Scorned Colorado Professor Vows Lawsuit

Ward Churchill, Known For Remarks Linking 9/11 Victims With Nazi Figure, Says He Will Fight Plagiarism Firing

(AP)  A professor scorned for remarks about Sept. 11 victims vowed that his firing over allegations of plagiarism, falsification and other misconduct wouldn't end his 2½-year dispute with the University of Colorado.

"New game, new game," said a defiant Ward Churchill, referring to his intent to sue the university after the state Board of Regents voted 8-1 Tuesday to remove him as ethnic studies chairman.

Three faculty committees had accused Churchill of plagiarism, falsification and other misconduct in portions of his research. The allegations were unrelated to an essay he wrote that likened some victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks to a Nazi leader.

David Lane, Churchill's attorney, said his client's dismissal simply marks a change in venue for the dispute.

"We're out of kangaroo court and going into real court," he said.

Lane plans to file a lawsuit in Denver on Wednesday alleging Churchill's First Amendment rights were violated. He says Churchill was targeted because of his views.

University President Hank Brown said the school had little choice but to fire Churchill to protect the integrity of the university's research.

"I think from all the discussion I've heard, the focus on this question solely related to his research and the efforts to falsify research, and specifically, both the charges and the discussion did not relate to 9/11," Brown said.

Churchill had vowed to file a lawsuit if he was fired, a threat Brown said had no bearing on the decision.

The university's allegations against Churchill included misrepresenting the effects of federal laws on American Indians, fabricating evidence that the Army deliberately spread smallpox to Mandan Indians in 1837 and claiming the work of a Canadian environmental group as his own.

The essay that gained Churchill widespread scorn, "Some People Push Back: On the Justice of Roosting Chickens," was not part of the investigation.

The essay and a follow-up book argued that the 2001 terrorist attacks were a response to a long history of U.S. abuses. Churchill said those killed in the World Trade Center collapse were "a technocratic corps at the very heart of America's global financial empire." He called them "little Eichmanns," referring to Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann.

Churchill wrote the piece shortly after the attacks, but it drew little notice until 2005, when a professor at Hamilton College in upstate New York called attention to it when Churchill was invited to speak there.

The Regents subsequently apologized to "all Americans" for the essay and the Colorado Legislature labeled Churchill's remarks "evil and inflammatory."

Bill Owens, then governor of Colorado, said Churchill should be fired, and George Pataki, then governor of New York, called Churchill a "bigoted terrorist supporter."

School officials concluded Churchill couldn't be dismissed because he was exercising his First Amendment rights. But they launched the investigation into his research in other work.

A faculty committee and an interim chancellor had recommended Churchill be fired. When a second committee reviewed the case, three of its five members recommended suspension. The other two said he should be fired.

Churchill remained on the university payroll but has been out of the classroom since the spring of 2006. The school relieved him of teaching duties after the interim chancellor recommended he be fired.

[honest_news]

Has the preoccupation with "equal opportunity" at our colleges and universities become so all-consuming that they will blindly employ a scam artist with few academic credentials -- and grant him tenure in short order -- simply because he falsely claims to be part Native American?

Exploiting its obsession with minority hiring, Churchill took the University of Colorado for a ride, ensuring his niche by becoming a boisterous activist for "his" people -- the ultimate liberal fail-safe. It wasn't until his bluster became so crude as to equate victims of 9/11 to Nazi war criminals that the university finally began checking this con artist's academic credentials and scholastic integrity -- something they should have done before Churchill was hired.

Shame on the University of Colorado for its prejudicial hiring policies and lax oversight of its teaching staff. Double shame on Cindy Carlisle, who still voted to keep Churchill on the payroll even after proof of his academic misconduct and his fabrication of data had been proven.

[jimmyc1955]

It's not "equal opportunity" but rather "diversity" that created a need to hire such a self promoting con man like Ward Churchill.

I don't know what he will sue for - since he was fired for egregious violations of his academic duty. When Universities rate the race and gender of a professor of greater value than their academic credentials we will continue to have people like Ward Churchill using classrooms to promote irrational positions.

Churchill no more understood the concept of rigorous academic work than a goose does of microelectronics.

