I could understand if giant business enterprises were paying Alberto Gonzalez tens of thousands of dollars to give speeches. It'd be a kind of bribe, a kind of wingnut welfare -- yet another signal that in the United States committing crimes on behalf of the conservative movement can be a good career move -- that we're familiar with. But instead we've got colleges and universities getting in on the game, specifically the University of Florida and Washington University in St. Louis.
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Call Him Rich Al
19 Nov 2007 12:33 pm
Comments (21)
"And Washington University in St. Louis is looking to pay him $30,000 for a speech in February (plus $5,000 for the necessary security). The student paper, Student Life, reports that "The decision to bring Gonzales to campus comes as part of a larger effort on the part of [the Student Union] to bring well-known and controversial speakers to campus."
I never realized controversy was so lucrative. But are they really getting much value here? Fred Phelps will do the gig for just a fraction of that amount.
i went to WashU for law school. the university has this weekly speaker series that they're really proud of. at least when i was there, each wednesday some really famous person came to speak. and there was a university-wide ban on holding classes at the wednesday block when the speakers usually came, so students would always be able to attend. i saw some great and not-so-great people speak when i was there. so it doesn't surprise me at all that gonzo is part of the mix. he is, after all, a high profile guy.
that being said, i can't say i approve of this one. and i guess i now have something to say when the school next calls bugging me for money
I'm curious what Wash U typically pays for these prestigious speakers. $30k a pop -- the amount they are reportedly paying Gonzo -- is outrageous. Perhaps tuition-payers should know about this.
I'm also a Wash U alum. Seriously, what the hell are we getting for 30k? I know the guy's "controverial." And? This makes for an insightful and educational speech? The College Republican chapter on campus really mau mau-ed the administration on this one.
"The decision to bring Gonzales to campus comes as part of a larger effort on the part of [the Student Union] to bring well-known and controversial speakers to campus."
I can understand seeking contoversial speakers who are so because of the ideas they espouse, but Gonzales? The controversy about him is that he is a corrupt boob who was put in a job that was beyond his abilities because he was the president's friend. Is he going to give a speech in favor of that?
Are College Republicans still fond of this guy? The way I see it, this buffoon did more than any Democrat ever could to shine a bright light on the administration's attempts to turn the JD into a political arm of the Republican party.
I wonder how much Sandy Berger makes for an appearance.
Don't forget that John Yoo, famous for declaring that the president could crush the testicles of a suspect's child, is now a professor of Law at the purportedly leftist University of California at Berkeley.
Why colleges?
Don't be naive -- his names ends in a Z so he is Diverse! And they can please Republican donors at the same time.
"Don't be naive -- his names ends in a Z so he is Diverse! "
Mr. Sailer, you place too much confidence in Matthew's spelling.
Did Bucky Bush, the decider's uncle and long time big shot at Washington U have anything to do with this?
Do you think the board of trustees is made up of people who run soup kitchens? Paying Alberto Gonzales 30k is both wing-nut welfare and reduces opportunities for the offspring of the 'less productive members of society' to attend colleges and universities. It's a win-win situation; a fantastic use of money.
UF is reportedly paying him 40K, making Gonzales the third and most notorious ex-Bush administration official to speak on campus (Andy Card, Ari Fleischer). One would think that a man run out of office for incompetence and corruption would be low on the totem pole of potential speakers, but apparently that isn't the case.
Hey man, we're not Columbia. We don't command the really big villains, but we're working on it. UF is getting quite the reputation...
Don't tase me, bro!
Go Gators! Tebow for Heisman.
Just a thought? Wouldn't these awkward university speaking gigs include the opportunity to ask him all the questions he doesn't want to answer? Just make him miserable, as he'll inevitably get the money.
Then again, my mind turns to NYU and Scalia refusing to answer whether or not he buggered his wife....I feel like Gonzo, whose "worst days were better than my father's best days" should be able to say with pride that he turned an innocent man into a piece of furniture, and that he made it legal to torture, for the greater glory of the party!
Yeah, I too have something to say when UF calls asking for my money. "Call Alberto Gonzalez."
Tebow for Heisman.
Remember, friends, that many of the Bush admin. sycophantic, Jacobin bastards have moved on to "academia". Tenet, Feith and Yoo are TEACHING at top tier universities. Rumsfeld gets a "distinguished " fellowship at the Hoover (re, Stanford). And many other of the discredited neo-cons pay their bills thanks to "honoraria" from speaking engagements at schools that claim to be offering their students viewpoints and geo-political perspectives from SERIOUS and seasoned former admin. officials. What's next? George Bush teaching a 2009 seminar at Liberty U. on the Confluence of Muslim Fundamentalist Schisms and the Peak Oil Bell Curve as they impact Texas Drilling Infrastructure. (pre-screened attendees only.)
A huge black mark on the University of Florida as a institution for higher learning. Paying $30K to the single most embarassing appointee in the U.S. Justice Department's modern history? Shameful. Put me down in the "not sending my kids to Florida" column...
Chris,
I don't know; how about Nixon's AG? The one that ended up in prison? He has got to be more embarassing. Perhaps Watergate is not modern history?
DWG
Mitchell was certainly more corrupt, but he was legitimately viewed as a top-notch lawyer. I'm not aware that anyone considers Gonzales to be more than a president's friend with a law degree.
Comments closed December 03, 2007.
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Heads in the Sand
You seem to be under the impression that colleges and universities are not giant business enterprises.
Posted by Duvall | November 19, 2007 12:53 PM