Response to Jim on Ward Churchill

Jim,
There is no doubt that Ward Churchill is a very controversial figure. I consider myself a liberal Democrat, and even I have been appalled by many of his public statements. However, as a campaigner for the First Amendment, I believe that he has a right to say what he would like and express his opinions regardless of how unpopular they may be. On the issue of the tax payers paying him to write a book. Well, this is nothing new in academia. Many professors who are employed by public colleges and universities use their tenure as an opportunity to fund their research and write books. The thought here is that generally these people are working for a public institution making less than they would earn in the private sector. They choose to teach so they can utilize the resources of the university to further advance their studies. I do not have a problem with this system, outside of the fact that I believe that it does not necessarily encourage the "best and brightest" in any given field to pursue a career in teaching. Instead it gives opportunity for those who prefer to live in the world of academia to continue to do so.
Now, where I do have a huge issue with Ward Churchill is in the accusations of academic fraud and plagiarism. If these accusations are true, which it appears based on the recently released peer reviewed report that they are, than Mr. Churchill should be disciplined accordingly. The only circumstance in which the tax payers will have to pay his attorneys fees is if he is able to prevail in a court battle. Which, based on the evidence already released, seems highly unlikely.