Thursday, May 11, 2017

Trump's Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, is loudly booed during commencement speech at historically black university.

Courtesy of Yahoo News:  

Drawing shouts of "Liar!" and "Just go," Education Secretary Betsy DeVos powered through her commencement address Wednesday at a historically black university, even as many of the graduating students turned their backs to her in protest. 

"Let's choose to hear one another out," DeVos said, reading her prepared text in a measured tone despite continuing waves of boos, catcalls and scattered applause at Bethune-Cookman University in Florida. 

As the crowd kept trying to shout her down, university president Edison Jackson briefly took over the microphone to sternly lecture the class of 2017. 

"If this behavior continues, your degrees will be mailed to you. Choose which way you want to go," Jackson warned. 

DeVos alienated many African-Americans in February when she described historically black colleges as "real pioneers when it comes to school choice." After a storm of criticism, she acknowledged that these colleges were "born, not out of mere choice, but out of necessity, in the face of racism."

Look I am one who typically does not believe in publicly disrespecting people, or shouting over them when they are trying to speak, however the fact is that Donald Trump chose the people he chose to undermine and even damage the agencies that they now lead, and there is nothing to respect about that.

Betsy DeVos is criminally unfit for her job, and the damage she can do to the Department of Education, and the students who are still in the system is incalculable.

In light of that, she should expect to get booed and shouted down in virtually EVERY university, high school, and kindergarten class that she visits.

63 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:00 AM

    I agree. I would have said send the diploma, I refuse to listen to the liar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:12 AM

      ME TOO! While showing the middle finger.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:15 AM

      The students had every right to do what they did when it came to Betsy DeVos.

      Had I been a graduate and received notice she was to be the speaker at the ceremony, I would not have attended and asked that my diploma be mailed.

      Think her a total waste of time - just like her Boss!

      Delete
  2. Anonymous9:02 AM

    I may be in the minority but I don't support thier tactics. I am more supportive of boycotting the ceremony. Maybe the students could have arranged for thier own-not school sanctioned ceremony. If they could do that and pilfer most of the students and thier families that would have rocked. I smile at the thought of her speaking to an empty room.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LisaB25951:13 PM

      You're not alone. This tactic is immature IMO. If you want to be take seriously, be serious, and booing a speaker is very juvenile.

      Betsy Devos is not qualified to be in her position, but that doesn't make her unqualified to give a commencement address.

      It would have been more effective to take issue with her actual speech later in letters to the editor and school than boo her at the ceremony.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous8:52 PM

      I think she's qualified to give a commencement speech at one place only: Trump University

      Delete
  3. Anonymous9:11 AM

    I don't agree with inviting someone to speak at your school or any other venue with the purpose of being rude to them. If you aren't going to listen to someone or give them a chance to speak why invite them? The university experience is enhanced by a diverse set of views, not by a monoculture. Shouting down opposing view points isn't discourse, it's suppression of speech and should not be tolerated, celebrated, or encouraged. Try that in the real world at a job and see how long you are still working at the company. A speaker at my undergraduate commencement was someone I had strong issues with. For that reason and others, I simply didn't go. If I had to do it over I'm not sure that was the right decision.

    I'm all for holding public officials to account for what they are doing but being rude and not letting them speak when you invite them to your venue isn't the way to do it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:40 AM

      Agreed. This looks bad on the decorum of the university and the students. This is what they have learned in four years?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:41 AM

      usually I'd agree with - BUT the students did not invite her - nor did they want her there

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:53 AM

      They have years as undergraduates for "diverse views". Their graduation is supposed to be a time for pride and celebration, not challenges and Right-wing nastiness.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:13 PM

      Then don't invite her to speak. It's that simple. And don't start with "the graduates didn't invite her" The university of which they are a part and are receiving a degree from did.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous2:36 PM

      There was a petition with 50,000 signatures protesting her appearance.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous9:12 AM

    OT....http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/05/donald-trump-early-stages-dementia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:53 PM

      When he tweeted Rosie today: another sign of dementia.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous9:21 AM

    OT>Last week"THIRTY PEOPLE and sussed out a narrative that starts with Trump LYING around at his golf course in New Jersey over this past weekend"
    "Comey insisted on investigating the Trump-Russia scandal, which is totally “fake news,” according to Trump!"
    Trump’s feelings were hurt when Comey wouldn’t give him a super special sneak preview of what he was going to say to the Senate last week (unfair!), and the NYT reports that Trump got even more upset in his heart when he saw that testimony, specifically the part where Comey said he was “mildly nauseous” at the thought that his handling of the Hillary email thing might have changed the outcome of the election."
    "The TV news is reporting today that Trump is thinking about going to visit the FBI to ‘splain himself, but he probably shouldn’t do that, because those career public servants are fucking pissed, and the WaPo notes that if Trump thinks he made the FBI Trump Russia investigation go away, HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA WHAT A IDIOT:
    "One intelligence official who works on Russian espionage matters said they were more determined than ever to pursue such cases. Another said Comey’s firing and the subsequent comments from the White House are attacks that won’t soon be forgotten. Trump had “essentially declared war on a lot of people at the FBI,” one official said. “I think there will be a concerted effort to respond over time in kind.” RULEOFLAW