Since the native Americans will no longer have anything to do with him, and his academic career is shot he must now reposition himself as a speaker for "native Americans" - kind of like Al Sharpton - nobody but TV gave either of them the title or right to speak for a large segment of th population - but they will pay them highly to say inflammatory things.

[kesac4650]

Every bozo who gets fired screams, "I'll sue". I'll bet he doesn't. The guy is all mouth, and lawyers don't usually take wrongful discharge cases on contingency fees.

[setumstrt9]

I bet he votes for Hilary in 08.

Looks like a crazy lib, and probably smells like one too.

[olebd]

What he needs is a good shampoo and hair cut!

[emsaund1]

Churchill = A Hippie blowhard who despises authority from wAAAAAAY BACK!

Take it from me, this clown does not actually believe what he is saying. He has no idea on how to prosecute a war, nor does have havy any idea on how to respond if attacked. He's a scam artist. But there are 2 things that he DOES know about himself, 1. That it boils his blood that America is the lone superpower. And 2., people that react to political situations the way he does, know's that deep down inside themselves, they hate authority with an extreme passion.

This is why Churchill reacts the way he does. He know's that if he comes right out and states that "He Hates America", then he will be drubbed right out of the country. SO, he masks his hatred behind the anti-Bush govt rally so he has at the very least "a little credibility" to fall back on.

Quite frankly, I cant believe he's gotten the attention of so many people and news outlets. But, I guess you have to get exposed via the media when you give the appearance of being a "NUTCASE"...

[gkc99]

"Since the native Americans will no longer have anything to do with him"--Posted by jimmyc1955

You got a source for that? Or just another self-serving neocon lie?

Wasn't that Russell Means at the press conference with him? Not Indian enough for ya?

[gracchus1]

I posted earlier this morning and was unable to read the comments because I have been in meetings all morning. So, please forgive the duplication. But I have read the posts on this messageboard and am inclined to agree with you. However, two things ought to be considered (although they are minor points, they ought to be realized nonetheless). Sure, I think Churchill should have used better judgment. What he said no doubt created the perfect firestorm. But it is true that the Mandan Tribe was completely eviscerated by smallpox. And the U.S. Army did use smallpox as a biological weapon against indigenous peoples to ensure that there would be adequate land for homesteaders in fulfillment of Jeffersonian and Jacksonian ideology. There is a broad, compelling scholarly literature that has proven this. I would have to look at the sources Churchill cited in footnotes/endnotes about 1837. But as far as the Canadian Environmental group claim and the rest goes, he is on his own with that.

[michellem99-2009]

Every white American has Native American in the family those who came here way back. Every white school child know that whitey shoved them around and killed them for land and made them live as white or else. Who was the bully..The truth hurts doesn't it. The bully was the govt using military force to rob them. That White Govt. They hated women,blacks and native Americans. Check out free masons. The constution was written by and for white males. They later added to it. This Nation has a bloody history done behind closed doors and not writ down.

[theusa1st]

When this pile of bat dung loses his case he should have to pay the court cost for all the parties. Cindy Carlisle should be tarred and feathered. Instead of looking out for the colleges best interest she is just another liberal with an agenda trying to look after her own. Sad state of affairs at our universities.

[jimmyc1955]

This quote might help:

At various times, according to press reports, Churchill has described himself as Cherokee, Keetoowah Cherokee, Muskogee, Creek and most recently Meti. In a note in the online magazine Socialism and Democracy he wrote, ''Although I'm best known by my colonial name, Ward Churchill, the name I prefer is Kenis, an Ojibwe name bestowed by my wife's uncle.'' In biographical blurbs, he is identified as an enrolled member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees. But a senior member of the band with access to tribal enrollment records told Indian Country Today that Churchill is not listed. George Mauldin, tribal clerk in Tahlequah, Okla., told the Rocky Mountain News, ''He's not in the data base at all.''

But I like this link from AIM the best:

http://www.aimovement.org/moipr/churchill05.html

Kind of hard to say he has the backing isn't it?

