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Support of terror called lie by prof
He says,"I absolutely deny" a former student's tale that he said America deserved 9/11.
By DAVID KARP
Published April 7, 2005
TALLAHASSEE - College student Elle Lahesa described a humiliating experience in her history class the day after Sept. 11, 2001.
At a news conference with reporters this week, Lahesa said professor Donald Barry told a class at Tallahassee Community College that America deserved the terrorist attacks - "every bit of it."
State Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, who stood beside Lahesa, cited the story as the type of radicalism he hopes to quell with a bill intended to protect conservatives on college campuses.
It was a chilling story, except that the professor says it's not true.
"I absolutely deny that," Barry said Wednesday. "If she was under oath, then she committed perjury."
Barry said he wants to appear under oath before Baxley's House Education Council to rebut the allegations.
College administrators on Wednesday called other students in the class to ask what happened. One student agreed to speak with reporters.
"He didn't say anything like that," said Onome Edukore, 22, who was in Barry's Western civilization class the days after Sept. 11.
Barry did talk about the Sept. 11 attacks, he said.
"The worst thing he could have said that day was that this was a wakeup for America, as far as beefing up security," Edukore said. "He was always down for an argument. He probably did seem liberal."
At the news conference, Lahesa, a former Marine, said she was dressed in her Marine uniform. She said she challenged the professor's remarks but was quickly silenced.
She said Barry told her, "You have no right to talk. You are just a baby killer."
Lahesa, who also claimed students spat on her after class, stood by her story on Wednesday.
"He either (a) forgot it; or (b) is afraid of losing his job," she said.
Lahesa, who now attends Florida State University, said she didn't know any of her community college classmates and, hence, couldn't call any of them to corroborate her story.
Barry called the student's accusations "disgusting."
If true, they could also jeopardize Barry's career. University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill caused a firestorm after writing an essay comparing the victims of the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks to "little Eichmanns," a reference to the Nazi who oversaw the Holocaust.
Colorado's governor said Churchill should be fired, and the House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning him. Now, a university panel is investigating the professor.
"It is very upsetting," Barry said of the allegations.
Barry said he talked in class about the Sept. 11 attacks, as he often does about current events relevant to history. He said he pointed out that "there are reasons why people in the world hate America."
"We don't necessarily have to agree with this method of thinking ... but if we are going to make the world a better place and win these places over, we have to understand their mentality," he said.
Barry considers himself liberal on some topics, moderate on others and conservative on a few. He opposes legalized abortion, supports gun control, and doesn't "totally" oppose the death penalty, he said.
His office is lined with books, such as Gore Vidal's United States Essays and Battle Cry of Freedom, as well as postcards from trips to Europe. His walls are bare, with no political slogans or posters of any kind.
Some students on the Web site RateMyProfessors.com describe Barry as liberal and full of opinions, especially against religion and President Bush. A few liked him, saying he's "very passionate." More described him as hard and boring. He was rated 2.7 on a scale of 5.
Baxley's academic freedom bill (HB 837) would give students the right to object if professors repeatedly discuss controversial issues irrelevant to a class. They would have the right to be graded and taught without political bias and to have access to "a broad range of serious scholarly opinion" on any subject.
The bill would require student fees to be spent on a "viewpoint-neutral basis," but it does not explain what that means.
State Rep. Dan Gelber, a Miami Beach Democrat, said he never believed the wild examples of liberal bias that Baxley said permeates Florida's universities.
"I think these folks are stretching to find a justification for a horrible idea," Gelber said. "I would call this thing a dog-and-pony show, except I have too much respect for dogs and ponies."
Baxley could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
At a hearing Tuesday, he said examples such as Lahesa's of liberal bias on campus are very real.
"I find it almost humorous that we are pretending that our universities are not bastions of leftist thought when they are - obviously," Baxley said. "People know this. And all you have to do is talk to a conservative student who has been on campus, and he's experienced it. And he has to go underground."
Times researcher Kitty Bennett contributed to this report. David Karp can be reached toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 8430, or karp@sptimes.com
[Last modified April 7, 2005, 01:22:13]
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