Bomber-turned-academic Bill Ayers is speaking out, and the Chicago Tribune dutifully has its steno pad in hand.
In an April 24 story, Trib staffer Steve Schmadeke laid out how "Ayers, though quieter, [is] 'still outspoken.'"
Bill Ayers, a former radical leader turned academic and school reformer, has never been hesitant to speak his mind.
Although there has been no public response from him since his ties to Barack Obama — the two neighbors served on a charity board together for three years — were brought up during last week's Democratic debate, Ayers said Wednesday that he has a good reason for his silence.
He doesn't want to feed the flawed "narrative" out in the press and blogosphere — one that has commentators on Ayers' own blog wondering why someone hasn't shot him dead yet.
Schmadeke never directly called Ayers a "bomber," but noted that Ayers remains unrepentant for his radical past, including well, bombs set off by his Weather Underground. Yet even that was quickly followed up by assuring readers that Ayers has since become such a staple of Chicago civic life.:
Ayers and Dohrn have since become a respected part of the city's establishment. Mayor Richard Daley was among those who came to Ayers' defense after the debate.
But, Ayers writes on his blog, he has never escaped his past. Nor has he ever explicitly apologized, saying the times and his actions need a more nuanced rendering.
Ah, yes nuance, like hinting that Ayers is now not a radical, he's just a "maverick" (emphasis mine):
Ayers' reluctance to answer questions resembles another previously outspoken maverick turned potential political liability.
Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr., the retired pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ where Obama has attended for more than 20 years, has been atypically quiet after controversial Internet sound bites of his sermons roiled Obama's campaign.
Ayers is still outspoken on his leftist politics at his blog. As I noted recently, the former Weather Underground leader is a critic of not only the war in Iraq but in Afghanistan, a position that is to the left of even Sens. Obama and Clinton. In a recent blog post, Ayers called for the dismantling of U.S. military bases in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey and having an international commission calculate how much the United States "owes" Afghanistan and Iraq.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
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Comments Policy
A "former radical turned
April 24, 2008 - 09:21 ET by Dr_LibertyA "former radical turned academic"?! It is written as if those two things are antithetical. It shoud read "a terrorist accused of bombing the Pentagon and radical academic."
Hey parents ... your academic dollars at work!
<insert witty signature here>
Sunshine and lollipops
April 24, 2008 - 09:24 ET by Dr_LibertySunshine, lollipops and rainbows
everything that is radical when I feel we're together
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60's
April 24, 2008 - 10:28 ET by iveseenitallI lived the era of Ayers, et.al. Disgusting, anti-American haters all. For this clown Barry to associate with Ayers in any context demonstrates what he is. Scum like Ayers should have been sent away for life. Instead, like so many other radicals, he went into "education" in order to indocrinate willing lemmings like the Obamas. Our "schools" have been crawling with these anti-social "socialists" for decades. Ayers and his murderous comrades found a home in our nation's classrooms, along with the rest of those who want to "change" America. Go to any "education" course for teachers and listen to the cry, "Be an agent for change". I cringe every time I hear that word "change" from Barry. He and his wife are Ayers, Wright, et.al. apostles, bowing at the alter of communism. Within the anti-American, hate-filled, communist world of people like Ayers modern "liberalism" was born. If Barry or Hillary get elected, big trouble has finally come to our shores. Americans better open their eyes.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
This is one reason shools stink today
April 24, 2008 - 10:28 ET by terrigAs I said last week, I was fortunate in the early 80's not to have to deal with clowns like this in the College of Education-they taught us to teach not be tin horn dictators in the classroom unlike today but I digress.
Why aren't these clowns still in jail? The city of Chicago is a political sewer. Daley and his old man should have been the Clown Father and Son team at the Ringling Brothers Circus.
Barry & Mikki Obama, the Chicago City Council & Mayor as well as the Ayers idiots all deserve each other. Unfortunately, our country doesn't but with all the fools who buy into this garbage, I'm afraid we're headed for big trouble.
