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Ayers Emerges from Underground to Speak in D.C. Weather Underground founder gives two speeches

By  JIM IOVINO

Updated 8:25 AM EDT, Tue, Nov 18, 2008

Related Topics: William Ayers

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AP

Bill Ayers, 63, is a founder of the 1960s-era radical group the Weather Underground, a former fugitive, former Chicago Citizen of the Year and current professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

 

Weather Underground founder William Ayers, whom Sarah Palin linked to Barack Obama, gave speeches in the District Monday during two rare public appearances.

Palin was referring to Ayers while on her campaign trail when she said Obama was "palling around with terrorists."

On Monday, Ayers finally fired back, saying he became "an unwitting and unwilling participant in this election," according to the Washington Post.

"Not only did I never kill or injure another person, but the Weather Underground in its six-year existence never killed or injured another person," he said during a speech at the Georgetown University Law Center. "We did something that was extreme. Some of you would call it not only extreme but kind of nuts. You might call it off the track. You might call it crazy. You might call it defying of common sense. It was certainly illegal. To call it terrorism stretches the definition of terrorism to everything you don't approve of."

Ayers went on to call the Sept. 11 attacks "vile," but then said the "flattening of Fallujah" by the U.S. military could also be labeled as "terrorism," the Post reported.

Ayers spoke to about 60 people at the law school and another 400 at All Souls Unitarian Church, a venue that replaced Busboys and Poets due to an increased demand to listen to his speech.

Comments (10)

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  • Anonymous Thursday, Nov 20 at 7:59 AM FLAG COMMENT Ayers knows that all he has to do is be first with the talking point about his violence and the liberals repeat things religously. That's why the "I wasn't violent" mantra even though he was a BOMBER. That in and of itself is violent, but he knows that liberals repeat and don't reason. So he'll keep up his mantra and pretty much gets away with it. Only the Washington Post reporter mentined the dead officers and the secur ... MORE >
  • Paranutz Wednesday, Nov 19 at 3:28 PM FLAG COMMENT They killed SGT Brian V McDonnell in San Francisco in 1970. As a matter of fact his wife, Bernadine was the one that did it.....Read this article.....cut and paste to your web address http://www.thebulletin.us/site/index.cfm?newsid=20199431&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=576361&rfi=8
  • Anonymous Wednesday, Nov 19 at 11:37 AM FLAG COMMENT If he's such a horrible terrorist criminal, then why hasn't the FBI kept him in prison? Don't terrorists and criminals belong in prison? I guess the Bush "Justice" department is involved in a conspiracy with terrorists! You people are really shallow idiots.
  • annie Tuesday, Nov 18 at 11:11 PM FLAG COMMENT ter⋅ror⋅ism    /ˈtɛrəˌrɪzəm/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [ter-uh-riz-uhm] Show IPA Pronunciation –noun 1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes. 2. the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization. 3. a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government. In 1970 the group issued a "Declaration of a State of War" against the United States governm ... MORE >
  • richcecil Tuesday, Nov 18 at 3:39 PM FLAG COMMENT Not only did I never kill or injure another person, but the Weather Underground in its six-year existence never killed or injured another person," he said during a speech at the Georgetown University Law Center. No, he did not, but the weatherundergrond took responsibility for the death of one NYC police officer and one Brinks guard while doing one of those "crazy" things. The fact he spoke to a law school group goes to sho ... MORE >

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