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Baby Boomer Apology Tour by: Deborah Lambert, July 15, 2009 When faced with periods of gloom and doom, there are two ways to respond. Ignore it—or dwell on it. As noted in previous columns, many commencement speakers for the class of 2009 chose Option #2. In fact, the Wall Street Journal reported that “graduation ceremonies have become collective airings of guilt and grief,” adding that “it’s now chic for boomers to apologize for their generation’s crimes.” GOP governors like Mitch Daniels, R-Ind, told Butler University seniors that his generation was “just plain selfish.” NY Timeser Tom Friedman compared boomers to...

Commencement Justice by: Deborah Lambert, June 18, 2009 Just when you’d given up on the quality of this year’s commencement speakers, right triumphs in unexpected places. Take Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg Maryland, where Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was this year’s commencement speaker. It all started when Justice Thomas, a football diehard who’s married to a Nebraskan, ran into one of Quince Orchard’s top jocks, Terrence Stephens, on a return flight from a U. of Nebraska recruiting session. He began a conversation that amazed Stephens and his fellow student Jason Ankrah, because “this guy knew so much...

Actor and Christian Stephen Baldwin said he felt God lead him to speak at Trinity Christian Academy’s graduation. “I just want to convey the importance of following Christ,” he said. “I am blessed for one specific reason. “I know for sure I am saved and born again and the spirit of the living God dwells within me.” Baldwin’s spiritual journey started several years ago when his Brazilian housekeeper told him that it was prophesied to her, in Brazil, that she would lead her future American employer to Christ. Baldwin’s wife became a born-again Christian first and then Baldwin followed his...

Do you remember anything that he/she said?

To a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. To a community organizer, every citizen looks like a victim entitled to someone else’s money. The Obama campaign and administration has proved that again and again. But both the president and his wife put a fine point on it with commencement addresses this month. (Joe Biden also gave one, but it’s a safe bet that nobody – Joe least of all – knew what he was talking about.) To the Obamas, grads should opt for the virtue of what Michelle has called “helping” careers, and eschew the vice...

(CNSNews.com) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will give the commencement speech at Johns Hopkins University on Thursday. That Pelosi, a liberal Democrat, is speaking at the school should come as no surprise as a new report shows that liberals dominate as speakers at the top colleges and universities in America while only five recognizable conservatives have been chosen as commencement speakers this year. One conservative was even dis-invited as a commencement speaker after his invitation to speak became public, according to the Young America’s Foundation (YAF), which released its report on Wednesday. “For the past 16 years--the time period...

Notre Dame, The President’s Perspective According to Reuters News Agency, the following quote was given by the President to the University of Notre Dame in his Commencement Address. “SOUTH BEND, Indiana (Reuters) - President Barack Obama urged both sides in the abortion debate on Sunday to pursue a "fair-minded" discussion as he sought to quell a firestorm over his invitation to speak at Notre Dame, a premier U.S. Catholic university. The President has proposed his vision of a fair minded approach when he signed off on the confiscation of tax monies to fund abortions on an International Scale. The Bible...

Notre DameÂ’s Kabuki Dance with Obama and the Culture of Death: The Keynesian Kenyan from Kansas Meets the Kantians Notre DameÂ’s Kabuki dance with Obama and the culture of death moves into full swing this weekend. Everyone should watch the steps of this tango very carefully as the Keynesian Kenyan from Kansas boogies down with the Kantians for some Transcendental Twister on the South Bend campus. Although some students and professors will boycott the commencement lovefest and attend a prayer vigil at the Lourdes Grotto on campus instead, the damage to Notre Dame will still be done and observers of...

President Barack Obama speaks at the Arizona State University commencement ceremony at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., Wednesday, May 13, 2009.

SANTA PAULA -- His Eminence Marc Cardinal Ouellet will preside over commencement ceremonies at Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday May 16, 2009. The Archbishop of Quebec, Canada, Cardinal Ouellet will serve as principal celebrant and homilist of the Baccalaureate Mass, and he will deliver the commencement address. By resolution of Thomas Aquinas College’s Board of Governors, Cardinal Ouellet will also be awarded the Saint Thomas Aquinas Medallion, the college’s highest honor, established by its Board of Governors in 1975. The resolution is given in recognition that “His Eminence Marc Cardinal Ouellet has shown an exemplary loyalty and devotion to the...

