Barrett's classroom awaits

Some more interesting commentary on the mad professor. After all. It wouldn't be planet Madison without mad professors.

My weekly column is out beyond the Waukesha Freeman firewall. An excerpt:

The timing of the decision to keep Barrett must be noted. The UW System recently soured relations with the state Legislature when it announced an expansion of its affirmative action program to every school in the system. It then followed with a reduction in out-of-state tuition coupled with a corresponding increase in tuition for Wisconsin residents.

The idea of the tuition change was to attract more out-of-state students to the UW System. After all, given the Barrett decision, and the national attention it has received, it is unlikely any student will be coming for the academic experience. I assume the UW-Madison brochures will have a new slogan: "Binge drinking, fringe thinking - cheap."

Dennis York makes a few observations in the way only Dennis can:

Barrett consistently cites a Zogby poll that says 42% of Americans think the 9/11 Commission report “concealed” or “refused to investigate” critical information about the attacks. If I think it was a fraud that Jamie Gorelick’s role in creating a wall between intelligence agencies wasn’t addressed, does that put me in the 42%? I am 73% sure it does.

And if 42% of Americans are conspiracy theorists, that means at least 4 out of 10 Muppets are in on it. I've always been suspicious of that damn Count. A little beady-eyed for my tastes. I was wondering why the topic on "Elmo's World" today was "Thermite Explosives."

Professor John McAdams takes a quick look at the controlled demolition theory.

Yea, we know. Reading this kind of stuff is a lot less fun than the juicy conspiracy theories.

But sometimes one really, really wants to know the truth of what happened.

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, while agreeing Barrett does not belong in a classroom, takes yet another gatuitous "Blogs lie, people die" swipe.

He should be barred because academic freedom doesn't mean teachers get to teach fiction as fact - even in a university.

For that, please see the blogosphere or subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Monthly. In a classroom, particularly one funded with tax dollars, the public should have a reasonable expectation that what's taught has fact and truth as foundation.

Somebody should explain to them Mickey Kaus' asymptotic search for the truth, coming to a journalism school near you.