New Library to be named in GW's...

[TheThing]

Honor.

DALLAS Jan 18, 2007 (AP)— A group of Methodist ministers from across the nation launched an online petition drive Thursday urging Southern Methodist University to stop trying to land George W. Bush's presidential library.

The petition, on a new Web site, http://www.protectsmu.org, says that "as United Methodists, we believe that the linking of his presidency with a university bearing the Methodist name is utterly inappropriate."

"Methodists have a long history of social conscience, so questions about the conduct of this president are very concerning," said one of the petition's organizers, the Rev. Andrew J. Weaver of New York, who graduated from SMU's Perkins School of Theology.

Brad Cheves, SMU's vice president for external affairs and development, said Thursday that the Methodist church is diverse in its membership and opinions and that those involved with the petition reflect only one view.

"We believe the vast majority of the Methodist membership, university and community support the library and that it will benefit the faculty, students and community for generations to come," Cheves said.

SMU emerged as the apparent winner in the library competition last month when the site selection committee said it was entering into further discussions with just SMU, the 11,000-student, private university, which is first lady Laura Bush's alma mater. The Bushes are Methodists.

President Bush said Thursday that he was "leaning heavily toward SMU" and was close to a decision.

"I understand there are some who have reservations, and my advice to them is understand that a library and institution would enhance education, be a place for interesting discussion and be a place for people to express their views and write and think, and these universities I think understand that and are excited about the prospects, and so am I," he told Belo Corp. television.

Some SMU professors have opposed Bush's foreign policy, mainly the war in Iraq. Some faculty members also have complained that the library complex's think tank dedicated to the philosophy of the Bush administration would hurt the school's reputation.

But at a faculty meeting Wednesday, SMU President R. Gerald Turner said those fears were unfounded. He said among the library's benefits were increasing the school's visibility nationwide and spurring economic development in the city.

The Rev. Mark Craig an SMU trustee and senior minister of Highland Park United Methodist Church, where the Bushes are members said that the petition organizers' views do not reflect the opinion of most church members and that the petition would not affect decisions about the library.

"The library is not about politics," Craig said. "The library is about history, having U.S. history from a period of eight years and that conveyed to a great academic institution."

The project will be financed with a private fund drive aimed at raising at least $200 million.

While SMU's president said his university's exclusive talks with the selection committee would resume in a few days, the other finalists are Baylor University in Waco and the University of Dallas. A decision is expected in a few months, when Bush receives a recommendation from the committee.

to make this long story short, some people think that to have the library named after Bush would mean that the college would look like that it supports President Bush and what he stands for and doesn't, which isn't necessarily true. others think that the library will enhance education, and draw more students to the college.

i believe that its not a good idea, even if a small college gets a free ~$200 million library. it will ruin the reputation of the school because the mass unpopularity of the current president.

[HogWashSoup]

thats funny. a library named after a guy who couldnt even read.

[cellardoor6]

At 1/25/07 01:18 AM, HogWashSoup wrote: thats funny. a library named after a guy who couldnt even read.

Haha you mean a library named after a President who can almost certainly read better than you. Who got degrees from both Harvard (the top university in the world) and Yale (the 5th best university in the world).

Yeah.. thats funny.

[psycho-squirrel2]

At 1/25/07 01:25 AM, cellardoor6 wrote: Yeah.. thats funny.

he got in because his father has money.

[cellardoor6]

At 1/25/07 03:11 AM, shin-tenshu wrote:

At 1/25/07 01:25 AM, cellardoor6 wrote: Yeah.. thats funny.

he got in because his father has money.

Thats bullshit, not only did he get in because he actually is intelligent. But he also finished at the top of his classes in both Harvard and Yale. He scored much higher than John Kerry and other Yale graduates did.

You're a moron. I think its so funny when people pretend that Bush is stupid, all while its pretty obvious to people who aren't complete morons that Bush is smarter than any person who has probably ever been on Newgrounds, let alone any teenager EVER who has repeated the "lolz Bush sux cuz hes dumb" bit.

[fli]

At 1/25/07 01:25 AM, cellardoor6 wrote:

At 1/25/07 01:18 AM, HogWashSoup wrote: thats funny. a library named after a guy who couldnt even read.

Haha you mean a library named after a President who can almost certainly read better than you. Who got degrees from both Harvard (the top university in the world) and Yale (the 5th best university in the world).

Yeah.. thats funny.

Money and friends in high places can surprisingly take you far in many things.
While I don't doubt that Bush had done a great deal of work, I will always question, as do many people, academic achievments. After all, he was a C average student... and many of his professors were his fathers friends.