DC Commencement Circuit Bethany Stotts, April 30, 2009 Happy graduates are about to go off to seek their fortunes in a not-so-friendly job market. But before they can pursue careers in business, writing, science and other fields, they must pass one last indoctrination hurdle: the commencement speech. “If your university is like the majority of schools in the country, it is a bastion of liberalism. It is more than likely that your university has invited a leftist commencement speaker to have the honor of addressing your graduating class,” Bryan Bernys, National Field Director at the Leadership Institute, recently wrote on...

The Franking Privilege by: Bethany Stotts, April 23, 2009 Frankly scandalized: that’s how some American University seniors felt when they learned that their 2009 commencement speaker would be none other than Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.). Congressman Frank is scheduled to speak to the graduating class of AU’s School of Public Service. “Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., has a record as a key player in our current economic crisis, which is almost as offensive as his endless refusal to accept responsibility for it--hardly the marks of a public servant,” wrote four AU students in an April 16 op-ed to the AU Eagle....

Last Friday Joe Scarbough interviewed a 21 year old woman who is a Notre Dame senior. She was angry at the “hypocrisy of those who were trying to pressure Notre Dame out of having President Obama speak at our graduation ceremony.” She continued, “When George Bush (at Notre Dame that would be the EVIL George Bush) spoke here in 2001 no one complained about his support for capital punishment!” Then, apparently realizing the weakness of her argument, she backtracked with, “I know they [abortion and capital punishment] aren’t the same, but they’re both against the principles of the church.” The...

ASU Obamacizes by: Don Irvine, April 13, 2009 Political correctness claimed another victim Saturday when Arizona State University caved into pressure and decided to honor commencement speaker President Obama after all. The initial controversy arose last week when the school announced that the president would not be receiving an honorary degree. As a matter of fact the university wasn’t awarding any honorary degrees at this year’s commencement. The school defended their decision by saying that there were separate committees for the speakers and the degrees and they are normally awarded for “lifetime achievement.” Considering the fact that Obama is a...

We write as priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross and as proud graduates of the University of Notre Dame to voice our objection to the University's decision to honor President Barack Obama by inviting him to deliver this year's Commencement address and by conferring on him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. We wish to associate ourselves with and encourage those courageous students and treasured alumni who, while deeply loving Notre Dame, vigorously oppose this sad and regrettable decision of the University administration. It is our deep conviction that Notre Dame should lead by word and deed in upholding...

Some call his invitation to speak in May a travesty, but why shouldn't he speak? At a time of so much incivility, from politics to sports, his visit should not be denied.Here's a postcard from South Bend, Ind., where sports fans and some spiritual types have at least one thing in common: Neither is afraid to yell from the sidelines. The University of Notre Dame announced that President Obama had accepted an invitation to speak at the school's May 17 commencement. The president, of course, supports abortion rights, civil unions, and funding for stem-cell research - positions that don't...

A number of student groups at the University of Notre Dame issued a statement today repudiating the University’s selection of President Barack Obama to deliver its 2009 Commencement Address. The statement criticizes the president’s position on abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and other life issues, and chastises University administration for apparently looking over what they termed "fundamental moral principles." The statement responds to Friday afternoon’s announcement of Obama as the speaker for the University’s 164th Commencement. Citing Catholic teaching on abortion, as well as the US Bishops’ 2004 document "Catholics in Political Life," which deals with issues surrounding a Catholic...

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Comedian Ben Stein has withdrawn as the University of Vermont's commencement speaker because of complaints about his critical views on evolution in favor of intelligent design. UVM President Daniel Fogel said he chose Stein based on the warm response to a lecture he gave on campus last spring. Fogel said, however, he was deluged with e-mail messages from people offended by Stein's views of science. When told about the criticism, Stein — who was to be paid $7,500 — backed out of the May 17 commencement, Fogel said. "I did not ask him not to come," he...

Commencement Address ( Texas A&M) Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2008 This should be considered must-reading for every adult in North America . It is extremely rare that anyone speaks the truth like this at any College or High School Commencement Address. Neal Boortz is a Texan, a lawyer, a Texas AGGIE (Texas A&M), and now a nationally syndicated talk show host from Atlanta . His commencement address to the graduates of this year's A&M class is far different from what either the students or the faculty expected. His views are thought provoking. "I am honored by the invitation to address...

Strapless Commencement by: Deborah Lambert, June 30, 2008 While the San Jose Mercury News reports that middle-school girls want to look like top models at their graduation ceremonies, principals apparently still frown on the “Lolita look.” Education writer Joanne Jacobs reports that while “at one middle school graduation, halter tops are okay, spaghetti straps aren’t. At another, it’s the reverse. Strapless dresses and high heels are banned at most intermediate schools....

