From Deseret News archives:

A Cheney protest at Y.?

April invitation to vice president may stir up some controversy

Published: Friday, March 23, 2007 12:42 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
"I don't think we are a fair campus," Lyon said. "I'll say that and I don't mind saying that. Do you think we would invite Bill Clinton? No, I don't think we would. We're the campus that projects closeness to Republicans, and so we only invite Republicans.

"We have had Sean Hannity speak on campus, at the football stadium. Could we let Michael Moore speak on campus? No, we wouldn't.

"We're definitely a one-party campus."

Hawkins believes Cheney has changed in the past four years from a moderate pragmatist to an extremist driven by the Iraq war and has appeared willing to do anything to create his version of a secure country.

Instead, "I think he has done more to undermine U.S. security than any other individual in the past four years," Hawkins said.

The president of the BYU College Republicans, David Lassen, said he hopes the visit generates discussion among students.

"One of our main purposes is to get students involved in any political activity at all," he said. "This will stir up some conversation and some controversy, but probably less than other places."

Lassen said Republican students are excited about the visit.

Story continues below
"I think both President Bush and Dick Cheney have stepped away from some conservative ideology I agree with, but on the whole I still support them in a lot of ways and definitely prefer them to some Democratic alterna- tives we've been presented."

White House spokeswoman Megan McGinn said Cheney spoke last year at graduation exercises for Louisiana State University, the Naval Academy and his high school alma mater, Natrona High in Casper, Wyo.

Cheney is scheduled to appear at another graduation this spring, but the White House did not release the school's name.

"The vice president is looking forward to attending BYU's commencement ceremony," McGinn said.

BYU policy limits political protests on campus. If a large anti-war protest develops, it likely would be off campus.

Provo supported BYU Police Thursday when the Soulforce Equality Riders, a 25-member gay activist group, protested on the edge of campus.

"I don't think we've considered the logistics of a very large protest," said Wayne Parker, Provo's chief administrative officer."


E-mail: twalch@desnews.com

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image

Dick Cheney

previousnext

Latest comments

I find it interesting that many of the same people who say that we can't...

Cougs begin bowl preparations

None of these teams is going to be easy. They all have fine football...

Max Hall issues apology

Max, no apology was necessary, but the apology was polically correct. If...

Very good piece of writing, Amy. You summarized what many of us have been...

U. eyes bowl for redemption

How is a top 25 finish make Utah a top twenty team? I think what the poster...

Max Hall issues apology

90% of the BYU & Utah fans have class, and Hall knows it. If you don't...

This might be my favorite article I've ever read from the Deseret News. Kudos.

Y. student vanished in China

Thank you for not giving up and don't give up now brother and sister...

Child prostitutes don't get help

Dr. Lois Lee's work with children who are victims of child sexual...

Look at the preview for Pixar's "Up". The whole move is summarized in...

Advertisements