‘Teachable Moments’

IT recently came to light that University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill had slandered some of the 9/11 victims as “Little Eichmanns,” who may well have deserved punishment for their participation in what went on “in the sterile sanctuary of the twin towers.”

That led to cursory public examination of earlier, similarly insane tirades, and prompted calls for Churchill’s resignation. The usual fiery counter-support-protests and news conferences-ensued, to the effect that the professor’s right of expression and academic freedom were being imperiled. But like so many academic scandals these days, the original “little Eichmanns” comment-that innocent victims murdered at work by fascistic killers were comparable to a Nazi mastermind of the Holocaust-was just the torn scab revealing a festering sore beneath.

About the Author

Victor Davis Hanson

Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University; the author of The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won; and a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness.

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IT recently came to light that University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill had slandered some of the 9/11 victims as “Little Eichmanns,” who may well have deserved punishment for their participation in what went on “in the sterile sanctuary of the twin towers.”

That led to cursory public examination of earlier, similarly insane tirades, and prompted calls for Churchill’s resignation. The usual fiery counter-support-protests and news conferences-ensued, to the effect that the professor’s right of expression and academic freedom were being imperiled. But like so many academic scandals these days, the original “little Eichmanns” comment-that innocent victims murdered at work by fascistic killers were comparable to a Nazi mastermind of the Holocaust-was just the torn scab revealing a festering sore beneath.

About the Author

Victor Davis Hanson

Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University; the author of The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won; and a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness.