Jasper Journal

Good news department:

Ward Churchill, former professor  of the Ethnic Studies Dept at the University of Colorado, plagiarist, and fraud, was apparently speechless today.  A Denver Court issued a ruling on his case against the university.

 According to the Denver Post,  in a 42-page decision issued today, Denver District Judge  Larry Naves agreed with the university that Churchill’s presence on the Boulder campus would suggest that the university tolerated academic misconduct.

“The evidence was credible that professor Churchill will not only be the most visible member of the department of ethnic studies if reinstated, but that reinstatement will create the perception in the broader academic community that the department of ethnic studies tolerates research misconduct,” Naves wrote.

“In addition, this negative perception has great potential to hinder students graduating from the department of ethnic studies in their efforts to obtain placement in graduate programs,” he wrote.

Naves also refused to order CU to provide front pay, saying there were no actual damages that the money would remedy. And he said that Churchill didn’t seek to mitigate his losses by getting another job.

“Professor Churchill’s own statements during the trial established that he has not seriously pursued any efforts to gain comparable employment but has, instead, chosen to give lectures and other presentations as a means of supplementing his income. Reportedly, he even ‘received a few job offers’ that he declined to pursue. Under these circumstances, I do not believe an award of front pay is appropriate,” Naves wrote.

Churchill couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

This is the first time in my memory that Ward Churchill did not shoot his mouth off. Enjoy the quiet… Judge Naves, you have made my day!

Today we have three examples of arrogance to learn from . In no particular order we have first, the conclusion of the formal part of the Ward Churchill trial against the University of Colorado , taking place in Denver. That this pompous radical, a  throwback to the sixties , would have the nerve to sue CU after being caught with his phony feathers down, is pure arrogance. He was caught in a lie and for plagiarism. But no, we are going to claim a first amendment violation. The jury deliberated for five hours today, four hours and fifty nine minutes too long if you ask me. Hopefully tomorrow they will put this aging faux indian relic back where he belongs.

Second, the Denver Bronco’s have given their whining, cry baby quarterback his wish and are going to send him and his hurt feelings packing. Whatever the rights or wrong of the situation, no one is indispensable and that includes a 25 year old quarterback who has yet to show his potential. His arrogance among other things was thinking he could snub the coach and owner indefinitely. There is such a thing as common courtesy, and he didnt show it. It’s time to grow up Jay. See how you like playing and living in Detroit… maybe Denver isnt all that bad?

Finally, we have our president. As if the gift snafu with Prime Minister Brown wasnt enough, his gift to the queen  may have topped that. It was an IPOD containing  40 Broadway showtunes, highlights of her visit to America, and videos of his greatest speeches .  He also gave her a table top book on Rogers and Hammerstein.

I can just see the queen humming along to these tunes.  Here is a list for your perusal. Put your cursor on the area below, left click  and hold it down while scrolling across to see the songs

Songs on the iPod are:

• “Oklahoma!”
• “If I Loved You,” Jan Clayton, “Carousel”
• “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” Jan Clayton, “Carousel”
• “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” Ethel Merman, “Annie Get Your Gun”
• “Once in Love with Amy (Where’s Charley?),” Ray Bolger
• “Some Enchanted Evening,” “South Pacific”
• “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” Carol Channing, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”
• “Getting to Know You,” Gertrude Lawrence, “The King and I”
• “Shall We Dance?” Gertrude Lawrence, “The King and I”
• “I Could Have Danced All Night,” Julie Andrews, “My Fair Lady”
• “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” Rex Harrison, “My Fair Lady”
• “The Party’s Over (Bells Are Ringing),” Judy Holliday
• “Maria,” “West Side Story”
• “Tonight,” “West Side Story”
• “Seventy Six Trombones,” “The Music Man”
• “Everything’s Coming up Roses,” Ethel Merman, “Gypsy”
• “The Sound of Music”
• “Try to Remember,” Jerry Orbach, “The Fantasticks”
• “Camelot,” Richard Burton
• “If Ever I Would Leave You,” Robert Goulet, “Camelot”
• “Hello, Dolly!” Carol Channing
• “If I Were a Rich Man,” Zero Mostel, “Fiddler on the Roof”
• “People,” Barbra Streisand, “Funny Girl”
• “On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever),” John Cullum
• “The Impossible Dream,” Richard Kiley, “Man of La Mancha”
• “Mame,” Charles Braswell
• “Cabaret,” Liza Minnelli
• “Aquarius, Ronald Dyson, “Hair’
• “Send in the Clowns,” Judy Collins, “A Little Night Music”
• “All That Jazz,” Chita Rivera, “Chicago”
• “One,” “A Chorus Line”
• “Tomorrow,” Andrea McArdle, “Annie”
• “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” Patti LuPone, “Evita”
• “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” Jennifer Holliday, “Dreamgirls”
• “Memory,” Elaine Paige, “Cats”
• “The Best of Times,” George Hearn, “La Cage Aux Folles”
• “I Dreamed a Dream,” Aretha Franklin, “Les Miserables”
• “The Music of the Night,” Michael Crawford, “The Phantom of the Opera”
• “As If We Never Said Goodbye,” Elaine Paige, “Sunset Blvd.”
• “Seasons of Love,” “Rent”

Somehow I just dont see the Queen and Prince Phillip tapping their toes to these hits in the royal limo or coach with their ear buds in. And for his speeches to be included, well that is uber- arrogance.  Perhaps all this was an April Fools joke. Unfortunately I dont think so.

Tomorrow at the University of Colorado a rally is being held in support of  fired  Professor Ward Churchill. You remember him of the 9/11 diatribe against the  victims  he called little Eichmanns, ?  Well he was fired from the University for among other things lying on his application, which we might call fraud, and plagiarism which we might call a lack of integrity.  But that is not how the liberal academics see it.  To them, this is an assault on his free speech, and he is suing the state to get his job back. Well in the alternate reality of liberalism, coming to speak in his defense is none other than William Ayers . Yes, the Obama friend,  former terrorist, and unrepentent member of the Weather Underground will come to defend free speech in Boulder.

 This whole debate is fallacious. The university has every right to insist on honesty and integrity in its professors. As a parent with two children going there I would insist on it .  But this is not the debate that is being held.  They are switching the argument from the deceitfulness of Churchill to a defense of his right to espouse nauseating dogmas.  The actual court case begins on Monday and the former governor of Colorado will be involved. I am watching anxiously to see where this will go. I am hopeful that sanity will prevail. However in this climate of liberal control of so much today , it is possible that the courts could force the university to take Churchill back. That would be a truly dark day not just for the university but for the integrity of the system. We cannot allow this to happen. Churchill has every right to be an ass. He does not have a right to lie and cheat. I would not expect that  from a student and I certainly would not expect that from a tenured professor.