The primacy of liberal democracy within western civilization is unquestionable. A quest to uphold and understand the fundamental principles of freedom, and in particular the freedom of speech, has yet to cease since the dawning of our relatively youthful republic. And even when we are faced with overwhelming temptation to silence the voice of those with whom we disagree, it is also true that restraint is the order of the day when considering if speech ever ought to be restricted.

However, every so often America is faced with an individual whose speech is so abhorrent to one’s sentiments that action is almost unavoidable. And just as our times have proven themselves unique, not all of the problems we face are so new.

Ward Churchill, a professor at the Colorado University at Boulder, has recently provided much controversy surrounding both his published works and recent comments. He has compared the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to Nazis, proclaiming them to be “little Eichmanns,” referring to the man who organized the Holocaust and mass slaughter of Jews.

But hey, these people aren’t even victims, as the good professor goes on to inform us as he opines, “Let’s get a grip here, shall we? True enough, they were civilians of a sort. But innocent? Gimme a break. They formed a technocratic corps at the very heart of America’s global financial empire — the ‘mighty engine of profit’ to which the military dimension of U.S. policy has always been enslaved — and they did so both willingly and knowingly.”

To go one step further (if such a step is even imaginable), Churchill suggests that “it may be that more 9/11s are necessary.”

In Ward Churchill’s twisted sense of right and wrong, those who died in the Twin Towers were complicit in American “crimes” and deserved their fate. Following in the wake of these comments, the governor of Colorado, Republican Bill Owens, has called for Churchill to be fired.

In times like these, it is important not to lose sight of the important values upon which our nation was founded and consider them carefully before determining what speech is deserving of restriction. And it is in this sense that we, as Americans, should be proud. The fact that there even is such a debate in the first place speaks volumes to the truth of freedom and our commitment to the rule of law as a people.

However, we should not be afraid to condemn speech that is repugnant to the senses and shakes any patriot to their moral core. Do not forget — Ward Churchill does not distinguish between Democrats or Republicans. This is an attack upon us all as Americans, proclaiming us guilty of crimes we never committed and apologizing for the terror inflicted upon us by a group of Islamic fascists seeking to subvert our way of life.

Churchill should be allowed to speak his mind. He must never face any criminal proceedings for his words, nor should they be censored in any way.

But the people of Colorado should not have to pay for his pulpit.

One could respect his belief that Americans may have caused their fate through poor policy choices, agree or disagree, and move on. Nevertheless, one cannot simply stand by as a tenured professor at a public university actively supports the slaughter of American citizens to teach us a lesson.

If this man were a public official, it is likely that his comments would be seen as borderline treasonous. Luckily for him, he is not.

If he lived in any country less free than America, it is likely he would be hung. Luckily for him, he does not.

If he had said that members of a particular religious or minority group deserve death, it is likely he would already have been fired. Luckily for him, he did not.

There is a rotten core at the heart of academia in the United States, and nowhere is this more obvious than at CU. While on the one hand, academics love to distinguish between supporting terrorism and opposing American policy, that line is slowly becoming far less obvious. Taking an honest, principled stand against American policy, be it against the War on Terror, the Iraq War or economic policy pre-9/11, is a genuinely American characteristic. Dissent is an admirable trait, even if this author generally disagrees with many of the critiques.

But Ward Churchill is not truly against the war. He’s on the other side.

While the nobility of free speech is undeniable, the right of individuals to spew comments shocking to the moral nature of the community (in this case, the citizens of Colorado) does not trump the rights of that community.

The people of Colorado have a right — not to demand that their opinions are forced upon students, but to demand that their basic values are reflected in the teaching paid for by their tax dollars.

Only the most absolutist libertarian could defend such comments — there must be some line in the sand, and this certainly crosses that line.

Zach Stern ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science.