    Read more at https://wonkette.com/616956/here-are-all-the-best-pee-leaks-about-trump-firing-james-comey-in-an-insane-rage#w2WcxTGliMpbpdPb.99

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous9:33 AM

    The blacks should not have disrespected Ms. DeVos like that who is a cabinet member highly respected by a lot of people. They do not deserve their diplomas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:51 AM

      Anyone who would use the phrase "the blacks" will never hold my respect. Never. I pity you

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:53 AM

      Follow up to my last reply. I actually disagreed with the students actions. I said so on a previous comment.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous9:55 AM

      One more comment. Your grammar is atrocious. Perhaps you should try a college level writing course.

      Delete
    4. abbafan9:57 AM

      9:33 - Fuck you! She is just another priveledged grifter who bought her way into trump's cabinet by way of huge donations to the republican party! She does not know jack-shit about public education; she had a priveledged education at an ALL-WHITE school! The students at this university had EVERY right to call her out for her empty platitudes! The students paid for their degrees; they had no fuckin' vouchers! She should stick to selling her in-laws' fuckin' Amway soap!!

      Delete
    5. "The blacks"? How about "students", "graduates",
      "audience"?
      BTW....
      Bethune-Cookman
      Ethnicity of Students from U.S
      0.1% American Indian/Alaskan Native
      0.1% Asian
      82.0% Black/African-American
      2.9% Hispanic/Latino
      2.4% Multi-race (not Hispanic/Latino)
      0.1% Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander
      1.8% White
      10.7% Unknown

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:17 AM

      Fuck you 9:33. If I paid my money to go to that university, i would not want to sit there and listen to an asshole like her either. Her very actions on voucher schools take money from districts that need money, only to divert it to these rich kid private schools. She is not for those students, and they are well within their rights to protest her very being there. It is a graduation, who really wants to hear someone who's very actions are against you speak at their graduation. Are you saying that they don't have the right to free speech

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:38 AM

      Did someone take away their free speech 10:17? Free speech and criticism goes both ways. If this is the type of dialogue and problem solving communication skills these students have learned in four years, good luck out there in the real world kiddos.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:53 AM

      @ 10:38 She is an asshole, she got what she deserved. Might as well get used to it. Poor little trumpkin, your little fee fees hurt?

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:49 AM

      It was rude of the university president to invite her and equally rude of her to attend.

      College graduation is a big day- perhaps you have to experience it to fully appreciate all that it represents- and it should not have been deliberately spoiled for all those graduates and their parents.

      End of story.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous11:52 AM

      Awe, you are one of those simple minded liberals that thinks anyone who doesn't fall into the nazi goosestep with their liberal ideals, just must be a Trump fan aren't you 10:53?

      Delete
    11. Anonymous4:20 AM

      She didn't belong and if that was my graduation i most likely would not even be there if she was there. Those students worked hard for those degrees, who wants a talking asshole speaking at their graduation. Her very presence would be a damper on otherwise one of the happiest days of those students lives.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous9:51 AM

    OT
    trump's ego knows no bounds
    Trump Is Hanging Giant Electoral Results In The White House

    http://bluetribune.com/2017/05/11/we-sht-you-not-trump-is-hanging-giant-electoral-results-in-the-white-house-image/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:32 AM

      Trump is clearly mentally ill.

      Delete
  8. Brandi Powers9:58 AM

    The GOP house of cards is about to come crashing down. The FBI is executing a search warrant on a GOP fundraiser in Annapolis, MD as I write this. It's going to be another big news day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:43 AM

      "Six top US intelligence officials told Congress Thursday they agree with the conclusion that Russia acted to influence last year's election, countering President Donald Trump's assertions that the hacking remains an open question."Asked whether they believed the intelligence community's January assessment that Russia was responsible for hacking and leaking information to influence the elections was accurate, all six spy and law enforcement bosses appearing before the panel said "YES."

      https://www.yahoo.com/news/trumps-intel-bosses-reiterate-russia-meddled-election-155658636.html

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:43 AM

      Word is they're going after Manafort, that it's way too big for campaign finance.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous9:58 AM

    So disrespectful.
    Just like race travel ban, denying women planned parenthood, a US SITTING PREZ SAYING HE CAN GRAB A WOMANS PRIVATES AND SAYING THEY LIKE IT,....

