'Round here, where patriots have made some pretty effective stands in the past, we have a new patriot making a stand against the policies of this administration. And he's walking away from his position at a prestigious institution because of these weenies....
Locally there has been a dust-up about the fact that Boston College has chosen to invite Condoleezza Rice to give the commencement address, and she will receive an honorary degree.
Some coverage fo the protests can be found here: Rice's Honorary Degree Sparks Protests. From the story:
About 150 faculty members signed a letter saying Rice does not deserve an honorary degree because the Bush Administration's policies contradict the school's Catholic, Jesuit and humanistic identity.
Protesters have included both students and faculty. Reasons vary--from the flat-out lying of this administration (lying....that's in the Bible somewhere, I'm pretty sure...been a long time since Catholic school...) and many have pointed out the Catholic Church's opposition to the Iraq war.
But one man has taken it further. The Boston Globe has printed an open letter from a professor, some of which I will excerpt here:
Condoleezza Rice at Boston College? I quit
By Steve Almond | May 12, 2006
An open letter to William P. Leahy, SJ, president of Boston College.
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....
Other highlights (well, lowlights):
- "pathologically misguided foreign policy"
- "Rice has continued to misrepresent or simply ignore the truth about our deadly adventure in Iraq."
- "It is the content of one's character that matters here"
To the Boston College administration, he says:
Like the administration in Washington, you appear too proud to admit to your mistake. Instead, you will mouth a bunch of platitudes, all of which boil down to: You don't want to lose face.
Near the end...
I cannot, in good conscience, exhort my students to pursue truth and knowledge, then collect a paycheck from an institution that displays such flagrant disregard for both.
How cool is that? How many of us would (or could) walk away from our jobs because of what this administration does?
Stand up where you can, folks. Others are standing with us.