Who Gets to Speak?

It's commencement time (in fact, I got an invite to Lynn's daughter's graduation). That means happy parents who don't have to pay any more tuition (though more room and board in these times), kids who gotta find a job (or a spot in grad school), and people getting their panties in a wad about who's speech they are going to forget.

Of course, the biggest hubbub is over Obama speaking at Notre Dame. A vocal minority on campus is upset that he's not pro-life and is rolling back some of Shrub's abortion policies. I have no problem with these people being pro-life. I disagree with them, but that's OK.

My first question to them is: Do they object to anyone coming on campus to speak who differs with their views on anything? If so, NDU must be an intellectually boring place. Second: Did they object when Shrub, who started two wars that have killed thousands, came to speak? Or, does life only count when it's in the womb? Third: What else should be on the NDU ideological purity list for being a commencement speaker? Anti-death penalty? Anti-contraception? Must tithe a certain percentage?

I've got news for them. Objecting to the President of the United States speaking to you on campus because of one issue is petty. Boycotting the speech the shows how narrow you are intellectually when you won't even listen to what he has to say. Makes me think that your parents just pissed away over $100,000.

The other speech bruhaha is over Miss California, the runner-up in the Miss USA contest, getting in hot water because she's against allowing homosexuals get married. I personnaly think that beauty pageants are totally idiotic, sexist exercises. Could someone explain to me the connection between giving these women scholarships and parading them around in swimsuits?

So, a beauty queen pops off about something that's controversial. It's not like she's in the state legislature or anything. She's a fucking beauty queen. Yes, she's entitled to her opinion and her voice in the voting booth is just as important as mine. But, other than that, why would the public give a shit what she thinks?

Of course, Donald Trump is the big winner here as he gets tons of free media for a contest that's fading pretty fast from the public consciousness. And the additional controversy as to whether she is shirking her duites as Miss California (what, she was scheduled for one of the space walks to fix the Hubble and she skipped it?) will keep the pageant in the news for a few more weeks.

The bigger point is that she shouldn't be castigated for having an opinion. It's not like she said that people who perform or participate in marriages between homosexuals should be shot. We really need a more civil discourse in this country.