Freedom for Crazy Talk

Kevin Barrett is one of those nutjobs whose hobby is to run around proclaiming that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were in fact planned and orchestrated by the Bush administration (as much as I detest the Bush administration, this is just silly).

Kevin Barrett also happens to be a part-time lecturer at the University of Wisconsin. This seems perfectly normal. Many nutjobs also happen to be college professors (no offense to my many friends and family in higher education). However, there is no evidence that Mr. Barrett has ever discussed his oddball views in class or that his ideas influence his teaching at all--and this has been confirmed by a investigation on the part of UW's chancellor. Nevertheless, a number of Wisconsin legislators are trying to get Mr. Barrett fired from his job.

In a country where freedom of speech is no longer valued, why should academic freedom be any different? But what is freedom if not the liberty to engage in crazy talk? When college professors can be fired for crazy talk (especially crazy talk outside the classroom), then there is no hope for freedom at all.