Author booed in commencment Speech...

[insein]

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/l...3724,print.story?coll=ny-topstories-headlines

BY BART JONES
STAFF WRITER

May 24, 2004

E.L. Doctorow, one of the most celebrated writers in America, was nearly booed off the stage at Hofstra University Sunday when he gave a commencement address lambasting President George W. Bush and effectively calling him a liar.

Booing that came mainly from the crowd in the stands became so intense that Doctorow stopped speaking at one point, showing no emotion as he stood silently and listened to the jeers. Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz intervened, and called on the audience to allow him to finish. He did, although some booing persisted.

Doctorow, who spent virtually all of his 20-minute address in Hempstead criticizing Bush, told the crowd that like himself the president is a storyteller. But "sadly they are not good stories this president tells," he said. "They are not good stories because they are not true." That line provoked the first boos, along with scattered cheers.

"One story he told was that the country of Iraq had nuclear and biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction and was intending shortly to use them on us," he said. "That was an exciting story all right, it was designed to send shivers up our spines. But it was not true.

"Another story was that the Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, was in league with the terrorists of al-Qaida," he said. "And that turned out to be not true. But anyway we went off to war on the basis of these stories."

Those lines provoked an outburst of boos so loud the "Ragtime" author stopped the speech. Rabinowitz approached the podium and called for calm. "We value open discussion and debate," he said. "For the sake of your graduates, please let him finish."

Some students and most of the faculty responded with a standing ovation, and Doctorow resumed speaking. He attacked Bush for giving the rich tax breaks, doing "a very poor job of combating terrorism" and allowing the government to subpoena libraries "to see what books you've been taking out."

Many parents and relatives of the more than 1,300 undergraduates were livid over the address, saying afterward that a college graduation was not the place for a political speech. "If this would have happened in Florida, we would have taken him out" of the stadium, said Frank Mallafre, who traveled from Miami for his granddaughter's graduation.

Bill Schmidt, 51, of North Bellmore, shared the outrage. "To ruin my daughter's graduation with politics is pathetic," the retired New York Police Department captain said. "I think the president is doing the best he can" in the war against terrorism.

Many students also called Doctorow's speech inappropriate. Peter Hulse, 24, of Manchester, England, said, "He's a bit like Michael Moore," the documentary director who provoked booing at last year's Oscars' ceremony by criticizing the war in Iraq.

But some defended Doctorow's speech. "I think he's entitled to his opinion and he's as American as anyone else," said a Hempstead resident who identified himself only as Frank and whose daughter was graduating.

One Hofstra official said Sunday that while Doctorow had the right to say what he did, he violated the unwritten code that college commencement speeches should inspire and unite a student body. Provost Dr. Herman Berliner said he has been to numerous graduation ceremonies during the past 30 years and "I cannot remember a commencement speech that was as divisive as this commencement speech was." The university did not know the content of the address. It is not Hofstra's policy to screen commencement speeches, officials said.

Berliner said it was relatively common during the Vietnam War, but "extraordinarily uncommon" in recent times for a speaker to have to stop speaking.

Still, it has happened recently. Last year, New York Times reporter Chris Hedges was booed off the stage when he tried to deliver an antiwar speech at Rockford College in Illinois.

Some Hofstra professors said Doctorow was on target in discussing the war. "I thought this was a totally appropriate place to talk about politics because that's the world our students are entering," said sociology professor Cynthia Bogard. "I only wish their parents had provided them a better role model."
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.

Some people get it. How come its the Parents of the students that understand when the University does not? Colleges are breeding grounds for far left wing thought. When will people see this.

 

[freeandfun1]

I wonder if Hofstra will invite somebody from the administration to give a speech now as a "balance of opinion" like the other university did once Cheney was finished with his speech a few weeks ago?

Believe me, I won't hold my breath to find out.

 

[William Joyce]

Hofstra students are Jewish, and Jews are big supporters of Bush because he is a "friend of Israel." That probably explains it.

 

[Zhukov]

Or maybe it's because speakers at graduations should be providing a speech full of good advice, hope, and well wishing, and not someone's bullshit political agenda.

