By Beauty Damned

You Tell Them

Below is a great letter that a friend sent to his alma mater. I had to post it because it was so beautifully put and I hope that students and alumni across the country use it as an example. Just because Bush holds the title of President of the United States does not mean it's an honor to receive him or to be in his presence...

May 7, 2006

Dr. James C. Votruba, President
Northern Kentucky University
800 Lucas AC
Nunn Dr.
Highland Heights, KY 41099

Dr. Votruba:

As a graduate of Northern Kentucky University, I feel I must protest the upcoming visit to my alma mater by George W. Bush. You have been quoted by the Cincinnati Enquirer as saying that hosting Bush is a “tremendous honor” and “I’m pleased for the university and pleased for the region.”

Dr. Votruba, according to your biography on the NKU website, you earned your B.A. in political science and your M.A. in political science and sociology. You also hold a Ph.D. in higher education administration. It angers me that a man of your education could consider a visit to Northern Kentucky University by George W. Bush to be a “tremendous honor.”

George W. Bush may, indeed, be the luckiest man on the face of the earth. Born into a life of wealth and privilege, he attended Yale University as a legacy, joined the prestigious secret society of “Skull and Bones” and yet still only managed to graduate with a “C” average. He then avoided military service by joining the Texas Air National Guard, failed at every business venture he attempted and was defeated in a Congressional race. Somehow, these qualifications made him an attractive candidate for governor of Texas, and he managed to be elected to that office, eventually bankrupting the state treasury.

In the year 2000, George W. Bush ran for President. He lost to Al Gore by 500,000 votes, yet, thanks to the archaic Electoral College, election-fixing in Florida and his father’s appointments to the Supreme Court, was appointed President of the United States. His accomplishments since then:

Economy

--He spent the budget surplus and effectively bankrupted the US Treasury.

--He has presided over the highest gasoline prices in US history. Allegations of price-fixing by the oil companies, which are posting billion-dollar profits, have been met by meek assurances that an investigation will be conducted.

Corruption

--He is the all-time US and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.

--He changed the US policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.

--He has appointed more convicted criminals to his administration than any President in US history.

--His largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of his best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in US History: Enron.

9/11/01

--After vacationing for the entire month of August 2001, he presided over the worst security failure in US history.

--He garnered an astronomical amount of sympathy for the US after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later managed to make the US the most hated country in the world, surely the largest failure of diplomacy in history.

--He has so far failed to fulfill his pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice.

Domestic

--His administration has admittedly engaged in illegal wiretapping of American citizens, one of the offenses that ended the Presidency of Richard Nixon.

--His approval rating has dropped to a level not seen since the final days of the Nixon Administration.

--When he does speak in public, he shows such a poor command of the English language that a six-book series of Bush-isms has been compiled.

--The lack of concern he exhibited before, during and after Hurricane Katrina left one of America’s largest cities a cesspit of death, destruction and violence.

International

--He has broken more international treaties than any President in US history.

--He is the first President in US history to have the United Nations remove the US from the Human Rights Commission.

--He refused to allow inspectors access to US "prisoner of war" detainees, violating the Geneva Convention.

--Under his command, these same detainees have been tortured, held for years with no charge or access to counsel, and extradited to other countries that practice torture.

--He has set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest him in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind.

--He is the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view his presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.

--The Secretary of Defense for whom he continues to profess support has been roundly condemned as incompetent by the leaders of the very military he is supposed to oversee.

The Middle East

--He has invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week and appears ready to invade a third.

--He is the first President in US history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. He did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of US citizens, and the world community.

--He lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq, and then blamed the lies on the British.

--He stood on the deck of an aircraft carrier and said of Iraq: “Mission Accomplished.” That country is now on the verge of civil war.

--He has cut health care benefits for war veterans and supported a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families -- IN WAR TIME.

Dr. Votruba, which of these accomplishments makes a visit by this man a “tremendous honor?”

I would encourage you, every single member of the faculty, every single student and every single member of the community to do what I would if I still lived in Northern Kentucky: do not support George W. Bush’s visit. Organize a massive protest to greet him when he arrives. Show him that you are sickened by his administration’s record of misleading statements, half-truths, outright lies, criminal actions and morally reprehensible policies. Show him that the people he claims to serve are disgusted by his very presence.

Make sure he never forgets the day he set foot on the campus of Northern Kentucky University.

Sincerely,

Branan Whitehead
BFA Graduate, 1999