“Hands Off Goddard College!” - Head of Goddard on CNN next (3:30pm)

[flamingdem]

Good ole Goddard - just like the old days! Any DUers have a connection to this hallowed institution?

http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/10/03/to-police-and-politicians-hands-off-goddard-college/

Students at Goddard College in Vermont will hear Pennsylvania imprisoned journalist, Mumia Abu-Jamal, give their commencement address this Sunday, October 5, 2014.

Police and supporting conservative politicians are up in arms, denouncing Goddard College, even pressing for cancellation of Abu-Jamal’s address.

Abu-Jamal’s speech will have to be a pre-recorded speech, a genre the veteran journalist has honed to award-winning form, in local Philadelphia radio and for National Public Radio. His skills and awards came prior to being convicted in 1982 for the killing of Officer Daniel Faulkner, and before he served over 29 years on death row. His death sentence was ruled unconstitutional in 2001, and finally vacated in 2011. He now serves a life sentence in a Pennsylvania prison.

From death row and prison, Abu-Jamal’s renown only grew. He has authored thousands of audio and print essays, and eight books. He also earned a Bachelors degree (Goddard College) and a Masters degree (California State University / Dominguez Hills) while in prison. He has become “the voice of the voiceless” for many repressed voices in the nation and world. While he is, himself, a life-long critic of racist brutal cops, he wrote in defense of LA police whose federal retrial for the 1992 Rodney King beating he saw as “clear violation” of their freedom from “double-jeopardy.”

[WinkyDink]

1. Straw-man. The government isn't cracking down. But maybe the college could assign this:

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20141005_Consider_facts_on_cop_killing.html
It was a straight-forward case. His subsequent defenders, famous or otherwise, are irrelevant.

Interesting, though, that THEY are trying to pin the murder on a dead man, a man for whom they can produce zero evidence save "But HE was there, TOO!"
http://www.freemumia.com/who-is-mumia-abu-jamal/

Now, I am as appalled and enraged as ANYONE else about police brutality, "No-Knock" assaults, DWB stops, and the like.

But sometimes a crime is a crime, and a verdict is correct.

[FarPoint]

2. The closest connection to Goddard College for me is....

My son goes to school in Montpelier Vt.at New England Culinary School. He just came home for a break a week ago...just left Ohio today to return. I believe Goddard is about 8-10 miles away from his school.

[flamingdem]

4. The Culinary school used to have a very good restaurant

in Montpelier, they probably still do. Yum!

[FarPoint]

6. They have a fabulous restaurant, NECI on Main...

Also, a bakery coffee shop, LA Brioche...also to die for bread, pastry and locally roasted coffee. I'm going back up in December.

[salib]

7. They are closely connected

http://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/vermonts-struggling-culinary-school-plans-its-next-course/Content?oid=2332056

"The entrepreneurs who cooked up the vision of a culinary school in Vermont weren't cooks themselves: Voigt and John Dranow met in the 1970s at Goddard College, where Voigt was then dean of summer programs and Dranow started the school's summer writing program. Their wives, Ellen Bryant Voigt and Louise Glück, respectively, were both poets teaching in the graduate writing program at Goddard, a school known for its alternative approach."

[FarPoint]

8. Oh my gosh! That's so cool!

No wonder we picked NECI ...as did my son.

[cali]

3. Goddard is a shell of its former self. It's now a long distance learning college

He's going to be addressing less than 20 students. much ado about nothing.

[flamingdem]

5. They really got a lot of attention

Maybe it will increase enrollment.