Bush Call to College Grads: Be Responsible (Faculty Stand in Silent Protest at Commencement Speech)

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Bush call to college grads: Be responsible

By DEB RIECHMANN – 2 hours ago

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — President Bush, ignoring faculty members who stood in silent protest of his commencement speech, admitted Saturday that when he left college, thinking about how to be a "model citizen" was the furthest thing from his mind. Yet that was the goal the president set for the 2008 graduating class of Furman University.

"As you move ahead in life, you will find temptations and distractions that can take you off course," Bush said. "You might also find that years may pass before you learn some important truths: That who you are is more important than what you have. And that you have responsibilities to your fellow citizens, your country, your family, and yourself."

Scores of Bush supporters lined his motorcade route and the crowd gave Bush a warm welcome as he strode into the university stadium for the outdoor commencement ceremony. But about 15 members of the faculty stood in silent protest during the president's speech. They wore white T-shirts emblazoned with "We Object" to show their opposition to Bush's policies on the Iraq war, global warming and other issues.
Bush, who has about eight months left in office, urged students to vote in the upcoming race to succeed him.

- snip -

About 20 protesters also gathered near the stadium, where one woman handed out armbands and asked attendees to clap for the graduates but not for the president. A handmade coffin protested the Iraq war and one protester held a sign that read, "The end is near." Next to the protesters and anti-war signs, a woman sang "God Bless America." Others waved American flags to welcome the president.

Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gdwENUZz-T8uVKlWfz3wcL0ao0NwD910V7GO0

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Faculty members of Furman University wear shirts that read 'WE OBJECT' as President Bush delivers the commencement address at the university in Greenville, S.C., Saturday, May 31, 2008. (AP Photo/Patrick Collard)

[LiberalFighter]

1. Not exactly the best role model for our graduates.

[dflprincess]

4. He's a fine example

of what not to do.

[MichiganVote]

2. Good for the faculty.

[babylonsister]

3. RECOMMEND for those fearless folks in white! Bless them! nt

[Sancho]

5. My alma mater...when I was a student there, Jimmy Carter spoke.

Richard Riley, two term Democratic governor of SC and Clinton's Secretary of Education, was a Furman graduate. I worked for one of Riley's programs in the 80's.

I think that some of administration has gone over to the dark side. I'm planning what to say when the alumni office calls this year for a donation.

[1Hippiechick]

48. Mobilize financial supporters from your class and elsewhere...

to get administration's attention. :grouphug: I know first-hand that the questions and concerns of the high-dollar supporters are listened to - administration obviously doesn't want to stop the flow of money! If you are not one of the high-dollar supporters (most of us aren't), mobilize to better make your voice heard. (And report back to us here re what happens! :evilgrin: Good luck!

PS - wheher or not you mobilize, congrats on planning a response! :yourock:

[Sancho]

50. I'm not high dollar, but I'm am a going to raise hell over inviting bush.

I'm really embarrassed and pissed off and I know some of the high dollar folks. This was a dumb idea.


:grr:

[Maestro]

6. Awesome!

Good for them!

[cstanleytech]

7. "Be responsible" *snort* *chuckle*

Thats a good one, next he will use the words "I am not a crook".

[otohara]

52. Galling Words Coming From The Most Irresponsible

person occupying the White House since Dick.

[2Design]

8. boy some people get the worse commencement speakers n/t

[Faygo Kid]

9. I will fight the rest of my life to assure that he is considered Worst President Ever.

Andrew Johnson was terrible. Richard Nixon was terrible. But I will crusade until my dying day to assure that George W. Bush goes down in history as the worst ever. Ever.

[Frisbee]

14. That's some challenge you've set for yourself...

He's already done all the work for you! :) Maybe you should set your sights on worst American ever. I still think it may be an attainable goal, but at least there is some challenge in it. (Though you may hurt Richard (dick) Cheney's feelings if you're successful, I think he's been working pretty hard at earning that one for himself)

[Frisbee]

16. Bravo...

Bravo to the staff who had the courage to make a stand, and to show how to do it right! And to you wonderful staff members, welcome to the governments watch list. I think you'll find you're in good company with all of us DUer's! BTW, why in the hell would anyone outside of a military academy (and even then I don't really understand it, I just realize that's their mentality) ask this shell of a human being to give a commencement speech? Hell, he's can barely speak coherently. I hope a lot of parents are having second thoughts about enrolling their kids at Furman.

edited to say: "sorry, I meant to reply to the OP, not my own post" :shame: dammit, we need a shame smiley!

[Hardrada]

29. Worst American! Worst member of the genus Mammalia!

I was going to say worst sentient being but that would not apply to him.

[Sam Ervin jret]

40. You'll be surprised. The revisionists have begun the strategy of how to remake the Bush image

already.

What do you think that BUSH LIE- bru-ry is for? Not to hold the "books" the president has read while in office or throughout his life.

Would they really need a building for that? This idiot doesn't even read book report summaries. He has book report summaries read TO him.

