University Head Defends Comment by Professor

The head of the University of New Mexico defended the free speech rights of a professor who came under fire for jokingly praising the Sept. 11 hijack attack on the Pentagon.

History professor Richard Berthold told a class that "anyone who can blow up the Pentagon has my vote."

University President William Gordon wrote in a commentary in the Albuquerque Journal that the comment was protected by the 1st Amendment's free speech guarantee. He said Berthold, who has apologized, could be disciplined.