PROVO, Utah, April 10 — The invitation extended to Vice President Dick Cheney to be the commencement speaker at Brigham Young University has set off a rare, continuing protest at the Mormon university, one of the nation’s most conservative.
Some of the faculty and the 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students, who are overwhelmingly Republican, have expressed concern about the Bush administration’s support for the war in Iraq and other policies, but most of the current protest has focused on Mr. Cheney’s integrity, character and behavior. Several students said, for example, that they were appalled at Mr. Cheney’s use of an expletive on the Senate floor in a June 2004 exchange with Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont.
“The problem is this is a morally dubious man,” said Andrew Christensen, a 22-year-old Republican from Salt Lake City. “It’s challenging the morality and integrity of this institution.”
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The article goes on to say that there is also strong support for his appearance, although the numbers for the anti- petition are still higher so far.
And, from the descriptions and the quotations, this has to be the most polite and respectful protest ever. "And most students said that despite their concerns, they respected the authority of university and church leaders." How often would you hear that on a college campus, protest or no protest?
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quote:Several students said, for example, that they were appalled at Mr. Cheney’s use of an expletive on the Senate floor in a June 2004 exchange with Senator Patrick J. Leahy, Democrat of Vermont.
Aw, I love this. Seriously. Maybe it's just the association with people that I love, although I am not fond of the school itself and chose to not go there and am very glad for it, but there's something downright adorable about the first and strongest protest in years being justified by outrage over the VP using the F-word.
I mean, check out the protest signs.
quote:“We’re excited for the world to see what B.Y.U. really is,” Mr. Lassen said. “No matter what you think of Cheney, he’s easily the most powerful man in the world.”
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I know some people who are protesting (or at at least upset about) Cheney speaking at BYU. None of them brought up his Senate floor f-bomb; all of them mentioned his politics.
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I had heard the protest was rather small in number, but it is significant that a school considered among the most conservative would have protesters against having Cheney speak. It shows that dissapproval is not necessarily the partisan game that gets used as an excuse against current corruption scandals.
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quote:“We’re excited for the world to see what B.Y.U. really is,” Mr. Lassen said. “No matter what you think of Cheney, he’s easily the most powerful man in the world.”
I find it strange to hear a Republican admit that Cheney is more powerful the the president and I find it very scary Mr. Lassen seems impressed by this rather than appalled.
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quote:It shows that dissapproval is not necessarily the partisan game that gets used as an excuse against current corruption scandals.
You say that as though all BYU students are Republican.
Oh perhaps simply because several of the people interviewed who expressed opposition to Cheney were self declared republicans.
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mr_porteiro_head: What I read earlier in the week had Republican individuals as well. My main goal was in pointing out that the current trends in approval and disapproval are not contingent on whether the people live in a red state or a blue state. I didn't mean to imply anything else.
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Here is the thing, there were not that many people protesting. Compare the maybe 200 people vs. what other Universities would have and this becomes almost a non story.
I have seen more than one protest at BYU, and it isn't as unusual as everyone would like to think. There were more than the usual, but at least half involved would protest at the drop of a hat. I even heard, but can't substantiate, there were more journalists than students at the rally.
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quote:Compare the maybe 200 people vs. what other Universities would have and this becomes almost a non story.
You know, in the modern era, a turnout of 200 students for any protest at a school of BYU's size is actually rather significant.
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Seriously. Maybe it's just the association with people that I love, although I am not fond of the school itself and chose to not go there and am very glad for it, but there's something downright adorable about the first and strongest protest in years being justified by outrage over the VP using the F-word.![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)
