Far from devaluing him, I admire his tenacity, and willingness to put his uniformed views before the public. This obviously has required great force of character. And in arguing for his uninformed views, he has done a very great public service. Mr. Schuster has not only my admiration, but my scholarly thanks as well.

But I do have one piece of advice for Mr. Schuster. Colorado, where Mr. Schuster seems to live, is the home (in Boulder) of Ward Churchill. As Mr. Schuster's ideas are quite similar-- if not as forcefully expressed-- to those of Mr. Churchill, I thus suggest that he might wish to duck out of further debate here. Hence, he might call on Mr. Churchill, one of the "big guns" of the Schuster-like position, to take the blows. After all, why should Mr. Schuster take all the hits, when a few people like Mr. Churchill have made Schuster-like ideas "respectable" in academe.

Further, if Mr. Schuster is not Indian, it is not likely (though not impossible) that he could speak with any confidence on matters such as the American Indian Movement (AIM), and various related organizations, and AIM's involvement in matters which need some public discussion. Mr. Churchill, on the other hand, is, or at least was, co-director of the Colorado unit of autonomous AIM.

-- Melburn D. Thurman, (posted 5/15, 12:10 p.m., U.S. Eastern time)

previous response

next response

STEP 1: Your contact information (required)

Your name: Your title & institution: Your phone: Your e-mail address:

STEP 2: Your comments

STEP 3: Submit!

Be sure to include your name and affiliation. Legitimate requests for anonymity will be honored.

The Chronicle maintains Colloquy as an open forum where readers can comment on issues. Submissions may be condensed or edited for clarity, but editing is kept to a minimum. We correct errors in spelling, punctuation, etc. In addition, we remove statements that have the potential to be libelous or to slander someone. In cases in which people make claims that could be libelous, we will remove the names of institutions and departments. But in those cases, we will not alter the ideas contained in the submissions.

Please read our privacy policy or our Colloquy help page if you have questions.

Check this box only if you would like this submission to be considered for publication as a letter to the editor in the printed Chronicle.