Remember when being a “man” meant holding down a job, bringing home the bacon, paying the bills, raising a family and being a pillar in the community?
Those days are apparently gone. If you want to feel “very manly” these days, do what University of Calgary professor Tom Flanagan does: advocate the assassination of a private citizen from the comfortable confines of a TV studio.
Appearing on CBC’s Power and Politics to discuss the latest dumping of classified U.S. documents by whistleblower website Wikileaks, Flanagan called for its founder, Julian Assange, to be hunted down and murdered by the Obama administration.
“Well, I think Assange should be assassinated actually,” Flanagan told CBC Power and Politics host Evan Solomon. “I think Obama should put out a contract and maybe use a drone or something.”
“I’m feeling very manly today Evan,” said Flanagan, a senior advisor and strategist for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, before conceding the “vast sum of (document) pages, most of it is probably harmless.”
“I wouldn’t feel unhappy if Assange disappeared,” he said.
Flanagan did not respond to Fast Forward Weekly’s interview requests, but did send a statement to the CBC saying he regrets his “glib comment.”
Comments: 11
Daniel wrote:
I believe that governments and individuals like Flanagan and Palin and Clinton are way too terrified of what was released and I am more interested in the rape allegations made against Julian Assange...did the condom break or didn't it?
on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 1:06pm Report Abuse
Zdenek wrote:
To publicly will the death of someone, regardless of the issue, is an end that I would hope none of the professors at the U of C advocate. The University of Calgary should not in any way encourage or tolerate the direct assassination of an individual to deal with a diplomatic or political crisis. This is contrary—I would hope—to the values that we as students are encouraged to develop and that professors are encouraged to teach.
As Tom Flanagan is a professor in the political science department, it is disconcerting that someone in his position has such base thoughts. My fellow students and any potential students who strive to build a better world justly and responsibly are being done a great disservice by Tom Flanagan's continual employment. The university should be an environment that promotes and encourages the cultivation of values contrary to what has been declared by Mr. Flanagan.
on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 7:25pm Report Abuse
Clairvoyant wrote:
Should one of those values be free speech? Even if that speech may not be warm & fuzzy and politically correct? Think the anti-abortionists. Think Ann Coulter.
So let's take your lemon of Professor Flanagan advocating, seriously or not, assassination. And make it a debate on campus: is assassination ever justified? if yes, under what circumstances? Never? "regardless of the issue"? Would bumping off Hitler be better than the Munich agreement? Was the attempt to assassinate Hitler by German military officers wrong? Did Brutus et al. hurt or help Rome by doing in Caesar? Would assassinating Stalin have prevent the Holodomor? And maybe you can have the same debate on torture ... and have former prof M.I. chair the debates?
The university should value openness, and debate: not censorship.
on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 9:29pm Report Abuse
officematt2002 wrote:
on Dec 3rd, 2010 at 6:09am Report Abuse
bohunk wrote:
on Dec 3rd, 2010 at 6:12am Report Abuse
tshowell wrote:
advocate: to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly
Now let us look at Flanagan's "glib" solution to Julian Assange.
assassinate: to kill suddenly or secretively, esp. a politically prominent person; murder premeditatedly and treacherously
Which one is "pretty damn strong" and takes us down the wrong road again?
on Dec 3rd, 2010 at 9:16am Report Abuse
HeavyMetalHeathen wrote:
on Dec 3rd, 2010 at 9:18am Report Abuse
officematt2002 wrote:
on Dec 3rd, 2010 at 11:38am Report Abuse
rube wrote:
on Dec 3rd, 2010 at 11:49am Report Abuse
Agent666 wrote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWKG6ZmgAX4
http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2010/05/04/wapo-asks-was-obamas-jonas-brothers-drone-joke-offensive
Funny how the Jonases never called for charges against Obama.
on Dec 3rd, 2010 at 4:14pm Report Abuse
Subvertisement wrote:
on Dec 11th, 2010 at 11:43pm Report Abuse
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