"The University of Colorado finally fired professor Ward Churchill for plagiarism and other academic misdeeds. From the jump, this case was really about academic standards and behavior. Calling the innocent people killed in the World Trade Center on 9/11 'little Eichmanns' instantly disqualified Churchill from any serious teaching role. The University of Colorado is funded by the taxpayers of that state, and they have a right to demand standards for professors making $100,000 a year. The freedom of speech issue is bogus - it's all about performance. If a teacher can't reason, he should be fired. There was tepid support for Churchill Tuesday night, as only a few dozen people showed up at his firing. The good people of Colorado won, as did the university. Even college professors have to be held accountable for their performance, and all the phony lawsuits in the world won't change that."

For another viewpoint on Ward Churchill's firing, The Factor welcomed Professor Marc Lamont Hill. "This is a really sad day for academic life," Hill lamented. "The witch hunt began the moment he made those comments about 9/11 victims. And regardless what we think about his comments, he has the right to make them. An academic's job is to trade in ideas, to push knowledge, and to push the boundaries of American society." The Factor presented a different take on the role of a professor. "An academic's job is to be a clear thinker, not to be crazy. No sane person could say that a person selling bonds in the World Trade Center is a Nazi. Churchill has the right to say it, but he can't back it up and it's an absurd statement."

News Link: Ward Churchill finally fired

Former New Orleans cop Robert Evangelist has been acquitted of all charges in the beating of 66-year old Robert Davis, even though the episode was captured on videotape. Judge Leslie Crocker Snyder was not surprised by the judge's verdict. "It's a pretty violent video," Snyder told The Factor, "but you have to start with the fact that this was not a jury trial. The video looks violent, but the defense called two experts who said the police were operating within reasonable standards." Nevertheless, The Factor expressed surprise at the acquittal. "They were rough on this old guy, who got pummeled. I assume Davis will take this into civil court."

News Link: Officer not guilty in post-Katrina beating

Some Americans demand that the prison at Guantanamo Bay be shut down, and that detainees should either be tried in criminal court or returned to their country of origin. But The Factor pointed out that Abdullah Mehsud, who was released from Guantanamo in 2004 and immediately resumed his position in the upper echelon of the Taliban. "This is a necessary facility for captured terrorists. But the outcry from the New York Times and NBC News is that these are all innocent guys and it's an outrage that we have them there. This insanity has put pressure on the U.S. government to let people go, who go right back to killing." Terror analyst Walid Phares agreed that most detainees, if not all, deserve to be there. "These people were arrested on a battlefield in a war. They are highly indoctrinated, trained to stay for years in prisons or detention centers. There is a whole program to weaken our position in the war on terror."

News Link: Former Gitmo detainee killed in Pakistan

Featured Book: The War of Ideas: Jihad against Democracy by Walid Phares

Actress Lindsay Lohan, who was arrested this week for DUI and possession of cocaine, says the cocaine was not hers. The Factor welcomed entertainment journalist Harvey Levin, who said this case is topic A in Hollywood. "Paris Hilton was just a circus, but this is a case that Hollywood really connects with. There's a huge problem in young Hollywood with addiction and substance abuse, and Lindsay Lohan embodies all of that. She is in a downward spiral and people realize that her life is in danger." The Factor predicted Lohan will wind up doing time. "She was over the legal limit for alcohol, they did find cocaine in her pocket, and she was driving with a suspended license. If all those things are true, she has to go to jail."

News Link: Lohan: I am innocent

Choosing from a smorgasbord of tempting targets, Dennis Miller began his weekly observations with Ward Churchill. "I am very happy that the 'tenured Tonto' has been sent on his way," Miller quipped. "And all I can say to the University of Colorado is, can't you get a dental plan for your professors, for God's sake? This is about plagiarism - this guy's Indian name is 'dances with facts.' He's a mid-life loser trying to be cool in front of the kids." Miller then turned to troubled actress Lindsay Lohan. "There are people on the planet Earth I feel worse for, but I will say this - she was in the parent trap. If her parents were any more low rent, they'd be a spring break destination." Finally, Miller commented on the hateful posts that are common on the DailyKos web site. "There's some mean stuff on that site. They accuse you of 'cherry picking,' but that's a pretty fetid orchard over there." The Factor showed a vile photo that appeared on the Kos site Wednesday, depicting President Bush in flagrante delicto with a barnyard animal, and posed the obvious rhetorical question. "How can anybody who wants to be president of the United States go to a convention sponsored by these people?"

Finally, Internet expert Mary Katharine Ham provided here weekly warnings and observations. She began with the site Whosarat.com, which prints the names of citizens who help the police catch criminals. "This was started by a guy who was busted for drugs, and it reveals people who are helping the police. Law enforcement needs informants, and cops are very worried about this site. This is really creating a very dangerous situation." Ham also reported that child predator Michael Bradley was caught soliciting women on the popular dating service match.com. "The folks who busted him posed as a single mom with young boys and he responded quickly to that ad. This was a direct violation of his probation." The Factor called for greater vigilance by web sites. "If match.com is going to position itself as a singles service, they have to know who is on there."

News Link: "Snitch" website under fire

News Link: Match.com predator threat

Many of you wrote about Hillary Clinton's decision to attend the DailyKos convention. Some excerpts:

Shannon Hels, Lake Elmo, MN: "Hillary Clinton is speaking at the Kos convention so that moderates will see her get booed and think she's one of them. The rest of the Democrats are going there to pick the pockets of their far-left nut base."

Stephanie Olson, Culbertson, MT: "O'Reilly, you are spot on about the Kos and people should see for themselves. Most Americans would be shocked by what is posted there."

Greg Hill, Klamath Falls, OR: "As Hillary's spokesman, Howard Wolfson, correctly pointed out, Bill, you do have guests who say terrible things. You, however, challenge them."

T. Michael Callos, Pinellas Park, FL: "Wise up, Bill, why give Wolfson airtime when Hillary won't appear?"