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Monday, March 07, 2005

Ward's response to Caplis and Silverman

Dan Caplis and Craig Silverman are two radio jocks who have devoted their four hour program to Ward Churchill. Prior to making Ward the daily topic of their program, they spent their airtime denouncing the acquittals of those who were arrested for protesting the Columbus Day Convoy of Conquest. At that time, they both claimed that the celebration of the Genocide of Native Peoples was not cause for offense. They also said that taxpayer money should be spent to protect the Convoy because "you can't put a price on freedom of speech."

Dan Caplis is a Republican and Craig Silverman is a former state prosecutor. They are employed by Clear Channel and the corporation recently paid for an ad that the two put into a local newspaper. This past weekend, the Rocky Mountain News featured an op-ed piece by the two radio jocks. Here is an excerpt.

Churchill's active advocacy of violence demands his firing

By Dan Caplis And Craig Silverman
March 5, 2005

'Why, by the way, did it take Arabs to do what people here should have done a long time ago?" CU professor Ward Churchill asked his Seattle audience during a recorded discussion of the 9/11 attacks (Aug. 10, 2003).

There is a concerted effort by Ward Churchill and his supporters to limit the current debate to a discussion of his outrageous correlation of World Trade Center victims to "little Eichmanns." Such strategy is logical because, as grotesque and indecent as that analogy was, it would not alone warrant dismissal.
Read further in that Churchill essay, and he states that terrorists may next deliver a "dose of medicine" in the possible form of anthrax, mustard gas, sarin and/or a tactical nuclear device in order to "push back" and teach evil America a lesson. "As they should," professor Churchill proclaimed. "As they must."

For the intellectually curious, this was an invitation to explore further the professor's teachings. We promptly obtained and reviewed the prolific writings and recorded speeches of professor Churchill.

Colorado's public records laws were immediately utilized to gain access to nonprivileged information from CU. full op-ed


This is Ward's response.

Once again what I have said has been turned into the opposite of itself.

First, Dan Caplis, Craig Silverman, and numerous other right-wing media spinmeisters asserted that I "advocated" terrorist attacks on the United States in my op-ed piece of September 12, 2001.

Even a casual reading of that piece, as well as the 300-page book On the Justice of Roosting Chickens in which I more fully explicated and documented my argument, reveals that I did not advocate such attacks. Rather, I pointed out that they were and will continue to be the inevitable result of a U.S. foreign policy that disregards the rule of law and results in massive death and destruction abroad.

Next, the dynamic duo and their colleagues attempted to discredit me through an endless stream of personal attacks. These have failed because the facts, even though not reported in the media, do not support their assertions.

Now, in both a paid ad and a prominently featured op-ed piece, Caplis and Silverman have resorted to the outright and defamatory lie that I have actively sought to incite "violent revolution."

I have done no such thing. To the contrary, what I have consistently advocated over the years is the rule of law.

The great bulk of my scholarly work has been devoted to documenting the United States' disregard for law and the resulting violence it has perpetrated both domestically and internationally. I believe that such practices inevitably breed violence in response, and that the most effective way to ensure the security of all peoples is adherence to the Constitution and international law, particularly the laws of war and fundamental human rights law.

As citizens, it is our collective responsibility to ensure such compliance with law. This is the actual meaning of the quote on Arabs misrepresented by Caplis and Silverman in both their ad and their op-ed. My point was that it is our job to halt the criminal conduct of the U.S. government, rather than leaving the task to those from other countries who suffer the consequences of its illegalities.

Following the position articulated by Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson at Nuremberg in 1945, I believe that we have not only the right but the legal obligation to compel lawful behavior from the government that is acting in our name.

I document the systemic violence perpetrated by the U.S. government in the hope that Americans will take this responsibility to heart and use political means to change government policy. I would vastly prefer that this happen through nonviolent means. However, I cannot say that nonviolence is the only legitimate response to systemic violence.

The principle of self-defense is not mysterious: When one is subjected to aggression, it is the perpetrator, not the victim, who dictates the terms of engagement.

Although I am plainly no pacifist, I have never advocated terrorist attacks on Wall Street, downtown Seattle, or anywhere else. To make it appear otherwise, Caplis and Silverman have taken material out of context and turned it on its head. My comments in this regard, made to a small group of young anarchists gathered in a Seattle bookstore, went to the idea that they would not accomplish anything useful by marginalizing themselves and engaging in random acts of sabotage along the social periphery.

Drawing upon German theorist Rudi Dutschke's concept of "a long march through the institutions," I therefore proposed the alternative that they attempt to work from within the institutional setting, as I
myself have done. The "weapons" I referred to were young people's own consciousness and capacity to transmit it. Along the way, I also pointed out that as relatively privileged Euroamericans, they were ideally situated to undertake such a project..

Caplis and Silverman are seeking for their own reasons to con the public into believing that I am an active proponent of terrorism. This is not only false, it is extraordinarily dangerous. By framing my
statements as they have, and then repeatedly broadcasting their spin to a broad audience, there is an obvious possibility that they might actually precipitate an act of terror by some unbalanced individual.
Should this turn out to be the case, the responsibility will be theirs, not mine.