 

[MtnBiker]

Originally posted by Zhukov
Or maybe it's because speakers at graduations should be providing a speech full of good advice, hope, and well wishing, and not someone's bullshit political agenda.

No kidding, don't they recieve enough of that BS in their classes?

 

[Zhukov]

Pump them full of it till the very last second. That's their philosophy.

 

[nycflasher]

....when Pres. George W. Bush gave a Commencement address at Yale University in May 2001, 170 Yale professors boycotted the ceremony and numerous students in attendance booed, hissed, made gagging signs, and held up signs in protest. According to the eyewitness account of a student who helped organize the Yale protest (emphasis added),

"People booed and jeered, many turned their backs in silence, and many heckled him for the rest of the speech. It was a great show of the people's will. We have to make our voices heard loud and clear when Washington comes to us. That's what happened at Yale University."

Remember the Democracy Now show after that protest, with the handwringing about groupthink and civility toward people with different political views? Me neither.

In fact, a year later when Bush gave a commencement speech at Ohio State University, the administration made it clear it would not tolerate persistent heckling or blocking the view of others with signs. It told students in no uncertain terms that such activities would result in removal from the auditorium.

Was this applauded as a way to ensure the right of commencement speakers not to be shouted down by an unruly mob? Of course not. As The Progressive so subtly put it, it was McCarthy-ist suppression.

Which brings us full circle. Does someone get booed and heckled while trying to present a politically unpopular view? That's the brutal suppression of dissent. Does someone get kicked out of a commencement for booing and heckling and trying to suppress the presentation of a politically unpopular view? That's the brutal suppression of dissent.

Typically consistent left wing take on freedom of speech.

(By the way, for the record, my view is that the hecklers who disrupted Hedges' speech should have been treated on the Ohio State University model -- they should have been warned once and then removed by authorities from the auditorium.)
source

I think that Doctrow should have made his speech less political, perhaps.

 

[Zhukov]

I personally would have laughed and walked out, because no, I wouldn't want to interupt.

I don't defend the booing, I merely try to explain it.

 

[tim_duncan2000]

Sounds about right. It's wrong to boo anti-Bush liberals, but not wrong to boo conservatives. Typical shit from the left.

 

[fuzzykitten99]

they can dish it out but they can't take it

 

[William Joyce]

Originally posted by zook
Or maybe it's because speakers at graduations should be providing a speech full of good advice, hope, and well wishing, and not someone's bullshit political agenda.

I thought the same thing when Mumia Abu-Jamal was chosen as a commencement speaker.

 

[insein]

Originally posted by nycflasher
....when Pres. George W. Bush gave a Commencement address at Yale University in May 2001, 170 Yale professors boycotted the ceremony and numerous students in attendance booed, hissed, made gagging signs, and held up signs in protest. According to the eyewitness account of a student who helped organize the Yale protest (emphasis added),

"People booed and jeered, many turned their backs in silence, and many heckled him for the rest of the speech. It was a great show of the people's will. We have to make our voices heard loud and clear when Washington comes to us. That's what happened at Yale University."

Remember the Democracy Now show after that protest, with the handwringing about groupthink and civility toward people with different political views? Me neither.

In fact, a year later when Bush gave a commencement speech at Ohio State University, the administration made it clear it would not tolerate persistent heckling or blocking the view of others with signs. It told students in no uncertain terms that such activities would result in removal from the auditorium.

Was this applauded as a way to ensure the right of commencement speakers not to be shouted down by an unruly mob? Of course not. As The Progressive so subtly put it, it was McCarthy-ist suppression.

Which brings us full circle. Does someone get booed and heckled while trying to present a politically unpopular view? That's the brutal suppression of dissent. Does someone get kicked out of a commencement for booing and heckling and trying to suppress the presentation of a politically unpopular view? That's the brutal suppression of dissent.

Typically consistent left wing take on freedom of speech.

(By the way, for the record, my view is that the hecklers who disrupted Hedges' speech should have been treated on the Ohio State University model -- they should have been warned once and then removed by authorities from the auditorium.)
source

I think that Doctrow should have made his speech less political, perhaps.

The difference there was that they knew who was coming and it was the teachers and brainwashed students that organized weeks, possibly months in advance for what they were going to do to the President at Commencment.

