Ward Churchill Denies He Pulled Out Of Debate With Victor Davis Hanson

Based on comments at Victor Davis Hanson's own site, PirateBallerina highlighted the recent cancellation of an expected April 2 showdown between Ward Churchill and Hanson at CU. Hanson has published this apology:

April 2, 2008: Boulder, Colorado

Debate has been canceled at this time and we are working on an upcoming debate. Our apologies to Ward Churchill for misstating the reasons earlier.

In addition, "Charley Arthur" at the pro-Churchill blog Tryworks bolsters the claim (substantiated and footnoted--just kidding) that it was not, in fact, Churchill who pulled out unexpectedly, but that the event itself was cancelled by the third party sponsor--the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (from an email to Churchill):

While we now have everything from Kifer’s original overture to Churchill on the idea of debating Hanson, to their discussion(s) of the topic to be debated, to the contractual arrangements involved, the following e-mail, received by the Good Prof last Thursday, shows very clearly that the debate was NOT cancelled because Churchill “pulled out” (”unexpectedly,” or otherwise).

What follows is Mr. Kifer’s message, in full:

Dear Ward,

I am writing to regretfully inform you that we have had to cancel the debate for April 2, 2008 at UC Boulder. This is due largely to matters outside our control. I am grateful for your willingness to participate in the program and I hope that we can find another forum that would be more suitable for this dialogue.

Thank you again and I will be in touch with future prospects as they become available.

Most sincerely,

Chad G. Kifer
Director of Program Advancement and Collegiate Debates
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
800-526-7022
www.isi.org

The speculation over at Tryworks is that either ISI backed out (probable), Hanson himself chickened out (unlikely), or that a secret conservative cabal of outgoing CU President Hank Brown, President-elect Bruce Benson, and others determined that a VDH-WC debate wouldn't play well (?, also unlikely). There is also mention of Churchill pressing his contractual rights, and a potential lawsuit.

Having had some experience with bringing out high-profile speakers to CU Boulder as an undergraduate, I can say that coordinating a debate is a logistical nightmare. Having multiple parties involved--VDH and Churchill, ISI, and CU (at a minimum)--only makes the situation more complicated and more fragile. The likelihood for miscommunication rises, and could give the impression (in this case, a false one) that one party "unexpectedly pulled out", when in fact no such thing happened.

ISI's still wants to move forward and "find another forum that would be more suitable for this dialogue"--which could mean that there was a problem with the venue, though not because of Churchill since he has not been banned from campus (he had a "free" class there tonight). We hope to see this debate at some point, in a neutral site where Churchill's goons aren't playing enforcement.

Weekend Blog Wrapup

Here are some random links that I never got around to blogging this past week (lots of school and a few new projects)--

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22-year-old human smuggler arrested for 15th time, having already been deported 14 times prior to his latest arrest in Colorado:

Two illegal immigrants were arrested for human smuggling in Eagle today. One of the men has been deported 14 times for human smuggling prior to today's arrest. He is 22 years old.

At 8:21am a deputy pulled over a silver Chevy Venture van in the eastbound lane of I-70 for a license plate violation. The deputy discovered 13 illegal immigrants inside the vehicle.

The driver said he planned on delivering the twelve adult males in various locations that included Denver, Iowa, and Georgia.

Omar Alaverez-Mecedo, age 22, was arrested and charged with Human Smuggling, a class three felony, and operating a vehicle without a valid driver's license, a class two misdemeanor.

In the course of the investigation it was discovered that "Omar Alaverez-Mecedo's" real name is Israel Robles-Gaytan. According to ICE, Robles-Gaytan had already been caught and deported fourteen times; he gave law enforcement officials a different name each time.

Slime.

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Coming soon, courtesy of global warming moonbats, to a city (like Boulder) soon (h/t SondraK):

GLOBAL WARMING IS a planet-sized problem, so policy solutions tend to aim for the grandest possible scale. The signatories of the Kyoto Protocol have pledged to cut their greenhouse gas emissions at a national level, while laws in various countries and states seek to reform entire industries.

For individuals, the picture is very different. Environmentalism often boils down to small lifestyle choices, like turning down the thermostat and screwing in the squiggly light bulbs - gestures that can feel virtuous but futile. Some environmentalists even consider them counterproductive if they substitute for activism.

But a new wave of thinking suggests it may be better in the long run to address this global problem in a way that directly involves individuals. Several proposals generating buzz chiefly in the United Kingdom and Ireland operate on the notion that every individual has an equal stake in the atmosphere. The most provocative idea, personal carbon trading, would grant all residents a "carbon allowance," setting a limit on carbon dioxide emissions from their households and transportation. In the model of the industrial "cap and trade" system, guzzlers who exceeded their allowance would need to buy extra shares. People who conserved energy, meanwhile, could sell their leftover shares and ride their bikes all the way to the bank.

This is not just a fantasy floating around in the greenest reaches of the blogosphere. In 2006, the UK's environment secretary, David Miliband, endorsed the idea, and the British government has commissioned a study to explore the policy's feasibility.

Trading freedom for socialism.

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The nutty professor unemployed hack from CU, Chief "Shitting Bull" Ward Churchill himself, has unexpectedly "pulled out" of his April 2 debate with Victor Davis Hanson--apparently reading the writing on the wall (h/t Drunkablog):

April 2, 2008: Boulder, Colorado

Debate canceled until we find another opponent. Ward Churchill unexpectedly pulled out.

If you can't stand the thought of missing out on the Churchill's outstanding pedagogical prowess and intellectual insights, this semester's three and a quarter hour long "classes" are still on (h/t Drunkablog).

Victor Davis Hanson To Debate Ward Churchill At CU In April

Details are sketchy (scroll down, right side for "calendar of speaking events"), but we at SP are taking suggestions for debate titles (h/t LGF via Drunkablog):

April 2, 2008: Boulder, Colorado

Topic: Debate with Ward Churchill
Location: TBA
Info: TBA