Ward Churchill
Boulder, Colorado
March 5, 2005

21 Comments:

At 6:12 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

''In a pigs eye'' ...Ward Churchill has Indian blood or even culturally Indian for that matter.

 
At 6:12 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

''In a pigs eye'' ...Ward Churchill has Indian blood or even culturally Indian for that matter.

 
At 6:16 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

That would like the chickens coming home to roost..eh Ward?

 
At 8:23 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Professor Churchill is a great teacher, and leader.

Use ward's books to unbrainwash yourself. I am still recovering from the American Brainwashing system known as the University system.

I have learned more from Professor Churchill's books than I learned in all four years of college.

All power to the People!

Max Macias

 
At 5:10 PM, Blogger piety piet said...

I compiled media mentions of Ward Churchill in a googlelike nonchronological hodgepodge fashion with the added value (I am confident it deserves that characterization, even if only for visual variety) of a comment and quote here and there; hundreds of links going on 300K:
blog offshoot

 
At 5:29 PM, Blogger piety piet said...

part 2

 
At 5:30 PM, Blogger piety piet said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

 
At 9:27 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Max who is Ward leading besides yourself and all the wannabes out there in new age land ? He certainly isn't leading any legitimate Indigenous Peoples outside the Ivory Tower. Keep reading your books because that's where Ward's ideas of Indian-ness seems to manifest from and not from a living, breathing Indian community....go ask the Keetowah Cherokee if Ward is a leader from their nation.

 
At 7:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dan Caplis a amblince chaser lawyer and Craig Silverman a flunky DA. have just showed their legal skills to the world. and how the rule of the law they say they hold so dearly.Truly means nothing when it comes to Ratings and pleaseing their real god and leader Bozo Bill Oriely @ fox news.I have watched Dan and Craig in the name of ratings and sucking up to Bozo Bill at fox take My 1st amnendment and spit on it. This is the true real act of terroism that I see. They have made a radio court room put on a trial of Ward Churchill and with all the legal skills they have they apointed themselves God, Judge,and the jury. and formulated a whictch/mcCarthy style bully CU hang Ward churchhill trial! on what they say is terroim.and as good lawyers would do with no real judge to make things fair or no opisiion with the other side of the story. They went beyond the terroism down to the mans ethnicity and most likely know churchills sex habits thats how low these orielyy suck ups went. If churchills dog bit the lady down his street these two flunky lawyers would have said he orchastrated it to rain more terror on the world. well I heared these bozos side and each example they showed in no way showed any clear intent of any terrism maybe stong activism but thats all.The rest was all in these to clonws minds and how they though best in there court to hang the defendant. I praise them in their trial they held they did a very good jog hanging a man with no defense in there court room. They had the callers screened and hung up on me twice after I stated I was in opistion of there witch hunt. good tactic to create a garrenteed guilty verdivct in a radio courtroom. I am just a plain blue collar guy trying to make a living but have seen this country go down the toilet this last fourr years. I'm a sick of it. I want to stand and this action by khow and clearchannel is the real terror I fear. fox news is the most devisive thing amaerica has. this country and its path is headed for doom if we doo not wake up to sick media that has literly stepped on the consttuion hand hanging peeple in the press. everyone please support this man and if possible a movent needs to start to sue Dan Caplis, Craig Silverman Bill Orielly fox news, and khow this will get my cash donation. not much but I am here to stand up and behinnd mr churchill.the Clows in this circus need to taste real law the legal and fair kind not kangru radio court!
Michael Aurora co

 
At 12:45 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

ATTENTION Ward, Caplis called you a terrorist on Fox News Oreilly factor tonite. Get the tape. Sue him for defamation man.

 
At 7:07 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I saw a tape of your interview
on Bill Maher. You are amazing,
brilliant and wonderful. Thank
you for saying the Truth to
a stupid world who doesn't want
to hear it.
You've been put in the position
of the boy who points out the
Emporer is naked, when everyone
goes along with the illusion
he has on new clothes. Well he
is nude and he is fat and ugly to
boot!
America as a political entity
has been and continues to be an arrogant brute to the majority
of the underprivileged, underarmed,
peoples of the world, and
and especially so, to those with a
huge pot of oil, or other natural
resources, or space for strategic
airbases that suit our exploitative
greedy goals.
I am horrified that no one,
including Bill Maher could differentiate between the
social and political process that
the US applies vs. the personal
and emotional reactions from
the deeply afflicted family members
of the 9.11 tragedies.
It amazes me that you had the
clarity and insight to write so
eloquently and effectively within
24 hours of that shocking day!
You are a splendid leader,
brilliant thinker, effective
communicater, and one of the bravest men in America. I salute
you. Thanks for speaking your
truth.
You are as admirable to me
as Martin Luther King. I just
hope you don't have the same kind
of end. Bless you! Thanks for
helping us look at our patterns,
so we can turn the truck around
and go in the right direction.