I graduated from UIC, the
April 24, 2008 - 10:43 ET by futbolisgreat1I graduated from UIC, the university in Chicago where this fiend, Ayers, teaches.
He is actually a tenured professor in the College of Education at UIC.
Yes, this monster, this unrepentant terrorist, is shapping the mind of future teachers. No wonder our educational system is in the toilet.
While I never had him as a professor, I have had close encounters with this terrorist pig and I have friends that did have him as a proferssor.
This guy is as bad or worst than the Colorado professor who was fired, I forget his name.
Ayers is not only an unrepetant terrorist, he is a radical, left wing lunatic who has greatly influenced Barack Obama's political career.
What no one in the media is saying is that when Barack Obama decided to run for Senator for the State of Illinois in 1995, his campaign kick off party was at William Ayers' home.
I can guarantee you that if Barack Obama becomes President, he will take Ayers with him to Washington and place him in some high government position to influence the American educational system.
Barack Obama is a radical, a crazed out left wing radical, just like William Ayers.
A little more information about William Ayers, he is the son of Thomas G. Ayers, former CEO and chairman of Common Wealth Edison (The electrical company in Illinois). Ayers grew up in Glen Ellyn, IL, one of the richest suburbs of Chicago. he was radicalized at the University of Michigan.
As you can see, this imbecile is your typical filthy rich, spoiled brat left wing radical who wants to impose on others his radical believes. He couldn't do it through speeches and laws, thus he started bombing Chicago police stations and DC area Fedearl buildings which resulted in the death of innocent bystanders.
This man is a monster, a true monster. I encourage everyone to contact the University of Illinois at Chicago and DEMAND an explanation of why this university has as part of its faculty William Ayers.
Here is the contact information. Flood UIC with e-mails and phone calls, especially those of us who are from Illinois, since our tax money is being used to pay this radical, left wing terrorist pig.
http://education.uic.edu/directory.cfm?page=faculty_info&netid=bayers&more=publications
William Ayers, Professor
Department of Curriculum & Instruction
Email: bayers@uic.edu
Office Phone: 312-996-9689
UIC President
B Joseph White
312-413-9097
bjwhite@uic.edu
Board of Trustees
312-413-1775
mthompsn@uic.edu
College of Education
Dean
Victoria J. Chou 3004 EPASW
312-996-5641
vchou@uic.edu
Coulter
April 24, 2008 - 10:47 ET by AgnosticUnder recommendation I read Ann Coulter's column on the Weather Underground this morning and for once I didn't think her bombastic style was insulting enough. Well worth a read.
Aryers' Resume
April 24, 2008 - 11:03 ET by iveseenitallUnless it's a typo, Ayers' resume states that got his Masters and Doctorate in the same year, 1987. How is this possible? Of course, most degrees in "education" are a joke anyway.
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal"
Agnostic.... I too read
April 24, 2008 - 12:18 ET by bigtimerAgnostic....
I too read her column....it is great, right to the point, and has new information I didn't know about Ayers and Dohrn, the Manson remarks are deplorable, let alone the ditty to Lay Lady Lay that they must think was oh so cute ...plus helping Obama since '95 during his political inception.....great work Ann!
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
Typical
April 24, 2008 - 11:21 ET by sanergononlibHow many former abortion clinic bombers are teaching now at prestigious universities? I'll wait for you all to look this up.
It frosts me the way
April 24, 2008 - 11:56 ET by maggieqpublicIt frosts me the way unrepentant militant socialists like Ayers and Dohrn lead lucrative middle class lifestyles on the backs of productive wage-earners and taxpayers.
In the Schmadeke article, Ayers refers to himself as “outspoken”. Some of us see Ayers and Dohrn as pathetic middle-aged purveyors of sedition who are desperate to romanticize and legitimize their violent pasts.
you have already been warned.
April 25, 2008 - 03:14 ET by JWFDon't make billy angry, you won't like him when he gets angry.
Seriously now, there is a war on and billy does not like this war.
It is not the same this time, now billy has friends in high places.
You, yes you, you are not listening, you are going in billy's blog.