Perfectly good time was wasted giving literacy to this president. To have him speaking at an institution of higher learning is the ultimate in ironies. To have him speaking of "giving to society" and asking others not to be materialistic or selfish is the ultimate in hypocrisy.

The man makes me:puke: :puke:

[jwirr]

41. Scotty's book fdeserves to be right next to My Pet Goat. Truth and Lie.

[WhiteTara]

43. good thing no building is needed

'cause, SMU turned his ugly ass down! And Dallas is the MOST republican city I've ever lived in.

[1Hippiechick]

49. Suggested Bushism quote for library

Quote to be posted somewhere in the LIE-bury:

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test." -Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001

[The Diest]

22. The world community will ensure that he gets listed with Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, etc.

And maybe even along with Saddam.

[sakabatou]

55. He already is. In most poll she's the least popular president so far.

[rosesaylavee]

10. I love this story.

Bless those faculty members. There better not be any repercussions for their action.

[minnesota_liberal]

11. I would have mooned the goddamned bastard!

Hearing him lecture about truth, responsibility and being a model citizen would make me want to...

:puke:

[ooglymoogly]

12. This blood soaked thug has the temerity??? kr nt

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

13. nicely done

they set a good example on how to protest.

Peaceful but got their message out in such a way that they
cannot be written off as crazies.

[Lorien]

15. He far too much of a coward to speak at a university in a BLUE state! n/t

[Bill McBlueState]

38. that's what I was thinking

If he tried to speak at my school, you'd see a hell of a lot more than 15 silent faculty members protesting. What's wrong with the students at Furman?

[struggle4progress]

17. No honoris causa degree? Even Poppy picked up a doctor of law for wandering down to Furman?

Of course, anyone forced to offer Shrubby a law degree might have gagged fatally: even "Doctor of Humane Letters" seems unconscionably ironic. But apparently Furman opted not even to utter the words "honoris causa" over his political corpse


... Our current president, who is markedly less popular than his father, will not receive an honorary degree from the university where he will address graduates on Saturday night ... http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080528/CITYPEOPLE/805280410/1062

[Frisbee]

18. I love that photo...

does anyone know where I can get a larger image of it, like windows wallpaper size?

[LaStrega]

19. Bravo to the faculty ...

I bet shrub had to fight like hell not to say "...learn some important truthinesses..."

Fucking tool.

Yeah, great example for a commencement. :eyes:

k/r

[buckrogers1965]

20. Worst president ever.

The only example this bozo serves is as a bad example.

I just hope that we can keep the group behind him contained on their wanting to wage more wars of aggression in South America, Africa, and Iran until we can elect someone new. With any luck we will get a kinder gentler group of people around the next president, or at least ones that have any subtlety at all.

[Peace Patriot]

44. Welcome to DU, Buckrogers1965! And I agree! Oil War II-South America is a

real danger before this year is out. The first shots have ALREADY been fired--when Colombia/U.S. bombed/invaded Ecuador, this March, using U.S. "smart bombs" and U.S. high tech surveillance (and possibly U.S. aircraft and personnel), to kill the FARC (leftist guerrilla) chief hostage negotiator, who was camped just inside Ecuador's border and about to release hostages to the president of Ecuador. Ecuador and Venezuela seem to have deftly headed off war with Colombia over that incident, but the Bushites have more war plans, including organizing and funding fascist secessionist movements in Bolivia, Venezuela and Ecuador (white, apartheid-type racists in Bolivia), to split-off the oil-rich parts of these countries into fascist mini-states.

I strongly suspect that the Bushites are planning to commit U.S. troops (and/or the 4th Fleet) to one of these conflicts, partly as a hand grenade thrown at Obama during the election campaign, and partly to fuck up his first months in office, and maybe his whole term, with Quagmire II--if he gets elected. (And I don't see how they can stop him from getting elected, except by blatant--and risky--use of their "trade secret" code voting machines.) The biggest plumb they seek is the state of Zulia in Venezuela, directly adjacent to Bush client state, Colombia. It's where most of Venezuela's oil is.

Donald Rumsfeld urges "swift action" by the U.S. in support of "friends and allies" in South America, in his Dec '07 op-ed in the WaPo.* I think this is what he means--swift U.S. military action in support of one of these secessionist groups in Bolivia, Venezuela or Ecuador (and/or further Colombia hostilities against their neighbors, Venezuela and Ecuador). Venezuela and Ecuador control the biggest pots of oil in the western hemisphere, both are members of OPEC, and both have leftist governments (as does most of South America) who believe in using the countries' oil profits to benefit the poor. Bush and our global corporate predators have it out for them.

It would have been interesting if, somehow, the truth channel in Bush's brain could have been opened during his speech to the graduates at Furman:

"Hey, kids! Who wants to lose a limb in the Andes for Exxon Mobil? Military 'cruiters will sign you up, with your diploma. And, how bout an even bigger sacrifice for Jeebus oil? TWO limbs! And who will gimme FOUR? You'll never win a Senate seat, that's for sure. Heh-heh. Do I see a hand up? Sucker! You wanna give your ALL for my buds? How bout that? How bout that? Kid wants to die for the have's! Hey, I'll drink a beer with you, kid, after all this crap about gradiatin' is over. Hate this stuff. Fuckin cannon fodder and their commie teachers! Lez drink to the blood of the many spult fer the edie-fornication of the rich! Hey-hey. The edication of the edie-fiers. Get it? More body bags. Sign 'em up! Ratt this a-way!"