I mean... You go boy-- kudos and all. One of the best universities.
But it aint the same when you compare George Bush's advantages versus any other student coming from the ground-zero of the social ladder and florishing up in the ranks.

The man has charisma for certain. The man has done something right to get this far. He has common sense (to a far reaching but not whole extent.)

But.... PUUUUU-LEAZZZE--
Let's not put him on a pedestal of geniuses....

As for the issue at hand--
Eh... I'm not caring for this at all. If the issue was, "Should we have a Hitler Library?"

Then yeah--
I would have a definate response.

[cellardoor6]

At 1/25/07 04:42 AM, fli wrote:

At 1/25/07 01:25 AM, cellardoor6 wrote:

At 1/25/07 01:18 AM, HogWashSoup wrote: thats funny. a library named after a guy who couldnt even read.

Haha you mean a library named after a President who can almost certainly read better than you. Who got degrees from both Harvard (the top university in the world) and Yale (the 5th best university in the world).

Yeah.. thats funny.

Money and friends in high places can surprisingly take you far in many things.

Yes, but money doesn't take your tests for you.

While I don't doubt that Bush had done a great deal of work, I will always question, as do many people, academic achievments. After all, he was a C average student

Myth

... and many of his professors were his fathers friends.

Myth.

And I find that funny because I was born to a wealthy family and my dads friend, whom he attended college with, gave me a D in my pre-Calculus class in highschool.

I mean... You go boy-- kudos and all. One of the best universities.

But it aint the same when you compare George Bush's advantages versus any other student coming from the ground-zero of the social ladder and florishing up in the ranks.

Oh you mean a student that is only put higher in the social ladder due to affirmative action...

Money doesn't give you academic achievements anyway.

The man has charisma for certain. The man has done something right to get this far. He has common sense (to a far reaching but not whole extent.)

But.... PUUUUU-LEAZZZE--
Let's not put him on a pedestal of geniuses....

I didn't. I put President Bush on a pedestal of educated, intelligent people who attended, graduated, and received degrees from high quality colleges.

And then I turned it around against people who call President president Bush dumb, yet are almost certainly uneducated teenagers who get their political information from the Daily Show and then take it as fact.

Its just plain pathetic for someone to call president Bush dumb when he graduated and got degrees from both Harvard and Yale, all while the people calling him dumb are 15 year old, public school rejects.

[psycho-squirrel2]

pretty much every president has a school or library named after them, wether or not that president was any good or bad.

[Peter-II]

At 1/25/07 11:13 AM, Grammer wrote: No, that's actually true. Do you like,, know what you're saying, before you say it? Or you just have some sort of like, knee-jerk response to someone who disagree with you?

He graduated with a GPA of 2.35, heh.

[Buffalow]

Alright, back to the subject on hand, and enough of the Bush-bashing. I think George Dubya deserves this library, he has lead our nation through a time of bedlam and war. Face it, if it was John Kerry who guided us through 9/11, we'd be in either Israel or Iran right now.

[Dealy-rizazamatizazz]

I think i agree with cellar door on this one which seems to be a rarity, but yes he's educated he just aint got Ben Stein and other people writing his speaches, he does it himself, and he tries not to make rediculous speaches, because, honestly who watches whole speaches anyway? People just watch the Daily Show or Leno or Letterman that all lie, or bring in a look alike or show him when he's just chatting to the audience, and take the little quotes and leave out the big ones, and they did the same with every president they were around for, just more because politics were cool, for like 5 minutes again. The Daily Show and Colbert Report are by far the most retardifying shows ever, your IQ slowly drops as you watch them.

In summation, Bush is educated, try's to connect to the feebler minded, acted as any other president would, and i saw a interview where Kerry said he admired Bush and supported the war, but, he would have sent more men. Arn't people complaining we're sending to many? Kerry would've sucked.

Clinton one more time! Economy baby! I want education back up! Seal the gap, down with the deficit..or up, whatever!

[Freemind]

I don't necessarily think Bush is an idiot. He seemed to be an average student throughout his schooling. Just so you know, a C is considered average. I do think he is to blame for the people who think he is less intelligent than he is. He purposely tries to label himself as a good, god fearing, cowboy hat wearing, ranch having, good ol' boy just like all us normal folk (Who attend Harvard and Yale) so he can get votes. I'm not saying that no other candidates do that, but don't be suprised that people who don't actually look into his life to expect much intelligence from the man.