Top Comments 5-03-08 -- Liebrary Edition

Last night Progressive Witness had a wonderful post about the Loneman School Book Drive. If you missed it, you owe it to yourself to check it out. I was particularly struck by this comment about the Indians of North America book series from Chelsea House:

While any books we send will surely be put to good use, I can think of few resources that might be more valuable to Loneman's library than this accessible, scholarly, and extensive series on Native American history and culture.

While I absolutely agree, it also made me think. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if EVERY school library had a set of these books? I am not familiar with the series (and it isn’t in my public library, either), but I will take PWs word on its quality. In my experience, quality information about Native Americans is largely missing from most of our schools.

And while we are on the topic of schools, I thought tonight would be a good time for an update on the epic Battle for the Soul of Southern Methodist University. Why now? Because we have achieved a victory (of sorts)! At the very least we have won a major battle in the fight to prevent shrub’s Liebrary from being built on the SMU campus. For those of you not engaged in this struggle, here’s a little background to go with the victory dance.

For those of you not familiar with this struggle, here’s a little background. Before shrub was even given the job as president, plans were underway for his Presidential Liebrary. A search committee led by his long-time friend Don Evans (yes, the same Don Evans he then appointed Secretary of Commerce) solicited bids and began fundraising for the $500 million Liebrary and think tank. (Really, the jokes just write themselves.

Six schools initially bid for the "honor," but two dropped out early on. Final bids were submitted by SMU (Methodist), Baylor (Baptist), University of Dallas (Catholic) and Texas Tech in 2005. When this was announced, the Board of Trustees of Texas Tech, the only state school in the group, withdrew their bid. Baylor and U Dallas backed out in 2007, leaving SMU as the big winner.

But the faculty and students of SMU, who had no idea this was going to be foisted upon them, began protesting. A national petition drive brought the matter to the governing body of the United Methodist Church, which owns and operates SMU. Law suits ensued over who had the right to affiliate the Methodist school with the Liebrary. Fearful that the South Central Jurisdictional Conference  (SCJC) board would side with SMU ($500 million is a powerful motivational tool), petitioners took their case to the General Conference of the United Methodist Church, the highest authority of the denomination, which cannot be over-ruled by any other body within the denomination.

On Wednesday, April 30, spoke clearly, overwhelmingly rejecting the Liebrary by a vote of 844-20. The vote actually affirmed that the SCJC, not the SMU trustees, must decide, but it required SCJC to hold a vote of the entire 290-member conference, rather than allowing a board decision. Since most of the 290 members were also a part of the General Assembly and voted against the Liebrary, protesters are hopeful the SCJC will reject the Liebrary at the 2008 South Central Jurisdictional Conference in Dallas, July 16-19.

If we win, where do you think shrub’s Liebrary should be located? Since it will only have the one book (My Pet Goat), it would fit in the bathroom of the Crawford, TX Quickee Mart. But Crawford has suffered enough. I vote the Liebrary, along with shrub and his merry band of tortures and criminals be enshrined at Alcatraz. Other suggestions?

I don’t know if we will ever know the depth of the damage shrub’s criminal conspiracy has done. But I do know you will find out about a lot of it reading Daily Kos. When you find a comment that you think is enlightening, edifying, of just plain entertaining, send it – along with your screen name – to

                               topcomments at gmail dot com

And now to the comments....

From wee mama:

Reporting on the Guam vote, djs has the NPR headlines, snark edition.  

From Miss Laura:

Several people joined in to developing some excellent Guam-related buzzwords.

From Willb48:

This comment from brmehlman tickled me, but I ought to mention the parent comment by Magnifico too. OND readers have the most fun!

From me:

Michael D reminds us there is a  ventriloquist dummy for a sexual hypnotist running to represent Oregon.

KibbutzAmiad reads Free Republic so we don't have to and gives the reasons you really don't want to go there.

marykk gets a little snarky overGod's reaction to Rev. Hagee and a funny theological thread ensues.

And tonight’s Top Mojo:

Top Mojo excluding search-identifiable tip jars, first diary comments, and C&J comments:

1 - Thanks......karendc.....249
2 - I REALLY WISH YOU HAND'T HIJACKED MY DIARY.....foxsucks81.....120
3 - So true.....there will be blood.....120
4 - Our home is yours, and you know that........Casey Morris.....86
5 - We did it!.....telfish.....82
6 - It's the delivery......smartdemmg.....80
7 - Funny......RenaRF.....77
8 - It was my neighbor's dog......high uintas.....75
9 - The fracking media ghouls doing everything.....highacidity.....73
10 - It's not me........Casey Morris.....72
11 - Agreed......Aerials.....70
12 - Heh......MBNYC.....68
13 - everyone claims to know what is best for Barack.....the awful truth.....66
14 - I wanted to let others know.....high uintas.....65
15 - If your husband, or you, or any Obama.....nicejoest.....65
16 - He has retained alot of his main points.....From a distance.....60
17 - I hope that's the reason, but I also think.....dlh77489.....59
18 - Given that we've heard absolutely nothing.....sick of it all.....59
19 - I don't think that I have ever seen.....Timroff.....58
20 - But being President is tough!.....AHiddenSaint.....57
21 - WHY CAN'T OBAMA CLOSE THE DEAL?.....JimTXDem.....57
22 - I'm at the airport in Guam........Bluecollarelitist.....56
23 - Stop watching it 5 times a week! n/t.....audiored.....56
24 - My favorite part:.....scardanelli.....55
25 - Which we're expecting to go.....scardanelli.....54
26 - Feel the Guamentum!.....Brainwrap.....53
27 - How could anyone NOT vote for this man?.....ggwoman55.....52
28 - I'm not sure.....JimTXDem.....51
29 - Hubby should have insisted that he.....bakenjuddy.....51
30 - You're welcome up here......Dunciad.....50

Top Mojo with No Exclusions:

1 - Tips or stones.....flahawkfan.....521
2 - "beware the terrible simplifiers".....westcott.....437
3 - Tips?.....BoBo2020.....430
4 - Do with this what you will.....teacherken.....305
5 - Tip Jar.....teenvote.....297
6 - Thanks......karendc.....249
7 - Tip Jar.....Jimmy Crackcorn.....228
8 - Tips for change......mistersite.....223
9 - This Played Too Much D&D In Seventh........JeffLieber.....192
10 - Drippity drip-drip!.....dlh77489.....136
11 - Bless you.....bigforkgirl.....128
12 - So true.....there will be blood.....123
13 - Tips.....Land of Enchantment.....120
14 - I REALLY WISH YOU HAND'T HIJACKED MY DIARY.....foxsucks81.....120
15 - Tips for a REAL environmental president.....dansac.....119
16 - Mojo for the chef,.....Asinus Asinum Fricat.....118
17 - yeah and he admitted it didnt work.....mobilio316.....103
18 - Tips/drips and such......jkennerl.....91
19 - See you whenever.........SallyCat.....90
20 - Tips?.....paxpdx.....87
21 - Our home is yours, and you know that........Casey Morris.....86
22 - We did it!.....telfish.....82
23 - Good morning gardeners!.....Frankenoid.....80
24 - It's the delivery......smartdemmg.....80
25 - Funny......RenaRF.....77
26 - It was my neighbor's dog......high uintas.....75
27 - The fracking media ghouls doing everything.....highacidity.....73
28 - It's not me........Casey Morris.....72
29 - Agreed......Aerials.....72
30 - everyone claims to know what is best for Barack.....the awful truth.....69