Posted on 05/24/2004 7:06:22 AM PDT by Puppage
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- With presidential security helicopters circling over the Yale University campus, filmmaker Ken Burns denounced the war in Iraq on Sunday and told graduating seniors to remember history as they work to repair divides in American culture.
President Bush came to the campus for a private reception with his daughter, Barbara, who graduates from Yale on Monday. Bush did not hold any public events, and Barbara skipped Sunday's baccalaureate services and the day-before-graduation senior Class Day festivities where Burns spoke.
While Bush was not in public view, his presidency was a hot topic of rhetoric at Class Day.
Without mentioning Bush by name, Burns drew parallels between today's political leaders and the Iraq war, versus Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War, which he chronicled in an award-winning film series.
Both wars threatened to tear the country apart, Burns said.
"Steel yourselves. Your generation must repair this damage, and it will not be easy," Burns told the seniors.
Burns quoted famed jurist Learned Hand as saying, "Liberty is never being too sure you're right."
"Somehow recently, though, we have replaced our usual and healthy doubt with an arrogance and belligerence that resembles more the ancient and now fallen empires of our history books than a modern compassionate democracy," Burns said, to applause from the 1,300 graduates and their families and friends.
He criticized what he called a culture of censorship and intimidation that was intolerant of others, as well as a compliant media and a consumer culture that values the pursuit of money above everything.
"We have begun to reduce the complexities of modern life into the facile judgments of good and evil, and now find ourselves brought up short when we see that we have, too, some times and moments, become what we despise," Burns said.
Burns noted that it is tempting in such times to turn inward and ignore outside troubles, but he urged the seniors to reject that impulse and study history as a way to cope with these troubles and to figure out what to do about them.
"If you don't know where you've been, how can you possibly know who you are and where you're going?" Burns asked.
Students also poked fun at Bush, who spoke at Yale's 300th commencement in 2001.
The president earned a history degree from Yale in 1968, earning what was politely called "gentlemen's C's."
Bush told the class of 2001: "To the C-students, I say, you too can be president of the United States".
In seniors' spoof of the class of 2004's history Sunday, they recalled the quote as: "To all the C-students out there, I'd like to say, you too can be president -- if your dad was president."
Burns' daughter, Sarah, is among the studens graduating Monday.
The class of 2004 chose Burns as its speaker in part because it wanted to avoid the politically divisive reaction of students to recent past speakers, including Bush, U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and New York Gov. George Pataki.
Senior Thomas Collier of Louisville, Ky., said it was ironic that Burns' speech ended up being so political.
"I thought his speech might have been a bit more passionate and controversial than others might have been," said Collier, a political science major.
Barbara Bush, who is earning a humanities degree, was not at the event. She traveled with her family aboard Air Force One from Texas, where her twin sister, Jenna, graduated Saturday from the University of Texas.
The president and his family stayed a while at Yale President Richard Levin's house, which is next door to the house where Bush lived as an infant.
Bush was born in New Haven while his father, former President Bush, was a student at Yale.
The president then traveled to the home of Yale College Dean Richard Brodhead for a private dinner.
As he traveled around New Haven, the president appeared to be suffering no ill effects from a fall from a mountain bike Saturday other than visible minor abrasions and scratches on his chin, upper lip, nose and right hand. He also had minor abrasions and scratches to both knees, the White House said.
The president left Tweed-New Haven Airport in New Haven aboard Air Force One shortly before 7 p.m. First lady Laura Bush was expected to stay at Yale through Tuesday.
About 50 protesters gathered at Levin's home Sunday afternoon. They denounced the president and the war in Iraq, while holding signs saying "Uproot Bush" and "Resist This Endless War."
The crowd was a mix of students and older Yale graduates.
Anne Tyler Calabresi, 69, of Woodbridge, said she was protesting on behalf of herself and her husband, 2nd Circuit Judge Guido Calabresi, a Yale graduate and former dean of the Yale School of Law.
"I'm profoundly worried about the way this country is going," she said. "And I'm furious about the lies George Bush has told to us again and again. He has led us into a war that is destroying our reputation around the world and creating implacable enemies around the world that we didn't have one year ago."
Ken Burns- the Donald Trump of PBS. I am still working on unraveling the well over 100 factual errors in the ten hour documentary 'Baseball' - averages to about one for every 6 minutes.