[jimmyc1955]

This quote is particularly relevant:

"Ward Churchill has been masquerading as an Indian for years behind his dark glasses and beaded headband. He waves around an honorary membership card that at one time was issued to anyone by the Keetoowah Tribe of Oklahoma. Former President Bill Clinton and many others received these cards, but these cards do not qualify the holder a member of any tribe. He has deceitfully and treacherously fooled innocent and naove Indian community members in Denver, Colorado, as well as many other people worldwide. Churchill does not represent, nor does he speak on behalf of the American Indian Movement.

New York%u2019s Hamilton College Kirklands Project should be aware that in their search for truth and justice, the idea that they have hired a fraud to speak on Indian activism is in itself a betrayal of their goals. "

[dgwooster]

I'm mostly liberal and even I don't condone what Churchill did. Ask anyone who's been to college. They will tell you there are many professors who shouldn't be teaching.

He got caught fabricating his research. He wrote lies that could easily end up in textbooks someday.

[jimmyc1955]

If you haven't had a chance read Mr. Churchill's Wikipedia entry. Seems Mr. Churchill has a long history of lying about his radical credentials. He lied about his army duty, he lied about his involvement with the Weather Underground and he lied about being a Native American.

If you folks are looking for a "victim of the man" Mr Churchill is a very poor choice.

[jimmyc1955]

I think all the evidence points to a man who really really wants to be a radical of some kind. He doesn't care what the cause is, and isn't interested in anything remotely uncomfortable. He is a radical leftist wannabe who would be the first to duck any actual commitment.

Lets not make a hero out of a convicted liar. Lets forget him and leave him where he deserves to be - forgotten.

[honest_news]

This article may be about con man Churchill finally being fired for his long-running scams and scurrilous slander, but the real story is the horrible state of our institutions of so-called higher learning -- their biased pandering to pet social causes, their lack of academic integrity, and their insulation from any oversight or accountability.

Neither the students/parents who eagerly pay their exorbitant tuitions and fees, nor the federal and state governments that bestow tens of millions of taxpayer dollars in largess, exercise oversight or require due diligence. Until our colleges and universities are regarded as vendors of educational services and their public and private patrons begin to demand accountability, nothing will change and hundreds of other Churchillesque con artists masquerading as professors will continue to exploit the system unchallenged.

[mudrose-2009]

SEE YA you fu(king sick arrogant nazi jacka$$. Shove a dead skunk into that perpetually opened cake hole of yours and your breath will smell a lot better. Fu(k you a$$hole.
Posted by shutUPfreak

PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!

[xzavierbrown]

you know how much ward churchill hates this country?? he hates it so much HE HATES TO LEAVE IT.
He is a liar, a cheat and an opportunist. Ward's "look at me" attitude is the only thing that is motivating this fake.

[mbcsmith]

Every white American has Native American in the family those who came here way back. Every white school child know that whitey shoved them around and killed them for land and made them live as white or else. Who was the bully..The truth hurts doesn't it. The bully was the govt using military force to rob them. That White Govt. They hated women,blacks and native Americans. Check out free masons. The constution was written by and for white males. They later added to it. This Nation has a bloody history done behind closed doors and not writ down.
Posted by MichelleM99 at 02:59 PM : Jul 25, 2007


WOW! Racist hatred is alive and well in Michelle.

[gracchus1]

honest_news,

Actually there is accountability. It is something that many professors do not like, but it is called Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes.

[gracchus1]

honest_news,

I should further clarify. Assessment is not designed to be punishment, but exactly what you inferred: some element of accountability. That is why all colleges and universities have to undergo accrediation visits from federally appointed accreditation agencies such as the North Central Commission on Colleges and Universities. Colleges and universities must pass these visits otherwise the consequences can go from light punishment such as a focus visit to the complete withdrawal of federal funding. It is not popular, but must be done. And it increasingly is becoming more rigorous.

[one_american]

Let the fraud Churchill spend all his money chasing after a frivolous law suit.

I can't wait to see him lose that one, too.

Maybe he can bilk his moonbat "supporters" out of their money as well.

When the court battle is over, he can go work for Fidel Castro, or Hugo Chavez, and hopefully he'll take his "supporters" with him...

By the way, wouldn't Ward Churchill and Cindy Sheehan make a lovely couple?

