Ward Churchill Fired...Finally

Well, the Colorado University professor, Ward Churchill, was finally fired last night. Naturally he's already claiming (through his lawyer) that this firing is violation of his 1st Amendment Rights. In fact he has already said that he would be filing for such a lawsuit first thing today.

Here's the problem with his lawsuit. His claim is that this firing was based solely on his comments about 9/11 victims that he made in an essay shortly after the attacks. But the firing was based on him falsifying evidence and making up sources in his research as a history professor.

Is this somehow not a firable offense for professors, Churchill? I'm all for professors having free speech, and that includes what I believe to be despicable comments about those 9/11 victims. He stated an opinion, and that's his right. But when you have a long career of falsifying evidence for research and allowing political controversy to get in your way of teaching your students then you need to go. You need to be replaced by someone who will teach their students and will contribute actual research (not fiction) to the body academic resources at a University.

Churchill's primary problem is the way he approaches historical research. When I research something I look for evidence and try to find the truth whatever it may be. Whether that truth offends me personally or not. Churchill takes the close minded and dogmatic approach of everything that is wrong is because of white people (either European colonists, or Americans), so he sets out to prove that predetermined conclusion. And then, because it is such a dogmatic approach, when he can't find the evidence to support the predetermined conclusion he fabricates it. This simply is not a good research method. This does not seek out the truth. It pushes a personal agenda. And such actions has no place in the academic world.