    Doing what they see.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous10:01 AM

    O/t, well McCabe so fits the part of FBI!
    Cool
    So fifties. Gonna get to the bottom and clean the SWAMP!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:50 PM

      "The Cuccinelli suit alleged that Strategic Campaign Group and the associated Conservative Strike Force Political Action Committee — an independent group not affiliated with the candidate — raised about $2.2 million by assuring donors it would spend the money to help elect the GOP candidate. The suit alleged that the PAC and Strategic Campaign Group failed to follow through on promises of an extensive media campaign on Cuccinelli's behalf."

      http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/anne-arundel/ph-ac-cn-fbi-raid-0512-20170511-story.html

      Delete
  11. Anonymous10:03 AM

    Trump showing signs of early dementia – a few articles that think so
    Is Donald Trump in the Early Stages of Dementia?
    April 3, 2017 https://theblemish.com/2017/04/donald-trump-dementia-signs/
    “We have a man who golfs every weekend, watches hours of TV a day, and can’t seem to speak a coherent sentence in the White House. While that seems insane, if you think about Donald Trump’s age, that’s pretty much right on schedule. While they have tried to spray tan life back into him, he’s actually a shriveled 70-year-old man. Trump is actually the oldest president ever. He’s older right now than many of our previous presidents were when they died, after having been in office in their prime.
    While there’s a lot going on to suggest Trump is losing it mentally, the way he speaks alone is enough to have people concerned. And I’m not even talking about the things he says. While everything he says is pure bile, the way he says things indicates deeper issues.”
    Early Dementia? Trump Thinks He Invented the Phrase "Prime the Pump"
    5/11/17 http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2017/05/donald-trump-early-stages-dementia
    “This is not good. "What is the right way to interpret Trump’s statement that he coined the phrase 'prime the pump' a few days ago?" asks Goldberg. Unfortunately, I think we all know the answer: Trump is 70 years old and his cognitive skills are deserting him. The evidence for this is becoming scarily abundant.”
    More on the story
    Donald Trump Thinks He Invented a Phrase That’s Been Used Since 1932
    May 11, 2017 http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/05/donald-trump-prime-the-pump

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous10:15 AM

    “Our long national nightmare is over,” {not in the slightest}
    "In effect, he was giving grateful Americans permission to finally leave politics in the 6 o’clock news, where it belonged, and go back to their bowling nights and disaster movies."
    " it was this same kind of national weariness that helped propel Trump to where he is in the first place."
    "If Trump isn’t holding an audience, dread envelops him."
    Trump. Maybe he’s our political meth. The egomania, the rashness, the multi-front war on everyone in his way and some who aren’t — this is not sustainable in a country that cares about other things."the further his approval ratings drop, the further members of his own party will run in the other direction, leaving Trump isolated and diminished."

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/trumps-real-undoing-may-creeping-fatigue-090016754.html

    Or-Not in the?
    ex·ig·u·ous
    iɡˈziɡyo͞oəs,ekˈsiɡyo͞oəs/
    adjectiveformal
    very small in size or amount.
    synonyms: meager, inadequate, insufficient, small, scanty, paltry, negligible, modest, deficient, miserly, niggardly, beggarly; informalmeasly, stingy, piddling

    Just thinking.....

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous10:20 AM

    https://twitter.com/AylahWren/status/862670239246438400/photo/1

    NOW we are talking>read the comments......

    BLM

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous10:32 AM

    "No Republican will be able to raise the issue of Medicaid abuse under this regime, or even ask for hearings on the topic. The topic of medical tourism on the public dime has been made toxic."The term “hate agenda” has been widely used by the Left to describe the presidency of Donald Trump.
    "Eastman had voted against a resolution recognizing African-American contributions to the construction of the Alaska Highway,"During the discussion on those votes, Eastman said he is fundamentally opposed to race-based legislation. It is a matter of principle for him." “Race politics is not a pleasant learning subject.” “Never in the history of the Alaska House of Representatives has there been censure of a member. Censure is reserved for conduct that is damaging and disruptive to the legislative process or implicates a criminal act or ethical violation. Reprimanding a legislator for words spoken sets a dangerous precedent and infringes on freedom of speech."

    http://mustreadalaska.com/democrat-house-vote-how-they-tell-you-to-or-its-hate-speech/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:41 AM

      I wouldn't read that Republican bitch's blog for money.

      A lot of money.

      But nice try.

      Delete
  15. a j billings11:12 AM

    Betsy Devos does not have the right to wear that graduation gown, as it has 3 stripes on it, signifying BA, MA, and PhD.

    She hasn't even got an undergrad degree, has zero qualifications to speak, never mind trying to shovel huge federal money to religion based schools

    She represents a travesty of ignorance and stupidity

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:39 AM

      She got her position with zero merit, she's uneducated, she's unintelligent.... those things should have disqualified her.