-----

*"The Smart Way to Beat Tyrants Like Chávez," by Donald Rumsfeld, 12/1/07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/30/AR2007113001800.html

Want some counter-toxic laughs (and good info, too)?
www.BoRev.net

[BrklynLiberal]

21. Kudos to those courageous faculty members. Sympathy to those who had to sit and listen to

prez shit-for-brains speak at the commencement. Their time would have been better spent sitting in their dorms watching cartoons.

[BayjanDem]

23. It's hard to put food

on your GED. Bush speaking at a graduation is like Ron Jeremy speaking at a N.O.W convention.

[Sunnyshine]

24. WE OBJECT

K&R Because I have been waiting to see a national wave of public dissent like this for 8 long years.
This faculty is fighting for justice in America. I am proud to stand with them and loudly declare:
WE OBJECT. Now, give me back my country. Go Home to Crawford. *Bush is the most worstest US president ever was. :thumbsdown:

*says my 5 yr. old

[concerned canadian]

25. K&R

[Amerigo Vespucci]

26. "...temptations and distractions that can take you off course..." Like alcohol and coke.

With temptations like alcohol and coke, you could...and this is just an example, mind you...run an oil company into the ground. Be in charge and sit back, high as a kite, while the business fails miserably. Not really care about it because as soon as the company goes completely belly-up, your daddy's Saudi friends will just give you another oil company to play with.

[frog92969]

27. Good for them!

I'm always amazed when I see people humoring this traitor.
There should be NOWHERE he can go and feel welcomed.

[Dems4HowardDean]

28. More PICS fromFurman visit.

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=BS&Date=20080531&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=805310805&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=1#photo

[annabanana]

34. Thanks for the pics!. . . . .n/t

[sakabatou]

30. More blood for the blood god!

More skulls for the skull throne!

[Senator]

31. See How Easy DC-Dems? "We Impeach/Object!"

It's not hard to satisfy the oath of office, to meet our treaty obligations, not become a war criminal by aiding after-the-fact.

It also allows 10% of the white male demographic to stop seeing you as spineless wimps and start seeing a viable alternative to "strong and wrong" neo-fascism.

One does evil enough when one does nothing good. ~German Proverb

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[Riddler]

32. This piece of human garbage has NEVER taken responsibility for anything,

yet he implores the graduates to "be responsible". The students should have booed his miserable, failure of a person, ass off the stage.

[DailyGrind51]

33. During the Watergate hearings, Sen. Sam Ervin said,

"It's about time we develop a healthy disrespect for the presidency!", meaning that no office should be above criticism or scrutiny.

[jdadd]

35. Conscientious Objectors.....

With a silent protest by some faculty members pending, at least 31 Furman University professors have been granted "conscientious objector" status by school administrators exempting them from President Bush’s commencement address Saturday. snip


http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080530/NEWS01/305300003

[1Hippiechick]

36. 31 other professors were granted "conscientious objector" status,

:headbang:

This is a start, and this is exciting to me! Maybe this younger generation HAS learned a few things from the protests of the 60s!

"In addition to the silent protesters, 31 other professors were granted "conscientious objector" status, allowing them to skip commencement exercises in objection to Bush's visit. There are 230 full-time professors at Furman."

[jdadd]

37. You owe me a coke....

:hi: edit to add; Welcome to DU

[1Hippiechick]

47. A coke? Okey-doke!

:beer:
Why?
Thanks for the welcome - glad to be here - LOVE this website!:woohoo:

[a la izquierda]

39. I think he spoke at Oklahoma State Univ

last year for commencement. I doubt there were 31 faculty members able to object at that entire university. I'll have to go back and check.
I will be a professor in 2 short years: I hope to gawd I never have to conscientiously object to a speaker at commencement. I just hope that the commencement speaker at my graduation in 2010 is not so objectionable. My mother would drag me by my ear to the damn ceremony. John McCain spoke at commencement in 2005. Thank god I didn't graduate then. I don't even remember who spoke this year. Wow.

But good for those profs.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

42. The baseball cap

on the moustachio'd faculty member greatly appealed to me. It's so fittingly unfitting at a graduation ceremony.

[ryanmuegge]

45. How about managing our country's finances responsibly, ya shit-stain?

Up is down. War is peace.

[Jefferson23]

46. Responsible..he has no idea how to live that kind of life, his entire life has been

frought with cheating and lies. Anyone know if he takes money for this?

[MasonJar]

51. I read earlier on DU a report that over 200 students had protested against

the choice of W for grad speaker.

[Supersedeas]

53. we salute the courageous activism of the Furman faculty

[bdamomma]

54. what a freaking hypocrite and liar this man is.

good for those faculty members who showed their dissent.