Professor says U.S. gov't behind 9/11 attacks.

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www.chinaview.cn 2006-10-11 20:10:58     BEIJING, Oct. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- An American professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who believes the U.S. government organized the Sept. 11 attacks has included his essay comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler in a book of essays students are required to purchase for his course.

    "Interpreting the Unspeakable: The Myth of 9/11" by Kevin Barrett is part of a book of essays by 15 authors in an unedited copy obtained first by WKOW-TV in Madison, Wisc. and later by The Associated Press. Only three of the essays are required reading, excluding Barrett's.

    The book's title is “9/11 and American Empire: Muslims, Jews, and Christians Speak Out." It is on the syllabus for Barrett's course at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

    Moira Megargee, publicity director for the Northampton, Mass., publisher Interlink, said the book is due out at the end of November and the editing isn't finished.

    “It is not final and for all we know that essay may not be in the book or may be edited," she said.

    Barrett is a part-time instructor who holds a doctorate in African languages and literature and folklore from UW-Madison. He is an active member of a group called Scholars for 9/11 Truth. The group's members claim U.S. officials, not al-Qaida terrorists, were behind the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

    “Like Bush and the neocons, Hitler and the Nazis inaugurated their new era by destroying an architectural monument and blaming its destruction on their designated enemies," he wrote.

    Barrett said Tuesday he was comparing the attacks to the burning of the German parliament building, the Reichstag, in 1933, a key event in the establishment of the Nazi dictatorship.

    “That's not comparing them as people, that's comparing the Reichstag fire to the demolition of the World Trade Center, and that's an accurate comparison that I would stand by," Barrett said.

    "Hitler had a good 20 to 30 IQ points on Bush," he added, "so comparing Bush to Hitler would in many ways be an insult to Hitler."

    The university's decision to allow Barrett to teach the course sparked a controversy over the summer once his views became widely known.

    Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle and his Republican challenger, Mark Green, have both said they believe Barrett should be fired.

    The university's chief academic officer, Provost Patrick Farrell, decided to retain Barrett for the course after reviewing his plans and qualifications. He said Barrett could present his ideas during one week of the course as long as students were allowed to challenge them.

    He later warned Barrett to stop seeking publicity for his personal political views.

    Farrell said he has not seen the essay, but faculty can assign readings that may not be popular to everyone.

    “I think part of the role of any challenging course here is going to encourage students to think of things from a variety of perspectives," he said

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