Steve Almond: "Condoleezza Rice at Boston College? I quit."

An open letter in the Boston Globe from an adjunct prof at BC to William P. Leahy, SJ, president of Boston College. :toast:

Dear Father Leahy,

I am writing to resign my post as an adjunct professor of English at Boston College. I am doing so -- after five years at BC, and with tremendous regret -- as a direct result of your decision to invite Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to be the commencement speaker at this year's graduation.

Many members of the faculty and student body already have voiced their objection to the invitation, arguing that Rice's actions as secretary of state are inconsistent with the broader humanistic values of the university and the Catholic and Jesuit traditions from which those values derive.

But I am not writing this letter simply because of an objection to the war against Iraq. My concern is more fundamental. Simply put, Rice is a liar.

link

All of the children of the GOP punditocracy seem to gravitate there of late.

because that school is great at turning out howling liberals.

It also has my favorite weird college radio station of all time. Their evening format is "No Commericial Potential" and I listen to the live stream every evening that PBS gets dull.

It's not a school for kids who don't want to think, who want to sit passively and have their opinions handed to them fully formed.

I'm less impressed with them nowadays, to be honest. Potato Head Russert's kid, Luke, attends. And the GOP is growing stronger on that campus, and others, as well. Incredible, the Greed is Good philosophy. Here's the BC GOP website:

http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/svp/st_org/republican/

Tom Wolfe was on tv last night, talking about the howling left back in the day, and now. It was kinda sad to hear the difference spelled out so painfully.

But hey, we can always hope...!

A 21-Patriot Salute:

:patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot:
:patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot:
:patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot: :patriot:

Steve Almond way to go!

If the entire graduating class were to stand up and turn their backs on Rice as she's introduced. It would probably bring a tear to his eye.

Bloody brilliant!

:patriot: :applause: :patriot:

Those were not just lies. They were war crimes.

Professor Almond, we salute you. You are the hero of the day in the struggle against neoconservative despotism.



Liberty Leading the People (1830) by Eugène Delacroix
From the website of the University of Southern California

someone(anyone, please)takes a stand like this. I can't even imagine inviting the liar con rice to a reputable college to speak at graduation and giving her some honorary degree? Bogus!

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"I would like to apologize to my students and prospective students. I would also urge them to investigate the words and actions of Rice, and to exercise their own First Amendment rights at her speech."
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Methinks a protest is in order :D

the graduating class and the rest of the college--the professors and students who had no part in this bad decision to invite Ms. Illegal War and Torture to speak, when she should be indicted, convicted and in jail.

The light of knowledge and humanity are alive at Boston College--in this resigned professor. It is HE who should be speaking. He's been there five years, teaching English, and, in that context, made this courageous decision, likely at the sacrifice of his career. A college is far more than an individual President and his decision to bootlick fascists. He will go away and the college will live on. A college is its students and its teachers, collectively, over time. It's what happens in the classrooms and study halls and dormitories and cafeterias and all meeting places.

Steve Almond honors THEM--the students and teachers--and a long tradition of people of conscience that came before him, and will come after him.

Father Leahy will fade into history. His ilk are a dime a dozen in the establishment--people who put fundraising before integrity and morality. But Steve Almond will be remembered. His action will resonate. His conscience will become the conscience of all.

That's what brave people do. They make waves!

I had to read this a couple of times to notice ... Steve Almond ... that unusual name rang a bell. He's the author of Candyfreak, the most delightfully, sinfully, fattening book I've ever read. Buy a copy, he probably will make more money from it than from an adjunct position at BC!