OT: Clinton to be Convocation Speaker

[A-19]

contract details, venue, and times will be released upon complete finalization, in a follow-up news story ASAP

chris, you have heard wrong about previous years. the problem was not that we could not afford big name speakers. none of the past years' invitees were unwilling to come because of the price. one of the biggest hardships in past years has been the proximity of the planning to the convocation. in past years, invitations have been issued only a few months before graduation, which results in a much shorter notification for the would-be speaker. top list speakers are booked years in advance, just like hotel rooms for a cornell graduation. if you wait too long, you wind up with a second or third choice, just like you wind up staying in albany or something. this cycle, we got on the process during junior year, giving us much extra time in alerting our top choice, president clinton. he was able to make his calendar for this year having already received our invite, and not the other way around. we are looking to amend the convocation process to give future classes the ability to present invitations much earlier.
hope this is informative for you!
-mike rosenberg '04

[nyc94]

In any given year how much of a factor is the lack of honorary degree/not actually speaking on the day of or at the graduation ceremony?

[CAAB]

Well,

I don't like to get into political debate on this forum, but since the subject was brought up -- here's my two cents.

If bringing that guy (and paying his sky-high fee) makes the Class of '04 happy, then so be it.  But to suggest that this guy (former prez or not) has a clue to what is happening in foreign affairs is absurd.

He had several opportunities to capture Bin Laden and failed to take the opportunity. Thanks to "Bill's" preoccupations with foolish trifles, Bin Laden got away and executed his murderous plan on the WTC on 9/11, which cost us - the Cornell Community - one of our very finest -- Eamon McEneaney - a classy champion and who's life would be much more relevant to the graduates than someone who fancied himself as JF Kennedy, but really didn't have a clue as to why the Kennedy presidency was so endearing to the american public and the course of the nation.  I cannot forgive him for being a factor (through negligence and laziness) in Eamon's demise.

I guess that's why I only give generously to the Hockey program nowadays. Bill Gates (who was recently speaking on campus) is a much better and relevant story of starting from nothing, than 'ol BC is.

When are we finally going to "move on" and get past those Clintons?

[Beeeej]

[Q]CAAB Wrote:
He had several opportunities to capture Bin Laden and failed to take the opportunity. Thanks to "Bill's" preoccupations with foolish trifles, Bin Laden got away and executed his murderous plan on the WTC on 9/11 [/Q]

You're either being revisionist or ignorant; either way, it bears addressing.

Even before 9/11, Clinton said one of his greatest regrets was not succeeding in capturing or killing Bin Laden before he left office, despite significant effort to do so.  He and his national security people, upon departing the White House, tried to convey to the incoming Bush administration how important dealing with Bin Laden was.  And even members of the Bush administration acknowledge that they didn't take the warning seriously enough.

Eamon McEneaney died because of a madman.  Blaming it on Clinton, no matter what you think of his politics, is really kind of sad.

And what, exactly, should Clinton's invitation from the students of the class of 2004 have to do with what parts of Cornell get your charitable dollars?  I heard some pretty good rationalizations in my days as a Cornell development officer, but that's a serious stretch.

Beeeej

[Greg Berge]

I also don't like to get into a political discussion online among friends, but it's a bit bizarre to suggest Bill was distracted by foolish trifles when the opposition launched an impeachment farce based on the lamest of pretexts.  That took some time out from all of our leaders' attention to the nation's real problems.

Clinton is polarizing.  If you want to get into it about whether or not he was the most successful president of the postwar period (cough he was uncough), go to USCHO Cafe and pick any thread started by Ritt, Phil, RPIRED, etc...

[Ken]

Since it was brought up ("Even before 9/11, Clinton said one of his greatest regrets was not succeeding in capturing or killing Bin Laden before he left office, despite significant effort to do so" .. Beeeej)

- After the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six and injured
1,000; President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted
down and punished.  Nothing happened.

- After the 1995 bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed five US military
personnel; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down
and punished. Nothing happened.

- After the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19
and injured 200 US military personnel; Clinton promised that those
responsible would be hunted down and punished. Nothing happened.

- After the 1998 bombing of US embassies in Africa, which killed 224 and
injured 5,000; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted
down and punished. We lobbed a few cruise missiles at a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan.

- After the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 and injured 39
US sailors; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down
and punished. Nothing happened.

[Beeeej]

Obviously, you have intimate knowledge of all of the details of the Clinton administration's efforts to capture or eliminate Bin Laden.  I applaud you on the thoroughness of your research.

