Posted by lex, on October 15, 2008
Unrepentant former domestic terrorist and current UIC professor Bill Ayres is apparently too proud to ask for forgiveness. Proud like a peacock of course, but also literally proud of what he’d done as a domestic terrorist. He has, in fact, admitted that the Weathermen “didn’t do enough.” Probably because trying to “do more” resulted three Weathermen blowing themselves up with a nail bomb they’d planned to set at an non-commissioned officer’s club dance in Fort Dix, NJ. Because, you know, that domestic terrorism gig is really trippy until someone gets hurt the wrong people get hurt. And then suddenly it’s not so much fun anymore.
Which anyway, Ayers’ lack of repentence is apparently not that big of a deal, because Thomas Frank, author of “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” – later published in the UK under the title “What’s the Matter with America?” – (short answer, Kansans/Americans are teh stoops!) and the Chicago Tribune’s James Janega are falling all over themselves to show that all that domestic terrorism was an awful long time ago, Ayers is really a nice guy, a good teacher, loves puppies and so on. The former probably because Ayers only meant to kill the right sort of Americans and anyway if the stupid, evil, racist, stupid Rethuglicans are making such a dreary fuss about the connections between the unrepentant former domestic terrorist and his favored presidential candidate that’s reason enough to rehabilitate him. Expressing remorse and asking for forgiveness prior to being granted forgiveness being such a pre-post ironic legacy of those procrustean godbothers who, let’s face it, are a large part of what’s the matter with Kansas.
Janega, for his own part, is apparently hoping to smooth the ruffled feathers of Chicagoans whose closest previous connection to terrorism – that they knew of, anyway – is dyeing the Chicago River green for St. Patrick’s Day.
Nothing to see here, sheeple. Step away from the window. Go back to sleep.