      Why didn't they? Because a man (probably a Republican) thinks her coattails are useful.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:16 PM

      When people are conferred honorary degrees they have the right to wear the robe. It gets dicier when they try to treat them as real degrees or refer to themselves as "Doctor". That should not be allowed.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous11:26 AM

    Betsy DeVos should not be allowed to speak at any African American college graduation or at any college.

    DeVos got her position as Secretary of Education only because DeVos and her family are big donors of Trump and the Republican Party.

    DeVos knows she's not popular, why even go?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous11:55 AM

    That pud-pulling president Jackson has ruined his college's reputation.

    Just what the black community needs, one less choice.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous12:57 PM

    OT? OIL?
    "“O Allah, Trump is one of your servants, you control him and his fate. Command him—willingly or not—to serve the best interests of Muslims and eliminate oppression done to them. Spare us from his evil deeds and guide him on the right path,” he wrote in a tweet, according to Middle East Monitor. The tweet has since been deleted."
    "“Servant of God? The same Donald Trump that killed at least 1500 Muslims in Syria, Iraq Yemen and Afghanistan,” wrote one commenter on the article on Twitter. There are reports of more than 3,000 civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria alone since Trump entered office, according to monitoring site Airways."

    http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/trump-called-servant-of-allah-by-saudi-cleric/

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous12:59 PM

    OT?
    http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/mormon-church-cuts-ties-with-boy-scout-programs-in-us-canada/

    ReplyDelete
  20. linda1:01 PM

    If I ever have an opportunity to hear her speak I will boo long and loud too. You have to give respect to get respect. She deserves NONE!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous1:07 PM

    "We owed them action, even if it was only some small reform of our gun laws. If this didn’t move the nation, what could?

    We realized then: Nothing could. Nothing ever will. There were no tears on the right. To them, guns are always more important than children, and there was no action."you can’t just lay this on Trump and Ryan and the heartless Republican pols who follow them. The voters who elected and enabled them bear responsibility, too, not just for Trump but for every person who doesn’t get health care when they need it and for every baby who dies as a result, for every stream polluted by Trump’s rescission of Obama’s executive orders, for every family torn apart by Trump’s immigration policies, for every woman who dies of cancer because Planned Parenthood is to be defunded, for every worker who is injured or dies by Trump’s scaling back of workplace safety regulations, for every target of the hate speech that Trump has joyfully unleashed. We hear endlessly about the frustrations of the white working class who support Trump, but wounded white working-class pride doesn’t justify any of these things." You cannot offer them excuses. Excuses embolden them. Just look at their faces at Trump rallies, and you know they know. Indeed, the very worst false equivalency between Democrats and Republicans of all those purveyed by the media is the MORAL ONE."
    "Wonder Woman declares, “I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.” Evidently Wonder Woman isn’t a Republican."But there are tens of millions more, good people, who recognize an obligation to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, and to fight not just for them but for the soul of the country we profess to love. We have to take on the monsters: call them out, challenge them, shame them, marginalize them and defeat them,"

    http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/this-is-why-we-have-become-a-failed-country-and-why-we-cant-just-blame-trump/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:31 PM

      Watch this and If you're a parent, student, or teacher you really need to see this! Watch, look, and listen Learn: It's OK to Be Smart>
      https://www.facebook.com/itsokaytobesmart/videos/1067027756728221/?hc_ref=NEWSFEED

      Delete
  22. Anonymous1:31 PM

    IMO, boo's were not enuff. Rotten fruit should have been thrown. That from a protester from the 60's.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous1:50 PM

      Strange Fruit 1939
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHGAMjwr_j8

      BLM!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous2:04 PM

      ALM.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous2:40 PM

      @1:50>"encountered Ronald Williams, a 21-year-old African American man,"

      http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/05/stephen-mader-lawsuit-weirton-west-virginia-excessive-force

      Delete
    4. Anonymous4:26 AM

      Shut the FUCK UP 2:04, just because alm is not specifically said, when a person says blm it does not mean all lives don't matter. Quit being so FUCKING DENSE.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous8:07 AM

      ALM.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous7:35 AM

      FUCK YOU 8:07. BITCH

      Delete
  23. Anonymous5:26 PM

    This was rather amusing because "kids behaving badly" but one of the lessons that I learned in college, in preparation for corporate life, that often times silence speaks louder.

    That lesson served me well in more situations than I can count.

    I realize these kids are mad because of the racist undertones running through the country these days, but rudeness rarely wins.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:21 PM

      Corporate life = selling your soul, and foolishly not to the highest bidder. Figures a slave knows and admires nothing but subservience.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:22 PM

      I don't believe in "the soul" and I'd hardly call retiring at 50 "slavery".

      Delete
  24. Anonymous7:20 PM

    Pretty much bullshit on the part of the Uncle Tom Uni pres. ALL degrees are mailed, often you get just the folder at commencement or a non-official diploma

    ReplyDelete

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