[gkc99]

"WOW! Racist hatred is alive and well in Michelle."
Posted by mbcsmith

Nobody like a white man to know what racism is. Facts are facts. The white man is the world's greatest thief and murderer, bar none.

The sordid history of the white man in his treatment of Native Americans is just one sad chapter in a long history of viciousness. That's not racist, that's truth.

And it continues . . .

[gkc99]

"wouldn't Ward Churchill and Cindy Sheehan make a lovely couple? "
Posted by One_American

There's your "patriot" neocon fascist, mocking a woman whose son died in the Iraq war. Ever lose a child, dipshit? Any idea what that feels like?

With any luck, your parents could lose you, I'll send flowers.

[secundus2]

Churchill is an unappealing character to me, but the University has much more to answer for. They evaluated this fellow year after year, they promoted and tenured him, made him the chairman of his department and apparently had no problem with his advocacy (he really did not do traditional scholarship) whnever he spoke or wrote. How is it that they missed all the research misconduct that they now claim they've discovered? The U of C may have a tougher legal fight on their hands than they bargained for, but most likely the thing will be settled (in spite of the rhetoric at the moment).

Famous old joke: academic quarrels are so bitter because the stakes are so small!

[lovewhoiam]

MichelleM99, where did you get your information about %u201CEvery white American has Native American in the family those who came here way back.%u201D? What%u2019s your source, I%u2019m interested in that information because I think you will find it is quite .... WRONG!!!!

Do you know how many White people %u201Cwho came way back%u201D hated the Indians and used them as target practice?

It%u2019s only of later times that it is %u201Ccool to be Indian%u201D; have children by Indians and claim the ancestry.

I often wonder why that happens, but then again, I think it%u2019s because those who do that are not happy being who they are or are not happy with their own ancestry, so why not steal from someone else%u2019s ancestry and culture%u2026%u2026.. make up an Indian name, stake claim to some tribe, all decked out in hair pipe and beads and feathers, split their hair down the middle in braids and swear up and down they had or have a Cherokee grandmother%u2026%u2026%u2026

and on and on and on

[speakinup]

"wouldn't Ward Churchill and Cindy Sheehan make a lovely couple? "Posted by One_American

"mocking a woman whose son died in the Iraq war." gkc99

gkc99, Sheehan put herself in public view. She made the spectacle of herself. She's not the ONLY mother to have lost a son (albeit he was one that didn't agree with her politically - most likely - as he was willing to risk his life for what he thought) But, she SURE as h e l l is the most vocal, so she deserves whatever criticism she gets.

If ya don't want to harvest it, don't sow it!

[gkc99]

"It%u2019s only of later times that it is %u201Ccool to be Indian%u201D; have children by Indians and claim the ancestry.
I often wonder why that happens, but then again, I think it%u2019s because those who do that are not happy being who they are or are not happy with their own ancestry, so why not steal from someone else%u2019s ancestry and culture" Posted by LoveWhoIAm

Or perhaps realize how wrong the white man was in his high-handed dealings with the Native Americans, how much was lost when their cultures were destroyed, and want to save what little might be left. That's not pretending to be an Indian, although one can do that also.

It's pretty easy to be alienated from the money-grubbing, selfish, vicious white majority culture and to appreciate that whites have lost something of value in becoming that way.

[andrew_693]

Wow they fired him because of his writing, (that's quite obvious) yet, the KKK is still legal and neonazi groups are growing larger, those kinds of biggots are ok..........I guess freedom of expression is completely gone in the US no wonder the iraquis fight so hard to kick you out of there, who would want your brand of democracy....abu graib...concentration camps in guantanamo.... and now :no freedom of expression, no dissent allowed...and of course the first step into a dictatorship is: no academic freedom.....had it not been for the japanese bombing Pearl Harbor you would not have even joined the war against the fascists.....now the world sees your true colors.

[speakinup]

LoveWhoIAm - so where did the 'indians' come from. Our best guess is euroasians came from across the land bridge that is no longer between what we now know as Alaska and Russia.

In that respect, we'll never know for certain if euroasians were indians, or europeans were part of their background. But who are YOU to say POSITIVELY that the white man and indians didn't ultimately come from a common source ?

