Wright, Away!

The numskulls who run Northwestern University had planned to bestow an honorary degree on Reverend Jeremiah Wright. This was before his unique brand of racial divisiveness, well known locally, went national in mid-March.

Earlier this year, the faculty at Northwestern University recommended that Wright receive an honorary Doctorate of Sacred Theology. Wright accepted the invitation from Northwestern President Henry Bienen.

Once Wright became infamous, Bienen had a change of heart.

In light of the controversy surrounding statements made by you that have recently been publicized, the celebratory character of Northwestern's commencement would be affected by our conferring of this honorary degree. Thus I am withdrawing the offer of an honorary degree previously extended to you.

But if Barack's other friend and fundraiser, Bill Ayers, can be a Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar at the University of Illinois at Chicago, then why shouldn't Northwestern get to give an honorary degree to Rev. Wright? It seems only fair. Bill Ayers, the Distinguished Professor,

also spent the 1970s as a fugitive from justice, as a member of the Weather Underground, after the domestic terrorist group, preparing to attack an Army base, accidentally exploded a Greenwich Village townhouse killing three of their own members. Ayres later married feather Weather Underground member Bernardine Dohrn, then on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List.

''I don't regret setting bombs,'' Ayres told the New York Times in 2001 upon publication of his memoir about that era, "Fugitive Days." ''I feel we didn't do enough.''

And Wright can't appear at graduation to receive a little old honorary degree? The black alumni association is understandably verklempt. The requisite petition is being circulated.

The undersigned, including the black alumni community, the black undergraduate community, and the larger community of intellectuals and concerned citizens are outraged at the University's unilateral and unprecedented action to rescind the award of a degree offered to and accepted by Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

I love that phrase about "the larger community of intellectuals," don't you? The people who are voting for hope? Who are falling head over heals for the "Together We Can" marketing package? The people who don't bat an eyelash over Barack lying to them about ending the war in Iraq? Who don't mind Tony Rezko, Jeremiah Wright, Reverend Pfleger, et al? Yup, those intellectuals. They can't stand the "intellectual" dishonesty of it all!

Reverend Jeremiah Wright has dedicated his life's work to serving those that society has left unequal and excluded. After a review of his life's work, and a vote of the appropriate faculty committee, Reverend Wright's service with distinction to his community merited reward with an honorary degree in Sacred Theology from Northwestern. After the degree was approved by the faculty, and approved by the Board of Trustees, the degree was rescinded. This decision is not in the spirit of the academic tradition, is embarrassing for a university of Northwestern's stature, and is unprecedented.

It's true. The university has never before rescinded an offer of an honorary degree made to a racist and bigot. It wouldn't be appropriate to start now, especially when the reason given is not that the school disagrees with Reverend Wright (after all, they knew what his game was long before we did), but rather, it is concerned that his appearance on the stage might cause a ruckus.

Don't expect the petition to lead to a change of heart and for Reverend Wright to be at graduation on the 20th. The radicals who control education in this country are understandably nervous when their backsides are showing, and they can't afford to be honoring racist, America hating preachers when people are looking.

Better to wait til next year.