Sept. 11 survivor Earl Johnson addressed the College Republicans Tuesday night, drawing criticism from former lecturer Kevin Barrett and his supporters.
Johnson came to Madison to tell the story of his survival from the 51st story of the north tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11.
Immediately after exiting the tower, Johnson said his first thought was to get home to his wife and children in New Jersey. Upon getting home he hugged his kids and ""had a couple of Jack Daniels.""
Johnson also addressed UW-Madison's former employment of Barrett, who is known for his controversial views on the Sept. 11 attacks.
""The principle behind free speech is the pre-eminent one, [but] you have to put the whole context of the war into perspective,"" he said.
""No amount of mythological pixie dust spread by the Kevin Barretts of the world is going to change that,"" he added.
Barrett said though Johnson is entitled to his opinion, his perspective is skewed.
""It sounds like, from what I've heard, what he's saying is an insult to the majority of family members who know or suspect that top U.S. officials slaughtered their loved ones on 9/11 in order to launch a brutal and endless war,"" Barrett said.
Barrett's wife, Fatna Bellouchi, 39, attended the meeting dressed in a Sept. 11 remembrance T-shirt and held a sign reading, ""There is one thing we agree on: 9/11 should never be forgotten.""
She was outraged by Johnson's ""preaching basic brainwashing,"" and was then booed out of the room.
Johnson's support for the United States in Iraq was met with applause.
""It saddens me to think Americans have become so self-absorbed that even after a horrific incident such as 9/11 occurs in their own backyard, they can't focus on something long enough to finish the job,"" he said after the lecture.
Follwing the speech, members of the College Republicans gathered around Johnson to thank him for his inspiring story.
""[Johnson] was able to pinpoint the flaws of the Kevin Barrett case,"" said College Republican member and UW-Madison senior Kyle Maichle. ""Everything [Barrett] is teaching is based on conspiracy theory and not actual knowledge.""
Johnson also promoted his book, ""Stairway to Heaven.""
""Everybody knows we are losing the war and people are dying every day,"" Bellouchi said.
""Stairway to heaven?"" she added. ""More like stairway to hell.""
Despite the political atmosphere, some students said they simply came to listen.
""I don't really believe what Kevin Barrett said,"" UW-Madison freshman Jason Carr said. ""I don't really believe in the [politics] of Johnson. I just wanted to hear the story of a survivor.""