[Syndicate]

If your going to say something that is going to offend a lot of people make sure you crossed all your T's and dotted all your I's. This is why I don't place offensive bumper stickers on my car. I don't want it Keyed. I've always wanted a calvin Pi$$ing on a cross but I don't want my car to be vadalized by christians, once is enough.

[speakinup]

"It's pretty easy to be alienated from the money-grubbing, selfish, vicious white majority culture and to appreciate that whites have lost something of value in becoming that way."Posted by gkc99

So tell me, just how are those casinos and cigarette sales going on the reservation, gkc99 ?

You are a racist if ever there was one! Go ahead, lump ALL white men into your name calling and prejudice ways, but don't blame me when you are treated the same way back.

[redhoffer]

"I think from all the discussion I've heard, the focus on this question solely related to his research and the efforts to falsify research, and specifically, both the charges and the discussion did not relate to 9/11," Brown said

CU Pres is a liar, this had to do with a person documenting an unpopular view. We all know he was not fired for plagiarism, he was fired for having controversial views. It is so silly and insulting to me that CU is pretending Churchill was fired for anything besides writing an essay that made people mad. Those on this board that claim to buy that plagiarism and honor in research BS? C'mon, please stop insulting yourself.

If CU can't be honest as to why they fired him, obvioulsy they should not have fired him. He should get his job back and be compensated on top of that.

I don't buy the whole neocon-technocrat *** he babbled about during his "little eichmann" essay, but I wholeheartedly support his right to say what he thinks, especially in an academic format like an Ethics journal.

[gkc99]

"You are a racist if ever there was one! Go ahead, lump ALL white men into your name calling and prejudice ways, but don't blame me when you are treated the same way back."
Posted by speakinup

I am a white man, you moron. 100% pure Aryan, blue eyes, blond hair (before it turned grey). But I resigned from the Master Race.

Sure there are some greedy Indians, but for sheer viciousness and rapacity (look it up) the white man beats all.

It's not racist to criticize YOUR OWN ETHNIC GROUP!

[speakinup]

Was this pic taken when word got to Ward and his attorney ?

"Dude, you've just been fired!" And their jaws hit the floor.

As unstable as Ward is, I suspect Ward's attorney is seeing nothing but dollar signs. "Hmmm, how long can I make this milking last before he figures out he has lost?"

[gkc99]

"Was this pic taken when word got to Ward and his attorney ?"--Posted by speakinup

that looks like Russell Means to me. I don't think he plans to surrender to the White Eyes.

[speakinup]

"I am a white man, you moron. 100% pure Aryan, blue eyes, blond hair (before it turned grey). But I resigned from the Master Race. Sure there are some greedy Indians, but for sheer viciousness and rapacity (look it up) the white man beats all. It's not racist to criticize YOUR OWN ETHNIC GROUP!" Posted by gkc99

Whoa there dude - I see you have 'resigned from the Master Race'. So, assuming you have two thoughts in a row that have a common thread (yeah I know, that's really pushing the limits) you have 'resigned from the white race' because of all the dasterdly things ALL white me have done. By your own definition, you are a racist.

towhit: "The white man is the world's greatest thief and murderer, bar none."

In case you are confused - here's the definition from dictionary.com: 1) a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior (remember you resigned)

3)hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

All I ask is that you not be so ALL inclusive when making yor judgements.

[redhoffer]

andrew_693 - What is going on in America must seem appalling to an outsider, and so I apologize.
Be sure that most of us are good, but the conservative right politicians with their followers and the dominant religion here are filled with those who hate and who teach unforgivingness and intolerance as virtues.
Hope for change...

[tibu987]

Yes, freedom of speech is a great thing.
However, that freedom does not include foisting irrational rantings not backed up with solid facts.
Surely you can imagine what a danger it could present to young people who place their faith in the people that educate them.
We hear such things daily, from Washington politicians, rascists, religious leaders and fanatics, our, and foreign leaders, et al.
To weigh them fairly is not an easy thing, so it is necessary for us to very carefully accept or not all the things that confront us daily.
Actions have consquences, as Professor Churchill has found out.

