Conspiracy
Ann Althouse, a fierce critic of Kevin Barrett and his teaching at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (where she teaches) notes yet another article about Barrett.
The Badger Herald — which is mostly on summer hiatus — has a new article on the Kevin Barrett controversy. The student reporter, Joanna Pliner, obtained this quote from UW Provost Patrick Farrell (who made the decision to retain the 9/11 denialist):
“I think the political correctness — or non-political correctness — of his views outside the classroom … should not have an impact on whether or not he’s allowed to teach."
Political correctness?
The Herald, unlike various local newspapers, calls attention to the political criticism that comes not just from Republican legislators, but from the Democratic governor Jim Doyle, whose spokesperson is quoted as saying, "The governor would have come to a different decision than the university." Presumably, that means Doyle would have fired Barrett. (Doyle is up for reelection this fall.)
I think the criticism is from a lot of quarters and really is not political in nature from the majority of the critics, either. It is not an academic freedom issue at all, as I have maintained since this whole story broke in the first place. But Althouse has a potential solution that I would love to see happen:
I think the university ought to do something big this fall to respond to the situation. If you really care about free speech — and I think the university does — you believe that the remedy for bad speech is more speech. I would like the university to present speakers this fall on at least two subjects: 1. Why and how conspiracy theories originate and spread, and 2. Debunking the 9/11 conspiracy theories. In the second category, I would like to see Barrett on the stage with experts in engineering, who would make his lack of expertise very obvious to the audience.
He would, indeed look foolish very quickly. Oh, and a bit of education for the conspiracy theorists:
Steel yield strength reduces to 20 percent of its initial (room temperature) value and ultimate tensile strength is reduced to 40 percent of its initial value at 600 °C. Concrete compressive strength is reduced to between 30 percent and 50 percent of its initial value. Concrete tensile strength, which is already low, is also reduced to 30 percent.
Source. (Massive file warning, 25G+)
Since no building is designed to stay up with that severe a degradation of it's support, the wonder is not that the WTC fell. The wonder is that it stayed up as long as it did.
UPDATE: Perhaps Ann Althouse could arrange for a copy of this book to be delivered to Barrett's office – anonymously, of course.
Insanity, Left Wing, The Ivory Tower | Gaius August 8, 2006
Other Links to this Post
-
Blue Crab Boulevard » Blog Archive » Trying To Get Facts Out About 9/11 — September 3, 2006 @ 6:24 am
-
Blue Crab Boulevard » Blog Archive » Ooo! Ooo! Can I Join, too? — September 12, 2006 @ 11:55 am
By Black Jack, August 8, 2006 @ 2:06 pm
Kevin Barrett was one of those insignificant, unsatisfied, and restless academics with a compelling thirst for personal recognition, to be taken seriously, to be considered important and consequential. Rather than continue to be ignored, he willingly severed his connection with rational thought. His rejection of clear fact in favor of mindless speculation opened the door to the publicity and recognition he coveted.
Perversely, his self-deception is his ticket to self-satisfaction. He would rather be labeled a fool than continue to be ignored. He would rather spout nonsense in the public forum than live anonymously among facts. His enemy is reality itself, and his descent into mindless irrelevance beckons irresistibly.