What a documentary filmmaker!
Yeah, and this from a man whose generation threw out all vestiges of their American Heritage and refuse to learn from history.
Kenny's just lining up backers for his next 327 hour long film "The Quagmire that was Iraq."
Ken Burns is a lightweight video splicer. Anybody could dissect his work and find countless "lies" he has perpetuated on the American people.
K. Burns: "We have begun to reduce the complexities of modern life into the facile judgments of good and evil..."
Complexities of modern life:
Mein Kampf...The Communist Manifesto...Endless jihads of the Muslim Brotherhood...Dec. 7, 1941...Sept. 11 2001...
Mr. Burns, our judgments of good and evil DO come easily.
You have somewhere lost along your way of infinite scholarship your God-given, innate sense which enabled your ancestors to survive and make your life possible.
Your speech was made possible by the service and sacrifices of men and women whose book consumption will never approach the level of yours - but who have not extinguished within themselves the flame of survival that you, yourself, treat so casually - so shabbilly.
He just tip toes through the tulips as he hummmmmms along.
Apparently Burns is much more concerned with reputation than will deterring another 9/11.
-"We have begun to reduce the complexities of modern life into the facile judgments of good and evil, and now find ourselves brought up short when we see that we have, too, some times and moments, become what we despise," Burns said."-
Um...Ken...history is FULL of good vs. evil, either in thought or action - methinks your facile statement is lacking in historical context.
That's funny stuff. He's the one that is intimidating and intolerant of others. And the media's been compliant? LOL!
That's the first time I've seen it...and it's hogwash!! Liberty has nothing to do with the sort of relativism Judge Hand is speaking of. Now, if he'd said Liberty has something to do with allowing others to hold beliefs that are different than mine, fine!! But there is an ultimate Truth, and once you find it, it makes no sense to overly doubt that which you know to be true!!
FReegards...MUD
It was awful. And why was Doris Kearns Goodwin in it?
I am so thankful Bush made it as president - I shudder to think of where we would be if Gore had won. I also shudder to think where we would be if Kerry took over.
This speaker would feel a lot safer pacifying world terrorists and buying them off with the lives of the populace (as long as he and other elites were safe).
These pacifists are just mealy mouthed cowards trying to cloak themselves in elitist anti-war rhetoric. Somehow they feel they would never be the victims only the elite.
"as they work to repair divides in American Culture"; These "divides" cannot be repaired because they are basic philosphical differences.
>>The president earned a history degree from Yale in 1968, earning what was politely called "gentlemen's C's."<<
That's a pretty strong, ugly accusation: that the president did not earn his passing grades. Wonder if NBC News has any basis for it. Not.
>> Yeah? Name ONE. Give me an example, show me proof you whimp of a woman.<<
I doubt it's one Ken Burns or his sycophant newslut had in mind, but here's one:
"I shall oppose amnesties [for illegal aliens] because they reward people for breaking our laws."
--State of the Union Address, 2001.
President Bush may have stood up to Al Qaeda, but he sold our nation down the river to the Mexicans.
I'm furious at this wimp. He had no business politicizing at a school where Bush's daughter and his daughter graduated. It is disrespectful to Barbara Bush. Even if she wasn't there. These people have no decorum. How would he like someone to get on a soapbox about his lack of directing skills at his daughter's graduation. It is wrong and only a true jerk would do it. I don't believe it would be appropriate for someone to say nasty things about Clinton during Chelsea's graduation. (not that that would ever happen). It shows absolutely no class. The graduation day is for the graduates not for the large egos of very small men.
Ah, I believe the so-called lies were in reference to war.
No, I don't think that's quite it, Ken. You are near something, but hasven't found a parking spot.
Well, yeah, I did say that those weren't the lies referred to, but you got understand: to the millions of Americans to whom immigration is a top concern, Bush's credibility is shot to hell.
I don't think he lied about WMDs because:
1. The UN was acting afraid he was right,
2. Why make up a lie when you know the turth will be revealed?
3. Recent discoveries reveal at least a grain of truth (sarin casings).
But to people who only know what they hear on ABCNNBCBS, (85% of America!), once his credibility is shot to hell (as it is, unfortunately), why should they believe him about WMDs?
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