Barrett to talk on 9/11 belief

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/loca...100490&ntpid=3

(Gold9472: Sorry I've been neglecting you Kevin... )

9/26/2006

UW-Madison lecturer Kevin Barrett will talk Sunday at the university about his controversial belief that the U.S. government was complicit in the 9/11 attacks, prompting two elected officials on Tuesday to again call for his termination.

Barrett, a member of Scholars for 9/11 Truth, will appear with another member of that group, James Fetzer, on Sunday at Van Hise Hall.

The talk, titled "A Folklorist Looks at 9/11 'Conspiracy Theories,'" is sponsored by the UW-Madison's Folklore Program. Fetzer, a professor at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, will talk about "9/11: What We Know Now That We Didn't Know Then." The talks are scheduled from 2 to 4:30 p.m., with the room to be announced.

State Rep. Steve Nass, R- Whitewater, repeated his calls for Barrett to be removed as a university lecturer. Nass also criticized the university's sponsorship of the lecture, which is non-financial. U.S. Rep. Mark Green, Republican candidate for governor, echoed Nass' call for the university to terminate Barrett, calling his views "absurd and slanderous."

"The taxpayers of Wisconsin and the tuition-paying families aren't interested in supporting the University of Wingnuts in Madison," Nass said in a prepared statement, calling Barrett's employment by the university "embarrassing."

UW-Madison Provost Phil Farrell this summer had advised Barrett not to use his university position as a forum for his controversial views.

"So far the evidence of what's happening in his course (Islam: Religion and Culture) is ... that he has been able to separate his personal opinions from what he's teaching in the class and what the students are expected to learn," Farrell said.

He said Barrett was giving his talk as a member of the 9/11 group, not a university employee. Farrell added that once a department has decided to sponsor a lecture based on its academic value, "Speakers are pretty much free to say what they like. We don't control what they say."

UW-Madison Folklore Program director James Leary said the talks would focus on the "legends and rumors and so-forth that circulated at the grass-roots level" about 9/11 and how they "depart from the official pronouncements of institutions like government and so forth."

"This is an important and legitimate issue to discuss from a number of different perspectives," Leary and, "so my feeling is, in the interest of free speech and broad exchange, why not allow this?"

Barrett agreed, saying, "If the university is not the place to be thinking about the most important event of the 21st century, where is?"

He added that Nass' repeated calls for his resignation were becoming comical. "I'm starting to feel like Bugs Bunny and Nass is Elmer Fudd."

Green, Nass renew calls for UW to fire instructor

http://nbc15.madison.com/news/headlines/4242446.html

11:07 PM Sep 26, 2006

Green and Representative Steve Nass of Whitewater reacted Tuesday
to news that a UW- Madison department was sponsoring a lecture on
Sunday by Kevin Barrett titled: ``9-11: Folklore and Fact.''

Barrett says the BBC is expected to film the lecture as part of a story on those who share the view that US government officials and not terrorists are responsible for the attacks.

He says his talk will focus on research into how folklore studies methodology can be applied to look at the movement of those who question the official version of the attacks.

The UW-Madison folklore program is sponsoring the lecture, which Provost Patrick Farrell says is routine and perfectly appropriate.

Barrett's Planned 9/11 Lecture Brings Backlash

http://www.wkowtv.com/index.php/news/story/p/pkid/24968

Tue 09/26/2006 - A Republican lawmaker says UW-Madison instructor Kevin Barrett's plan for a special lecture on 9/11 on campus Oct.1 should get him fired.

Barrett has been teaching a course on Islam this semester, with strict university instructions to contain discussion of Barrett's theory^the 9/11 tragedy was orchestrated by the government.

Barrett is now stepping outside the classroom, but still on campus, to talk about his 9/11 conspiracy theory, without any restrictions.

A group committed to proving the 9/11 tragedy was the work of our government is hyping^Barrett's lecture on its website.

The university's Folklore department is sponsoring Barrett's planned campus lecture.

Barrett says his talk will be primarly about academic methodology.^ He says the 9/11 event provides a relevant example of how folklore has evolved into a web-based phenomenon in modern times.

But Barrett says it's critical 9/11 is discussed.

"Face it, the latest poll showed 36 percent of the American people believe it's likely the U.S. government either allowed or actually perpetrated the 9/11 attack."

"They should fire him," Rep. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) said.

Nass says Barrett is breaking university ground rules.

"Kevin Barrett is not supposed to link the university or its facilities, his classroom in particular, to advance his 9/11 theory ideas."

In a July 20 letter, UW-Madison Provost Patrick Farrell^warned Barrett, "if you continue to identify yourself with UW-Madison in your personal political messages...I would lose confidence that your assurances with regard to the course can be believed."

But Farrell says his confidence in Barrett's ability to properly teach the course remains.

Farrell says Barrett's planned campus lecture does not constitute what Farrell's^letter warned against:^"An inability to control your interest in publicity for your ideas."

"We provide venue for a wide variety of speakers,"^ Farrell said.

"If there is a department that sees academic value in what you have to say, they'll sponsor you."

Nass says university officials are abdicating their responsibility by allowing Barrett to use the university connection to try to gain credibility for his 9/11 theories.

The event is expected to receive coverage from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).