Goddard College sparks outrage with invitation to jailed cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal

[alp227]

Students graduating from Goddard College in Vermont this weekend have selected an infamous American prisoner as their commencement speaker, the school announced this week.

Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of first degree murder for the 1981 shooting death of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner, will speak to a small group of Goddard undergraduates via a pre-recorded video message on Sunday.

Abu-Jamal was originally sentenced to death for the 1981 cop killing. After a lengthy fight in court, that sentence was later reduced to life without parole. Abu-Jamal maintains his innocence.

His case became a flash point for debates over the U.S. justice system after advocates argued that his initial conviction was the result of an unfair trial.

Full: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/national/wp/2014/10/01/college-sparks-outrage-with-commencement-invitation-to-jailed-cop-killer-mumia-abu-jamal/

Frankly, I think rallying behind MAJ is a reason why "liberal" is a dirty word. The newest comment: "What I find sad is that let the speaker be a conservative of any kind and liberals go frothing at the mouth insane about it and have the speaker removed. But hey, let it be a racist, liberal murder and they are ok with it." There are plenty of legitimate cases of wrongful convictions. And it is legitimate to question the death penalty. Sadly, defending MAJ is counter productive.

[Freddie]

1. I agree with you

I'm from Philly. Abu-Jamal murdered a police officer and is exactly where he belongs, in prison for life. The stereotypical "liberal" support of this man is cringe-inducing. Yes I'm a "card-carrying" liberal but I make an exception here.

[Patiod]

9. Me too. Progressive firmly anti-death penalty

And firm believer that this bad person needs to rot in jail different and STFU.

This guy does nothing for our cause.

[Demit]

2. I don't see where the kids inviting Mumia to speak is rallying behind him.

The college didn't select him, the kids did. And not even all of the graduating class did, as the school has a peculiar tradition of having different commencement exercises for each major. And he's obviously not speaking in person, he spoke on the phone & it was recorded.

I don't know if Mumia did it. I don't know everything of what happened that night & the only ones who do are Mumia and his brother, and neither one testified. I wouldn't go so far as to say that he is innocent. But I lived here through that trial and it was a travesty. So I have to disagree with your apparent view that his is not a legitimate case of wrongful conviction. It very well may be legitimate.

I definitely don't think it's 'counterproductive' to defend him—as if we hold the views we do according to how they will be received by conservatives. The idea of that is deeply disturbing to me.

[alp227]

3. "as if we hold the views we do according to how they will be received by conservatives."

Hmm. When progressive commentators are up against a mighty strong right wing noise machine with talk radio, blogs, and social media that wins based on mobocracy over merit, we've got to tread the waters. I'm not saying that all left wing ideas need to be toned down to accommodate conservatives' feewings. But when out-there ideas like "Free Mumia" or the hardcore, fringe left like ANSWER, neo-Marxist this or that, etc. become representative as the American left as a whole, we've got problems.

[Demit]

7. Then you have to decide when other people's ideas represent you.

If you acquiesce to the right's idea that all ideas ('out-there ideas') represent you, then you have lost. The left is not a monolith. Stand for your ideas, and represent for them. Don't feel you have to apologize for others' ideas. Stand firm for your own.

[Dreamer Tatum]

4. That is about as mealy-mouthed as it gets.

I don't know if Mumia did it. I don't know everything of what happened that night & the only ones who do are Mumia and his brother, and neither one testified. I wouldn't go so far as to say that he is innocent. But I lived here through that trial and it was a travesty. So I have to disagree with your apparent view that his is not a legitimate case of wrongful conviction. It very well may be legitimate.

[Demit]

6. No. I lived through it. I watched the whole thing. Did you?

Or did you just read about it from afar? Because if you lived in Philadelphia, and knew the background of everybody, you wouldn't make such a glib statement. You know nothing.

[Patiod]

10. Lived through it and know people who were involved

From health care professionals to cops to lawyers involved in the case. He did it, in the nastiest of cold blood. I believe in redemption, but this POS has never admitted his crime or asked for forgiveness. He was dangerous to the community, and we need to be kept safe from him. He is no better than that survivalist gun nut they're chasing through the woods in upstate PA this weekend.

Evil is evil. No sympathy for Mumia.

[Demit]

12. Yeah, me too.

You can't know what took place that night. Unless you were a witness who never came forward?

I'm not going to argue the particulars with you. Plenty of websites for that, over the years, and I'm not interested in the endless debates. But I agree with you on one point: Mumia was considered dangerous by the police long before that night, because of his activism. They had their eye on him long before that night.

[cali]

8. Odds are that they aren't kids. Most likely adults over 30. and there are 20 of them

Goddard holds something like 10 graduation ceremonies a year.

[Downwinder]

5. How many deaths are Kissinger, Rumsfeld and Cheney

responsible for and how many commencement addresses have they given?

[Patiod]

11. I don't think they should be commencement speakers either

[Iamthetruth]

13. That has nothing to do with this cop killer

And that is what he is, a bad person who took an innocent life away from his wife and children. He should not have the ability it influence a rat in prison, let alone students at a college. If I had any connection to that school I would be very embarrassed.