Anyway, as to your definition of "nothing happened":

Those directly responsible for the planning and execution of the 1993 WTC bombing were captured and punished.  See http://www.adl.org/learn/jttf/wtcb_jttf.asp .  Bin Laden, unfortunately, remained free.

The Saudis executed four Saudi Sunnis they declared had been responsible for the 1995 bombing, without allowing American investigators to interrogate them.  See http://mondediplo.com/1997/09/saudi .

The Saudi royal family prevented American investigators from examining most of the physical evidence in the 1996 Al Khobar bombing, and forbade them from conducting their own investigation.  See http://mondediplo.com/1997/09/saudi .

Four individuals were arrested and tried for their participation in the 1998 Nairobi and Tanzania bombings, and sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.  See http://usinfo.state.gov/topical/pol/terror/01053002.htm .

Seventeen individuals were arrested for the 2000 U.S.S. Cole bombing.  At least ten of them escaped from a Yemeni prison before they could be brought to trial.  See http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,83890,00.html .  It was another few years before the suspected "mastermind" was arrested, also by Yemeni security forces.  See http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2003/11/25/268103-ap.html .

By the way, how's Bush doing capturing or eliminating Bin Laden?

Beeeej

P.S. "Res Ipsa LoquitUr" doesn't mean what you think it means.

[Jordan 04]

[q]By the way, how's Bush doing capturing or eliminating Bin Laden? [/q]

Maybe we'll find out in mid to late October :-)

[Chief Bear]

Beeej,

Greg is right,  'ol Billy Boy' is a polarizing subject, which is why I would rather not get into a tit-for-tat string on this forum.  Clearly we are not going to convince either of us, that the other is right, but I am disappointed by Class of 2004 to pay that bugger for some jokes, and his twilight zone view of the world.

BTW: you seemed to have come across in your reply to me, as if you know the Clinton admin so intimately well - vs-a-vis, your retort to Ken.

I can't imagine what he could possibly tell the Class of 2004 that would give them a leg up on their coming journey through post-collegiate life.

Martha convicted..... but why not Hillary?  There's still that little matter of HER inside info to make a quick $100K in futures with the help of the Tysons, cause she strikes me as being dumb as a box of rocks when it comes to futures and stocks.

Let's GO Big Red!!!

                --- Da Bear

[A-19]

Here is the statement by the 2004 Convocation Committee in the Sun today:
http://www.cornelldailysun.com/articles/11139/

-Mike Rosenberg '04

[Ken]

[Q]Beeeej Wrote:
P.S. "Res Ipsa LoquitUr" doesn't mean what you think it means.

[/Q]

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Law it's Res Ipsa LoquitOr.

The general meaning is "the thing (or fact) speaks for itself".

The precise meaning is "When you become a liberal you soon realize that facts are stubborn and inconvenient things".

[ugarte]

[Q]Beeeej Wrote:

 '93 was Matt Ruff, and I'm reasonably sure '94 was Mae Jemison.  I was also pretty sure that while HRC spoke twice at Cornell during my years there, neither was at a Convocation. [/Q]I remember Ruff (disaster) and Jemison (OK). HRC had to be '92.  I certainly remember being quite annoyed that my graduation weekend was occassion for a stump speech for WJC's campaign.  And I was supporting that campaign.  

(And enough with the politics, everyone.  Can't we all just get along and hate Harvard together?)

I also remember the introduction of the SA president (I think) who encouraged the students to "frolic" more.  It was textbook weenie college kid nonsense.  He did everything short of starting the speech with "According to Webster's dictionary, "commencement" means ..."

[Becca]

Mike, is it true that Clinton waived his speaker's fee for us? Did you expect that? Just read it on "Dear Uncle Ezra"...

[jtwcornell91]

[Q]Ken Wrote:
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Law it's Res Ipsa LoquitOr.
[/Q]

According to my Latin dictionary, loquitor is the first person singular of the deponent verb loquitari, to chatter, which is a frequentative derived from the deponent verb loqui, to speak.  The third person singular of loqui is loquitur.

So Res ipsa loquitur means "The thing speaks for itself".   Res ipsa loquitor means "I, the thing, chatter for myself".

Which is not a bad description of your liberal-bashing, come to think of it... ::rolleyes::

[A-19]

Becca and other inquiring minds,

It is in fact true that Clinton has waived his honorarium from the Class of 2004. The contract still needs to cover certain costs, such as staff hotel rooms, speaker transportation etc, and those amounts are being planned and will be released to the public as soon as they are available.

-Mike