In the above scenario, It was the parents who booed the speaker for spewing political filth onto their children. The parents who more than likely paid a majority of their money to send their children to that school. They spontaneously booed after being caught off guard by the speech. They didnt go intending to boo a relatively unknown author.

 

[Avatar4321]

I went to my cousins graduation today down at the University of Delaware. Senator Biden was speaking. You can tell i was totally thrilled about that. (Sarcasm)

So like this first speaker mentioned on this thread, Biden starts off with some attacks on "Neoconservatives". Then he had the audacitity to try to scare the graduates with the prospect of the draft. Something which i find totally ridiculous cause the only people talking about the draft of liberals who seem to think the draft will help equally spread military durty among all social economic classes. The Administration is pretty clear about not wanting a draft right now. They are trying to create a military that is quick and efficient in smaller groups rather than large groups. Needless to say the Senator was booed for suggesting it. In fact he was booed several times during the entire presentation.

What really ticked me off was the fact that he started going on and on about the Iraqi prison scandal as a memorial event of our generation and didnt even mention at all the beheading if Nick Berg, which was far worse and far more meaningful to most people I know. And i know my dad got irritated because one point he just started yelling "Sit down, shut up, and let them graduate" it was just so freakin annoying.

What is it with these commencement speakers. This isnt a day for them to talk about themselves. This isnt a day for political rallies or political discourse. This is a day to honor the graduates. You get up. congratulate them on their accomplishments. Give them about ten mins of advice tops, then sit down and let them graduate. Im sick and tired of seeing selfcentered egotistical people trying to take the attention of graduates. And if Democrats think this is going to help then score points against Bush, they are sadly mistaken.

 

[musicman]

Religion is the means through which we understand that which is transcendant; that which is of the spiritual, eternal realm. Liberal socialists, having subtracted God from the equation, find transcendance in a specific political agenda - what Hillary Clinton describes as the "politics of meaning."

So, when the Doctorows and the Bidens spew their garbage, what they're really doing is preaching their religion - and it's not a very tolerant one, either. God - er, sorry, Hillary - help anyone who tries to preach any other.

 

[JohnGalt]

A bunch of my friends graduated the other day and I was VERY happy that politics were left out. The speakers all gave advice based on their life and what they learned. There was no speaking on Bushonomics or any warning of a 2005 draft (which is a joke anyway).

 

[rtwngAvngr]

Bush was booed by lefties trying to shut him up, simply for WHO HE WAS. What did he SAY that they were booing, if that's not the case? This hofstra guy was booed for the CONTENTS of his words and utterances.

The right responds with CRITICSIMS OF IDEAS; the left responds with SHUTTING DOWN THE CONVERSATION. Nothing new here.

 

[Bullypulpit]

Originally posted by insein
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/l...3724,print.story?coll=ny-topstories-headlines



Some people get it. How come its the Parents of the students that understand when the University does not? Colleges are breeding grounds for far left wing thought. When will people see this.

It seems that folks just can't stand to have the truth about Dubbyuh revealed. Such disdain for the truth only paves the road to and American totalitarian state.

 

[insein]

Originally posted by Bullypulpit
It seems that folks just can't stand to have the truth about Dubbyuh revealed. Such disdain for the trith only paves the road to and American totalitarian stte.

Yea i hate when the trith is shoved down my throats. The lefts definition of truth and lies is all screwed up. See truth is supposed to be based in facts. Lies are statements made that are false. Just thought you should know that bully since you seem to be unaware of this.

 

[Bullypulpit]

Originally posted by insein
Yea i hate when the trith is shoved down my throats. The lefts definition of truth and lies is all screwed up. See truth is supposed to be based in facts. Lies are statements made that are false. Just thought you should know that bully since you seem to be unaware of this.

And you are totally oblivious. Oh, and nice riposte that with the spelling error, since you obviously couldn't find anything else to harp about.

 

[insein]

Originally posted by Bullypulpit
And you are totally oblivious. Oh, and nice riposte that with the spelling error, since you obviously couldn't find anything else to harp about.

Actually i was harping on your skewed view of reality where lies are truths and truths are lies.