[Syndicate]

No no no. Don't Blame the white man for basic human nature. The white man was lucky. He was at the right place at the right time historicly. He had the means and the power to steal and conquer. it could have just have easily been the asians or the africans or the arabs.

[feelfree1]

I wasn't sure what to think about the allegations attributed to Mr. Churchill, other than the Eichman comment, such as- not being a Native American, plagiarism, etc.- because I have not looked into these claims.

The 9/11 comments are obviously well within the limits of free speech, so this is not an issue for me. But judging from the fierce overreaction and attacks by the usual reich-wing disinformationalists here, against Mr. Churchill, I am disinclined to believe the other allegations against him.

This looks like more of a case of the Bush-regime neo-Nazis being uncomfortable with comparisons made with WWII era Nazis; and considering their unmistakable parallels and similarities, it is easy to see why they might be uncomfortable with his comments.

[speakinup]

FeelFree1 - time for lockdown - you have to leave the terminal now.

[gracchus1]

tibu697 said "it is necessary for to accept or not all the things that confront us daily."

You raise a good point. I work in academia and have heard comments from professors that made me scratch my head wondering where they got that information, and others were spot on and backed everything up they said with facts. It is critical for professors to understand that students do listen and take copious notes about the information presented them by professors. This where academic honesty is crucial. Professors do have their own interpretations, but they must unmistakeably distinguish interpretation from fact to students. I agree that it is only fair for students.

[gracchus1]

Sorry, it should say "This is where academic honesty is crucial."

[vancouverboo]

Don't forget to play the racism card, Ward. It's guaranteed to bring 12% of the population to your side, regardless.

[gkc99]

"FeelFree1 - time for lockdown - you have to leave the terminal now."
Posted by speakinup


Your sheets are ready for your Klan meeting, all nice and toasty from the drier!

Pretty funny to hear the white man all so concerned about racism--when it's whites getting slammed. I expect your Fuhrer felt the same way when all those nasty subhuman Slavs were pouring into Berlin.

[ubrew12]

I'm sorry this 'kook on the left' is out of a job.

We have too many 'kooks on the right' who get to keep their jobs. We call them 'Mr. CEO', 'Mr. President', or 'Mr. Hannity'.

This country is too nice to its 'kooks on the right' and spends too much time prosecuting its 'kooks on the left'. The result is $1 trillion down a sh*thole called Iraq, at a time when the Fed debt is reaching for $9 trillion and the Boomers are about to tax SocSec/Medicare to the tune of $20 trillion. (BTW, PRIVATE debt in America is reaching $10 trillion). By an accountants terms: the U.S. is functionally bankrupt, thanks to its 'kooks on the right'...

All the Bush admin has to be proud of, for its 6+ years in office, is an economic juggernaut called China. Yes... thats where your tax cuts went. Last time I checked, they were a communist country that seriously challenges American preeminence in the Far East. Meanwhile, y'all are baying at the moon cuz ya 'got' Ward Churchill...

Fvcking ripe...

[gkc99]

You can know a man by his enemies.

Ward Churchill is looking better and better. We got a whole lot of little Eichmanns here in the USA, so odds would be that at least a few of them got snuffed in WTC.

Too bad it wasn't a few more.

[aa36042]

ethnic studies? what a joke...liberals are great. i cant help but find most of them funny. especialy when you pin them down and make them try and talk abotu real issues vs. cliches i.e. bush = hitler cheney inc and etc. ill be glad when we run some more of these hacks out of acadamia..its sad..he belongs in france or somewhere worse.

[toolmangler-2009]

"The essay and a follow-up book argued that the 2001 terrorist attacks were a response to a long history of U.S. abuses."

No problem with this statement I somewhat agree.


"Churchill said those killed in the World Trade Center collapse were "a technocratic corps at the very heart of America's global financial empire." He called them "little Eichmanns," referring to Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann."


Here is where he crossed the line, I had family there and know them to be guilty only of trying to feed their families and nothing else. He put himself in the judgement seat slandered them and called all that were killed in the buildings criminals of the worst sort and worthy of death. If anyone was worthy of death that day, it would be the ones flying the planes.