Bush gets mixed reception at Christian college - Yahoo! News
So PROUD of my little town!
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (Reuters) - President Bush on Saturday championed faith in American society, but ran into some criticism as courted his Christian base in a commencement speech at a Michigan college.
"We need to support and encourage the institutions and pursuits that bring us together. And we learn how to come together by participating in our churches and temples and mosques and synagogues," Bush told graduating seniors at Calvin College, a Christian liberal-arts college.
The college describes itself as a "center of faith-anchored liberal arts teaching and scholarship," and Bush has aggressively sought to reinforce his support among religious conservatives who helped deliver him a reelection victory in 2004.
But anti-Bush ads that ran in the local newspaper, protests outside the event and buttons worn on graduates' robes made clear that many students and faculty objected to Bush's policies.
"We believe your administration has launched an unjust and unjustified war in Iraq," said a letter signed by about one-third the college's 300 faculty members and published in Saturday's Grand Rapids Press.
"As Christians, we are called to be peacemakers and to initiate war only as a last resort," it said.
The letter criticized economic policies that it said favored the wealthy over the poor, and faulted Bush for mixing religion and politics and exhibiting and "intolerance" for others' views.
A few dozen protesters gathered outside, carrying signs that read, "Conservatives and moderates reject extremism" and "Thou shalt not torture."
Hmmmm. When I first read this story last night it said "several dozen". That's interesting. Channel 8 pegged the number at 300. (although it doesn't say that in that link, I heard it on their report) That's more than a "few dozen".
Anyway, whatever the number, it feels good to see my very "red" area get up and protest. I would have gone out there, but, quite frankly, I figured the traffic would be a nightmare at that corner and I didn't want to deal with it. No place to park. I know, pretty lazy of me, but there you have it.
Yea for Grand Rapids!