British Invasion Graduation by: Deborah Lambert, June 26, 2008 Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who will start teaching at Yale this fall, addressed the school’s 2008 graduating class on May 25th, all of which apparently horrified his former Oxford tutor, who, according to Blair, said: “I only hope for their sake you are going there to learn rather than teach.” Blair discussed the Middle East, climate change and the global economy, urging grads to become involved in causes greater than themselves. He also said that while the grads benefited from superior intellect and luck, it was very important to...

Prez at Furman by: Deborah Lambert, June 25, 2008 While ignoring faculty protesters during his commencement address at Furman University (SC), President Bush nevertheless decided to meet the issue head-on. Thanking the profs for their devotion to improving the lives of young people, he said that he too, was a believer in free speech, “and to prove it, I’m about to give you one.” The President noted that Governor Mark Sanford, also present at the ceremony, graduated 25 years ago when his father, George H.W. Bush, was the speaker. Commenting on that coincidence, he said this means that “some at...

Supreme Speaker by: Deborah Lambert, June 26, 2008 When Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was on the commencement speaker circuit this season, one of his most meaningful talks was the one he gave to the graduating class of 18 middle-school boys at Washington (DC) Jesuit Academy. Described by the Washington Times as a “tuition-free private boarding school for underprivileged but academically promising youths run by the Jesuits,” the school’s “small class sizes, 12-hour school days and 11-month school year” has worked miracles since its launch in 2002. “While 11 percent of entering students read at grade level, the school reports...

Well, here you are at your college graduation. And I know what you’re thinking: “Gimme the sheepskin and get me outta here!” Not so fast. First you have to listen to a commencement speech. Don’t moan. I’m not going to “pass the wisdom of one generation down to the next.” I’m a member of the 1960s generation. We didn’t have any wisdom. We were the moron generation. We were the generation who believed we could stop the war in Vietnam by growing our hair long and dressing like circus clowns. We believed drugs would change everything—which they did, for John...

Commencement Celebrities by: Deborah Lambert, June 12, 2008 According to USA Today, it appears that students are having more of a say in determining who will give the annual commencement address. This year’s list of luminaries—and others— who will give the class of 2008 a sendoff include: Oprah Winfrey—Stanford University J.K. Rowling—Harvard University Jon Stewart—William and Mary Craig Newmark of Craig’s List—Case Western Reserve Jessica Lange—Sarah Lawrence College Brian Williams—Ohio State University Michael Bloomberg—University of Pennsylvania David McCullough— Boston College Meredith Viera—Tufts University Al Gore—Carnegie Mellon University Sandra Day O'Connor—Gettysburg College Carl Bernstein—University of Maryland...

EVERY YEAR ABOUT THIS TIME, big-government liberals stand up in front of college commencement crowds across the country and urge the graduates to do the noblest thing possible -- become big-government liberals. That isn't how they phrase it, of course. Commencement speakers express great reverence for "public service," as distinguished from narrow private "greed." There is usually not the slightest sign of embarrassment at this self-serving celebration of the kinds of careers they have chosen -- over and above the careers of others who merely provide us with the food we eat, the homes we live in, the clothes we...

BOSTON (AP) — Sen. Edward Kennedy is pulling out of the commencement address at Wesleyan University after being diagnosed with brain cancer, and Barack Obama will stand in for him. A spokeswoman for Kennedy said he had planned to speak at the Sunday ceremony in Middletown, Conn., where his stepdaughter will be among the graduates. The commencement exercises also coincide with 25th reunion festivities for his son Edward Kennedy Jr. Kennedy was diagnosed this week with a malignant brain tumor, which was discovered after he had a seizure last Saturday. He was released Wednesday from Massachusetts General Hospital and has...

Around Martinsville, in eastern Nacogdoches County, country roads trail past farms and ranches. It's a place where people used to talk about hay yields. Now discussion has turned to politics. Protest signs reading, " No Trespassing to Trans Texas Corridor hang on their fences and gates. This week's discussion centers around a rally on the day Governor Rick Perry will be in Nacogdoches delivering a commencement speech. He may need more luck than the graduates. Trans Texas Corridor opponent, Larry Shelton said, " We want to send a message loud and clear to the governor that we are tired of...

The Gathering of Eagles, a patriotic organization dedicated to honoring our men and women in uniform and those who are honorable veterans, announces our latest event in honoring the graduates of the Coast Guard Academy by welcoming their families and supporters to their graduation ceremony on May 21, 2008. We will be in front of the entrance on Mohegan Ave, at the intersection of Williams and Mohegan from 7 AM to 1 PM that day, waving flags, carrying patriotic signs and singing patriotic songs in an effort to welcome the families to what is a most honored event; the graduation...

