[dixiechick2000]

Since this story has been the topic of much discussion, I thought I'd post the transcript of the speech in it's own thread. It is worth the read.

[Between the Lines]

He should have inserted a "Rockford grads '03" here and there to insure applause and cheers.

[Normal4me]

It should have included a *BANG* right after the first paragraph. :-)

[Jeff Head]

Think finally of what it means to die for a friend. It is deliberate and painful; there is no ecstasy. For friends, dying is hard and bitter. The dialogue they have and cherish will perhaps never be recreated. Friends do not, the way comrades do, love death and sacrifice. To friends, the prospect of death is frightening. And this is why friendship or, let me say love, is the most potent enemy of war.

Or, depending on the circumstances and the cause, friendship is not a potent enemy of war ... but a force that pushes it to its quickest and most just conclusion. This guy's moral relativism and equivalency knows no bounds. Christ hiumself said this ...

Greater love hath no man than this, that he layeth down his life for a friend.

This guy deserved every bit of the heckling that he got for his rabid anti-American and pro-terrorists (Palestinian) remarks IMHO.

I thought he didn't finish the speech. This makes it sound like he did.

Jeff

[For_God_and_Country]

"We have lost touch with the essence of war. Following our defeat in Vietnam we became a better nation. We were humbled, even humiliated. We asked questions about ourselves we had not asked before."

We were? The America I saw then was a fractured, wounded and economically depressed nation. I mean Im only thirty two, but I dont remember feeling a real ground swell of American pride until President Reagan was sworn in and our hostages came home. Also we were not defeated in Vietnam, those men and women who went to Vietnam and served did so with one hand tied behind their back. Had they been allowed to complete the mission with vigor and not with nonsensical rules of engagement, we would have won that conflict. This guy is a moron, and just another example of liberal bias at the "paper of record" /sarcasm...

[dead]

We will pay for this, but what saddens me most is that those who will by and large pay the highest price are poor kids from Mississippi or Alabama or Texas who could not get a decent job or health insurance and joined the army because it was all we offered them.

It doesn’t sadden him one bit.

It gladdens him that he can look down his Harvard-educated, northeastern liberal nose at the dupes, rubes and southerners who comprise our hapless military forces.

And when he sees them, he will not deign to mock, but will impress us with his goodness by feigning only compassion for their sorry lot in life.

How utterly magnanimous of him.

[smiley]

Damn liberals. Can't stand them.

[miss marmelstein]

Thanks so much for posting! What a downer - hilarious!

[Huck]

For war in the end is always about betrayal, betrayal of the young by the old, of soldiers by politicians, and of idealists by cynics.

The American Revolution does not fit this description. Neither does WW2.

[Budge]

Let's see, where would I put this guy on a scale from "Very Conservative" to "Marist?"

How about a little lower. To "Ultra Marxist."

There I feel better anyway.

I would like to congratulate the students, faculty and guests who turned their backs on this idiot!

[ejo]

Bump

[GOPJ]

BoooooooooooooBooooooooooooooBooooooooooBooooooooo

[stop_fascism]

In friendship there is a deepening of our sense ...

If a freshman turned in this paragraph in a composition class he'd get a D. If hedges wan't such a twerp, I'd be embarassed for him.

[LiteKeeper]

SPOTREP

[cookcounty]

There are 2 kinds of people:

Those who favor stopping Saddam's torture, rape and mass murder....

...and those who wanted to let it go on.

Mr. Hedges prefers the latter.

[randog]

We have forfeited the good will, the empathy the world felt for us after 9-11.

What empathy and good will? Hedges and his fellow travellers the world over were quick to point out that we deserved it.

[Saundra Duffy]

Oh, brother.

[willyboyishere]

I was trying to figure out at what point(s) his microphone was shut off. Mr. Hedges needs some sleep, but he shouldn't get it when he's trying to write commencement addresses. BTW, isn't Rockford College known to be a super
conservative school? Don't they advertise in THE WEEKLY STANDARD every week?

[Nachum]

What did this cretin think when he decided to read this in Rockford? Did he expect them to genuflect to him and kiss his feet?

Definately a future Darwin award candidate.

[Arpege92]

UGH....typical liberal to take this opportunity to vomit his views and opinions onto others. He didn't mention one word about the future for the graduates and he took away their right to enjoy this momentous occasion!!!

[GOPJ]

bump