Democratic leaders, government officials, law enforcement. It is very sad to see so many people doing the bidding of the corrupt, incompetent and evil with so little effort. I wonder if the Nazis were amazed at how easy it was to take over Germany? I wonder if the bush* regime is amazed at the support from normally brave and honorable people?

[Hissyspit]

7. kick

[newswolf56]

8. Thank you for posting this.

Kicked/recommended. :kick:

[TheBaldyMan]

10. gratuitous self kick

[Hissyspit]

11. I'll give you a kick, too.

This one is not "sexy," so it's not getting the votes it deserves.

[eppur_se_muova]

12. K&R, now we need one more. nt

[AuntiBush]

13. Kicked & Nominated

The silence is defenying, at that.

[izzybeans]

16. I will be passing this on.

Though I suspect that most academics aren't silent...just underground. ;)

[atommom]

17. See also this thread on the targeting of Iraqi professionals like

doctors and teachers. Clearly, this isn't a good time to be an intellectual in Iraq. :(

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2485210&mesg_id=2485210