Thousands at Stanford Protest Adding Rumsfeld to Hoover Institut

[Leo 9]

Thousands at Stanford Protest Adding Rumsfeld to Hoover Institution



SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- Many students and faculty at Stanford University are protesting plans to bring former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to the Hoover Institution next year as a distinguished visiting fellow.

As of Monday, over 3,000 people had signed their names to an open letter and online petition calling Rumsfeld’s appointment “offensive.”

Stanford professor Robert Polhemus told CBS 5 that the architect of the Iraq War is far from distinguished. "He's a failure. He's incompetent and it's a blow to Stanford to have such a failure called a distinguished fellow," said Polhemus. "It associates Stanford with incompetence, with kind-of a sleazy operation, a right-wing operation, without any checks.”

An administrator argued in a statement published in the Stanford Daily that “the university is a place of free expression of ideas, and there are some ideas that generate controversy. But that's not a reason not to have those ideas expressed."

However, those who oppose Rumsfeld’s appointment claim that the issue isn’t free speech. They said they would welcome Rumsfeld to make a speech on campus, but oppose his being associated as a member of the Stanford University community.

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http://www.kcbs.com/Thousands-at-Stanford-Protest-Adding-Rumsfeld-to-H/997944

[Annces]

1. Beautiful

That should be a loud and clear message to another intimidator of the Bush family.

[Cyrano]

2. It's been my understanding for many years now that the Hoover Institution is

a right-wing "think-tank." Unless I'm wrong about this, why in the world would they object to Rumsfeld joining them?

I personally object to being on the same planet with him, but, if they are what I believe them to be, you'd think they'd be going out of their way to kiss his ... um, ring.

(On edit: Perhaps there's a right-wing "think-tank" called the Hoover Institute. If so, I'd appreciate someone correcting my error.)

[Annces]

3. Well I know of a scholar

that deposits materials in Hoover archives for future use and she is very much not right-wing.

[peacetalksforall]

4. imo - I also associate Hoover with right wing. I also associate

right wing think tanks as right wing facilitators - their experts figure out how to accomplish the right wing agenda for the corporations and politicians who ease their plan through.

[nam78_two]

5. As they should-I would do the same if he was coming to my school.nt