Well, here you are at your college graduation. And I know what you're thinking: "Gimme the sheepskin and get me outta here!" But not so fast. First you have to listen to a commencement speech. Don't moan. I'm not going to "pass the wisdom of one generation down to the next." I'm a member of the 1960s generation. We didn't have any wisdom. We were the moron generation. We were the generation that believed we could stop the Vietnam War by growing our hair long and dressing like circus clowns. We believed drugs would change everything -- which they did,...

President Bush speaking to graduating class Greensburg, KS-one year after tornado

Folks, I want to invite all Freepers and Lurkers in good standing to attend the rally to welcome the families of the graduating cadets of the Coast Guard Academy on May 21, 2008. Vice President Dick Cheney will be the honored speaker.

Wallingford, Conn. (AP) -- Following protests from students, former presidential adviser Karl Rove has withdrawn as this year's commencement speaker at a prestigious prep school, the school's headmaster said Monday. The choice of Rove as speaker for the June commencement at Choate Rosemary Hall had led some students to plan to walk out of the ceremony. Others had sought to bring comedian Stephen Colbert to campus for an alternate speech. Instead of commencement, Rove now will speak at the school on Feb. 11, headmaster Edward J. Shanahan said. Shanahan said he will deliver the commencement address at the school, the...

Wallingford (AP) _ Students at the Wallingford prep school Choate Rosemary Hall are protesting the choice of former presidential adviser Karl Rove as this year's commencement speaker. Some plan to walk out, while others are trying to bring comedian Stephen Colbert to campus for an alternative speech. The campus paper has urged the school to reject Rove. Others say they're interested in hearing what Rove has to say but are not sure the school's June commencement is the best venue because they are afraid he will overshadow the graduates. Choate trustee Bruce Gelb, former ambassador to Belgium, helped secure Rove...

DENVER — A student who said she was told she wouldn't get her diploma unless she apologized for a commencement speech in which she mentioned Jesus has filed a lawsuit alleging her free speech rights were violated. The school district contends its actions were "constitutionally appropriate." Erica Corder was one of 15 valedictorians at Lewis-Palmer High School in 2006. All were invited to speak for 30 seconds at the graduation ceremony. When it was Corder's turn, she encouraged the audience to get to know Jesus Christ. Corder had not included those remarks during rehearsals. [snip] The lawsuit said Brewer would...

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani called for boosting the Army by another 35,000 troops, saying the nation must project strength and better handle the aftermath of war.

WHITE PLAINS - The mere presence of Vice President Dick Cheney does not turn West Point into a public forum and is not an "open invitation" to protesters, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday. Cheney is scheduled to deliver the commencement speech at the U.S. Military Academy today, and about 1,000 people had hoped to march onto the campus for an anti-war demonstration. But the Army denied permission, a federal judge in White Plains agreed, and the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused on Friday to issue a preliminary injunction that would allow the march...The protesters' attorney, Stephen...

Court: Protesters Can't Enter West Point For VP's Speech POSTED: 1:11 pm EDT May 25, 2007 UPDATED: 1:13 pm EDT May 25, 2007 WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- The mere presence of Vice President Dick Cheney does not turn West Point into a public forum and is not an "open invitation" to protesters, a federal appeals court said Friday. Cheney is scheduled to deliver the commencement speech at the U.S. Military Academy on Saturday and about 1,000 people had hoped to march onto the campus for an anti-war demonstration. But the Army denied permission, a federal judge in White Plains agreed...

http://www.regent.edu/events/commencement/2007/video_high.cfm The clip of Mitt begins at 29:00. It's an excellent, well-delivered speech, even moving. Much better than a lecture on the Palestinian rights I received at mine. Some excerpts: "You know, I don't remember when it was exactly when I went beyond the sandbar. My family had a cottage on the shores of one of the Great Lakes. For the first 40 feet or so, the lake is shallow, warm, and protected from the big waves by a sandbar. That's where I spent most of the hot summer days as a boy. I liked it there. One day, my...

Commencement today marks new beginning for school he founded LYNCHBURG -- The Rev. Jerry Falwell planned to save America through his students, 3,598 of whom will graduate today from Liberty University inculcated with his evangelical, conservative vision. "The reason he built this place was to change the world," said Liberty student Mark Krom. "It's easy for me to buy into that. He was training champions for Christ." Falwell, 73, died from a heart condition Tuesday in his campus office. Thousands have come to the campus to view his body over the past several days. Falwell, in repose in a coffin...

