William Ayers may not be on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List, but he had become America’s most notorious domestic terrorist (I say that as if there could be a least notorious domestic terrorist).
Ayers co-founded the Weather Underground, a militant organization that carried out bombings in the 1960s and ’70s. The group targeted government buildings as a way to protest the war in Vietnam.
I’ve always marveled at the mindset of those who engaged in violence while opposing violence. An anti-war terrorist group would seem to be a contradiction in terms, but I guess this never dawned on those involved.
It’s just like all the people who participated in riots following the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who gave his life in the service of nonviolent resistance. This doesn’t make any sense.
Ayers went underground in 1970, turning himself in to authorities in 1980. But charges that had been filed against Ayers for his part in the group’s bombing campaign were dropped due to governmental misconduct. He is now a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Ayers has been in the news recently due to his association with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama. He and Obama jointly served on the board for the Woods Fund of Chicago, an anti-poverty group; Ayers hosted a coffee for Obama in 1995 during his first run for public office, the Illinois Senate, and he gave $200 to Obama’s Illinois Senate re-election campaign.
U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton chastised Obama earlier this year for his connection to a domestic terrorist as she campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination. The campaign of U.S. Sen. John McCain also has tried to increase its poll numbers lately by making similar charges.
Several news organizations have examined the Ayers-Obama association and concluded there is not a close relationship. Trying to make hay out of the issue would seem to be a stretch.
What really intrigued me about the story was Ayers’ upbringing. He was raised in a hotbed of renowned counter-culture radicalism, DuPage County — Glen Ellym to be exact. OK, if you detected any sarcasm in that last sentence, this was by design.
As just about anyone will tell you, DuPage County is the heart of conservative Republican politics in the Chicago area. I find it ironic that this red county within a blue state became a breeding ground for a domestic terrorist who fought against many of DuPage County’s most cherished principles.
If people are going to criticize Obama for his association with Ayers, they should be just as willing to question McCain’s connection to G. Gordon Liddy. A renowned whack-job, Liddy exhibited no less a domestic terrorist mindset than did Ayers as a member of the Plumbers Unit in the Nixon White House: his suggestions included firebombing the Brookings Institute, kidnapping anti-war leaders and assassinating newspaper columnist Jack Anderson (none of which was carried out).
Liddy served time in prison for his role in the Watergate break-in. He has since become a political celebrity who now hosts his own radio show. He has contributed several times to McCain’s campaigns.
Last year as he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination, McCain appeared on Liddy’s show and said, “I’m proud of you; I’m proud of your family. .. It’s always a pleasure for me to come on your program, Gordon, and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles that keep our nation great.”
In reviewing Liddy’s suggestions that government operatives firebomb political think tanks as well as kidnap and assassinate opponents, I’d like McCain to outline which of these is a principle that keeps America great. One candidate’s terrorist is another candidate’s patriot, I guess.
Thoughts, comments, arguments for or against my position are always welcome.
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