The University of Illinois is being urged to reinstate a professor who was given the boot after posting controversial opinions about the Israeli government.  Steve Salaita posted several Tweets over the summer expressing harsh criticism about the attacks on Gaza.  He was slated to come on board as a tenured professor in the American Indian Studies program this year, but university officials withdrew the offer after hearing about the Tweets.  Donors reportedly put pressure on the university and threatened to pull funding if they brought Salaita on board, knowing his views might cause some sort of division.  But thousands of people have signed petitions calling on the university to reverse the decision.  Some students staged a walk-out and a day of silence in protest over the matter, and several lecturers have canceled appearances.