LYNCHBURG, Va. - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich told Liberty University's graduating class Saturday to honor the spirit of school founder Jerry Falwell by confronting "the growing culture of radical secularism" with Christian ideals. Gingrich, who is considering a 2008 presidential run, quoted Bible passages to a crowd of about 17,000 packed into the university's football stadium four days after Falwell's death. Despite the somber tone of the day, graduates who covered the football field chanted "Jerry! Jerry!" in tribute to Falwell. "A growing culture of radical secularism declares that the nation cannot profess the truths on which it was...

Thank you very, very much, General Rosa. And thank you very much for the degree. It wasn’t as hard as what you had to go through to get it. And I should correct you, I was Cum Laude at New York University Law School, not Magna. But it’s an honor to stand before you and a great honor to be able to say congratulations to the 438 graduating cadets from The Citadel Class of 2007. And particularly congratulations to all of the people, who really made this day possible. Your parents—who I saw you all got up and very warmly...

May 12, 2007 White House Press Secretary Tony Snow Encourages 2007 Graduates to Love. Addresses CUA's 118th Annual Commencement. WASHINGTON — White House Press Secretary Tony Snow gave the newest graduates of The Catholic University of America several rules for living — emphasizing the power of love and prayer — at the university’s 118th Annual Commencement exercises, held May 12, 2007. “Think not only of what it means to love but what it means to be loved,” Snow said in his commencement address. “I have a lot of experience with that. Since the news that I have cancer again, I’ve...

In a commencement speech that is likely to be remembered more for its moment than for its message, President Bush yesterday encouraged the graduating seniors at St. Vincent College to live the lessons of public service that they learned in Latrobe. "Here at St. Vincent College, service outside the classroom is as important as what's learned inside the classroom," Mr. Bush told the 296 members of the Class of 2007. "The challenge for you is to keep this up as you begin your new careers, your new families and your new lives." Those ideals, he said, of charity and community...

Today President Bush delivered the commencement address at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. (Transcript with audio) In a written statement, the president also saluted the Virginia Tech class of 2007, which will be having its graduation ceremonies this weekend. (Transcript) President Bush returned to the White House this afternoon to commemorate Military Spouse Day and to present the President’s Volunteer Service Awards. (Transcript with audio) Vice President Dick Cheney departed the United Arab Emirates and arrived on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis in the Persian Gulf. There, the vice president received a warm welcome from 4,000 sailors...

CBNNews.com - Virginia Beach, Va - Before the celebrating came the turning of tassels and accepting this charge: "I want you to strive for greatness through service," said CBN founder Pat Robertson. The largest class in Regent's history sang a hymn bowed their heads in prayer. "Father," prayed Pastor Jack Hayford. "We come with hearts of gratitude for each of these graduates." {snip} Some say they were initially skeptical about having a Mormon address a Christian audience. "There were some people who were alarmed," said Regent graduate Cassy McLauchlin. "I was surprised because I just didn't think he was the...

Under the Regent University banner, former Massachusetts governor and 2008 Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney on Saturday told the school's largest-ever graduating class to reach past the sandbar and live in the deep waters of life. "In the deep water, life is about others. In the deep water, there are challenging ideas," Romney told the class of 1,005 students and nearly 4,000 friends, family members and faculty. "Some of you will be tempted to stay near shore, where there are no breakers and you can't make any waves." Romney's 13-minute commencement address was especially significant because the Mormon presidential aspirant...

President Bush, pushing for a hard-to-find breakthrough on a broad immigration overhaul, appealed to graduating college students in this diverse city Saturday for help in persuading Congress to produce a bill. Bush gave the commencement address at Miami Dade College, where more than half the students were raised speaking a language other than English. He gave the graduates an assignment: Tell their elected representatives in Washington to get going on immigration overhaul. "You see every day the values of hard work and family and faith that immigrants bring," the president said. "This experience gives you a special responsibility to make...

Pretty funny, even if you have to look at Donna Shalala. Here's the video link: http://streaming.miami.edu:8080/ramgen/commencement/smil/commencement-12142006-1000am-barry.smil Must have RealPlayer to view it, unfortunately.

LTC Randolph C. White Jr. delivers the graduation speech for the newest batch of Infantrymen to complete training at Ft. Benning, Georgia, on April 21st, 2006. This video is 12 minutes and 11 seconds long and will be the best 12:11 minutes you'll spend online this weekend.