Dear Provost Frank (provost@kent.edu):

Over the course of the last several months, Kent State University has been trying to handle a firestorm of negative publicity resulting from its continued employment of pro-terrorist professor Julio Pino. In defense of Pino, your university has asserted that his violent rhetoric is not only protected by the First Amendment but also irrelevant to his employment because he expresses those views on his own time. But, recently, I’ve found that simply isn’t the case.

Yesterday, I took the time to log on to www.RateMyProfessors.com to see whether there was any evidence suggesting Pino was spreading anti-Semitic and anti-American rhetoric in the classroom. I also wondered whether he was one of those History professors more into teaching about his present political views than teaching about the past.

Here’s what I found:

“This guy is an idiot! Completely illogical...does not tolerate any views other than his own...hates Christians and intolerant of Christian values...”

Since the above comment was written on the day one of my columns about Pino was released, it should, in all fairness, be ignored. But consider the following comment, which was written before I exposed Pino in the national media:

“Definately a jihad boy in training. I think he's more the suicide bomber type though. If you think we are kidding, take this wackjob for class.”

And there were other students concerned that Pino had violent tendencies as well. The following comment was also written before I exposed Pino:

“I swear this guy is going to turn out to be the leader of a major terrorist group, he clearly hates America and capitalism.”

The following student gave Pino the lowest possible rating and also said this about what professors should be doing in the classroom:

“Challenge your values, not attempt to brainwash you as Pino does.”

And, finally, right after one commenter dubbed Pino the “worst teacher ever,” another had this to say about his classroom advocacy for the killing of innocent Jews:

“This guy hates America. He used to be an avowed Communist, but now embraces Radical Islam. Considers suicide bombers in Palestine to be heroes. He'll run to anything anti-American like a brainless sheep. He's a fraud; if he hates it here, then (he should) get out.”

It is little surprise that a man named Mike Brown wrote the following note to me in defense of Julio Pino:

“Jews have been killing and stealing land from arabs for 40 years. In my opinion jews are the lowest form of life. I would compare a jew to a rat ,they are the same thing . Your torah i wipe my ass with the pages. You jews are the real terrorist in the world. You’re dirty pigs, that is why a jew can’t eat pork. In my opinion the best thing to happen to jews was Hitler and the holocaust but too bad he never finished the job. You scum bags were corralled like pigs into gas chambers and killed by a man who knew what a jew is - a rat, the scum of the earth and not fit to live among other people…One day soon the jews will get what they deserve a second holocaust . You stupid fuck send this to the fbi you son of a whore. Jew women are whores by nature.”

While I am not Jewish, I am concerned that Pino’s only defenders are his fellow anti-Semites. And you should be, too, Provost Frank. I also worry that some people may have learned to hate Jews while taking courses at your little university in Kent, Ohio.

My continued study of your anti-Semitic faculty member has given me an idea for a little experiment. Tomorrow, I am going to forego my review for test one in my “Introduction to Criminal Justice” class. Instead, I am going to give a lecture advocating the mass murder of homosexuals. Then, in my late afternoon class I’m going to give a lecture advocating the mass murder of blacks.

I predict that within 24 hours after giving these two lectures, I’ll be dismissed from my position at UNC-Wilmington. And, of course, the administration will breathe a collective sigh of relief that I finally stepped over the line by refusing to teach the subject matter of my classes - instead opting to promote violence against minorities.

On my first full day off I will write back to you and ask for your commentary on my dismissal. I expect that you will lend your full support to the administrative action of terminating my employment. But, then, I’ll leave you with a serious question to ponder: How can academia adopt a zero tolerance position on racism and homophobia while simultaneously tolerating anti-Semitism?

It is also worth asking whether history gives us any clue as to what happens when a nation turns a blind eye towards anti-Semitism. But such questions can only be answered by the historian who dedicates himself to teaching about history. They cannot be objectively addressed by advocates of mass murder.

Julio Pino is simply not doing the job the taxpayers of Ohio are paying him to do. With all due respect, Mr. Provost, neither are you.