 
At 7:10 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I saw a tape of your interview
on Bill Maher. You are amazing,
brilliant and wonderful. Thank
you for saying the Truth to
a stupid world who doesn't want
to hear it.
You've been put in the position
of the boy who points out the
Emporer is naked, when everyone
goes along with the illusion
he has on new clothes. Well he
is nude and he is fat and ugly to
boot!
America as a political entity
has been and continues to be an arrogant brute to the majority
of the underprivileged, underarmed,
peoples of the world, and
and especially so, to those with a
huge pot of oil, or other natural
resources, or space for strategic
airbases that suit our exploitative
greedy goals.
I am horrified that no one,
including Bill Maher could differentiate between the
social and political process that
the US applies vs. the personal
and emotional reactions from
the deeply afflicted family members
of the 9.11 tragedies.
It amazes me that you had the
clarity and insight to write so
eloquently and effectively within
24 hours of that shocking day!
You are a splendid leader,
brilliant thinker, effective
communicater, and one of the bravest men in America. I salute
you. Thanks for speaking your
truth.
You are as admirable to me
as Martin Luther King. I just
hope you don't have the same kind
of end. Bless you! Thanks for
helping us look at our patterns,
so we can turn the truck around
and go in the right direction.

 
At 4:04 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The Globalisation Monster marches on. It's the same ol'song and dance once known as Manifest Destiny. The US policy has never changed, has it? This country is saturated with right-wing reactionary-spinmeisters frothing at anyone that dares speak Truth.
Ward, Keep the Faith Brother.
SH.

 
At 9:56 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

WARD CHURCHILL...''THE GREATEST HOAX SINCE PILTDOWN MAN''!!!

 
At 12:35 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ward Churchill reminds me of the story of the ''little engine that thought he could''...if he kept saying '' I think I am ...I believe I am ..I know I am '' that somehow he could transform into an American Indian. Maybe Ward thought the more he wrote about Indians he could change like a cyborg and hopefully change his D.N.A. Sorry Ward, the cultural appropraition you accuse so many others of employing to further there own agenda has now been directed back to the accuser.

 
At 3:52 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ward Churchill, where are you really from, you have mentioned various tribes. When you start a lie try to stick to one lie only. This way you won't forget which tribe you claimed to be. Can you speak the respective tribes language? Have you sat with your elders and learned? Have you spent time knowing your roots, or did you write your own history to give yourself roots. Ward, you represent noone but yourself.

 
At 9:23 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow Ward you are such an amazing actor!! You even fool the people who ARE AMERICAN INDIANS...don't you all know that he is WHITE!!! How can he lead you?!

 
At 11:13 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Greetings my native brother, I read your books, I want to thank you for telling the truth about American Indian history, the brave are few, I know I'ts a hard road, many will try to shut you up for telling it and I feel sad that some of our own have turned against you, and you have the burden all on yourself, but I can say this much, there were always traitors who went against the great leaders in the past, leaders such as Geronimo, Red-Cloud, Siting-Bull, Crazy-Horse, Metacommet, and many others, but these traitors became only a footnote to be dispized in our history. And I can also say this much, The Ancestors are proud of you. It is so.

 
At 7:24 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ward is no Crazy Horse or Sitting Bull!! He might be another Grey Owl or Jamake Highwater and it's sad to see a person who has accused so many of ''cultural appropriation'' is now the ultimate fraud of all the charlatons in new age land. Comparing Ward to those great Indian leaders is an insult to their memories and thier people.

 
At 10:24 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Big deal if Ward Churchill is a white man....who really gives a damn. So what if his ''ancestor'' is a great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great grea great great great great great great great great Grandmother was a ''Cherokkee Princess''. He's at least an ''Indian'' at heart.

 
At 12:28 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have met ward churchill on numerous occasions. he came and spoke at the college of dupage, and i was one of the only two AIM members that was in attendance. The question of his heritage is irrelevant. My family accepts him as a hero and a brother in struggle. that makes him indian in my book. regardless how can you measure DNA by a persons words or actions. A chimpanzee carries a great deal of our genome. therefore by the antiquated and racist blood quantum laws i declare them all human. Furthermore, i declare them all related to bill O'Reily and all of the America for the Americans cavalry that he rides with. Aside from the shame that the Neo cons clearly feel when broached with the concept that they started this war, is the undeniable fact that Burrying your head in the sand will make it all seem to go away. Your ignorance, superstition, and total lack of positive affirmation displays an ugly truth. You my good god fearing americans are racist brutes. Brutes who believe that the only way to defend and America that you took by walking on the backs of dead Indians, chinease and blacks, is to take the rest of the world utilizing the same kind of force. This time the theft is backfiring on you however. The deunionization and slow destabilzation of the American worker has gauranteed that your children will be hungry sick and dependant on an uncarring government. Welcome to the Rez my friends.


Yours in Struggle,

Kelan Moore
AIM Illinois

 

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