For those who are familiar with the universe of truly radical university professors, this is the least surprising news of the day:
A Kent State University professor is at the center of an FBI investigation after being accused of helping ISIS.
Authorities say he went as far as trying to recruit students for the terrorist group.
Dr. Julio Pino is an associate professor of history at Kent State University.
He teaches two classes this semester, but according to WOIO in Cleveland, Pino is being investigated for allegedly having ties to terrorism.
FBI sources say Pino has been on their radar since 2014 and he is accused of recruiting students to join ISIS.
If Pino’s only been on the FBI’s radar since 2014, then it hasn’t been paying attention. As my friend (and former client) Mike Adams exposed him all the way back in 2007, Pino was a contributor to the so-called “Global War Blog,” a now-defunct website that declared, “We are a jihadist news service, and provide battle dispatches, training manuals, and jihad videos to our brothers worldwide. All we want is to get Allah’s pleasure. We will write ‘Jihad’ across our foreheads, and the stars. The angels will carry our message throughout the world.” The site featured delightful stories with titles like “Sister Detonates Herself to Eliminate Shia Traitors” and “Frightened British Crusaders Rush More Troops to Occupied Afghanistan.”
Free speech and academic freedom protect all kinds of noxious expression. But certain kinds of expression can and should trigger suspicion that jihadist sympathies moved from words to actions. Kent State, however, steadfastly stood behind its professor, with one department chair even permitting Pino to take an unauthorized fully paid, six-week professional leave to the United Arab Emirates to learn Arabic. The chair lost his job. Pino soldiered on, calling himself the “most dangerous Muslim in America.” He penned odes to suicide bombers and shouted “death to Israel” at an Israeli diplomat.
None of this means that he’s guilty of aiding and abetting terrorists, but if criminal investigations since 9/11 have taught us anything it’s that radical speech often precedes radical actions, and it is prudent to take a closer look at people who profess loyalty to jihadists and hatred for America. This is all common sense, but don’t tell that to identity-obsessed college students — some of whom speculate that the investigation “could be considered racist” or “extremely discriminatory.” We’ll see what happens, but for now I’m glad to see the FBI finally take serious interest in a man who so obviously loathes this country and loves our enemies.