Former Domestic Terrorist Teaching at John Jay School of (Wait For It) Criminal Justice

Teach... your children well... :

CLINTON, New York (AP) -- A former leftist radical who spent 16 years in prison for possessing explosives has withdrawn from teaching a college seminar after her hiring sparked protests.

Susan Rosenberg made her decision because it was in the best interest of all parties, Hamilton College officials said Wednesday.

In response to her hiring, prospective students withdrew applications and donors rescinded hundreds of thousands of dollars in pledges, school officials said.

...

Rosenberg, who began her activism in the 1970s, was indicted in a 1981 armored car robbery carried out by a gang of radicals. A guard and two Nyack police officers were killed in a shootout. Rosenberg denied involvement in the robbery, and the charges eventually were dropped.

She was convicted in 1984 of weapons possession. Prosecutors said she had more than 600 pounds of explosives that she and another defendant had planned to use in "non-lethal" bombings.

Since Rosenberg's 58-year prison sentence was commuted in 2001 by President Clinton, she has worked as a writer and an activist for human rights, prisoner rights and AIDS. She teaches literature at John Jay School of Criminal Justice in New York.

But, understand, a conservative professor is too controversial and too outside the academic mainstream to be hired:

The latest example comes from the hiring of famed international law professor Jack Goldsmith at Harvard law School. Although Goldsmith was hired, his liberal opponents not only went public with their opposition, but also are continuing to try to get him fired. This is an almost unheard of breach of academic courtesy.

...

So why are the liberals, including three of the five international law specialists at Harvard, opposing him? Not because he is incompetent, but because they don't like what he thinks. It is the worst sort of McCarthyism; but, of course, that's precisely what the academic left is best at. And all of Chait's obfuscation can't change that basic fact.

I've got a suggestion for Professor Goldsmith: obtain 600 pounds of explosives for use in "non-lethal" bombing, and then be peripherally involved in an armed robbery resulting in the deaths of two men.

And then it's tenure for life, baby.

Thanks to JohnG. for the tip about Rosenberg, and Instapundit for the Goldsmith tip.

Update: She's been forced out of her gig at John Jay, too.

As she should be.

Just curious: Would a rapist or child molestor be allowed to teach children at colleges? Even if he thought he had "good reasons" for committing his crimes 20 years ago?

I don't believe he would be.

It's difficult to take the left's claims about being tough on terrorism seriously when they are forever making excuses for, and giving cushy high-paying jobs to, former terrorists.

Thanks to JMGalvin again for the update. I guess he doesn't mind using his full name.

posted by Ace at 12:57 AM

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