Miami Student

Does anyone know what time this even will be at?

What a waste of $125,000. How about selecting a business leader with integrity - one that won't lie for his boss (Bush)?

I attended Colin Powell's speech in 2000 as a freshman at Miami. It truly was one of the best addresses I have ever heard - he is a man of character and a true leader. If you are undecided about attending, I would highly recommend listening to what he has to say.

From Powell's role in covering up the My Lai massacre,to his involvement with the Iran-Contra scandal, to his speech at the U.N. which even he recognized was filled with "bullshit," Powell has acted to promote illegal actions. In the latter case, he played a key role in moving "establishment" opinion to support the illegal invasion of Iraq, and the subsequent deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqis and Americans. This came despite reports as early as February, 2002 which indicated that key portions of the "intelligence" presented by Powell were sourced to a "likely fabricator." As a war profiteer, Powell received $1 million of stock in General Dynamics, the corrupt arms corporation, as well as more than $20 million in other corporate investments, when he joined the board of America Online. In the 2004 election cycle, General Dynamics gave $1.42 million in campaign contributions, with 57% going to Republicans.

For more on Powell and the war visit:

Paul Craig Roberts, http://www.globalresearch.ca
Robert Parry, Colin Powell: Failed Opportunist, ConsortiumNews, November 26, 2004.
Paul de Rooij, A Political Obituary: Powell, D.O.A., DissidentVoice, May 27, 2004.
http://www.salon.com/opinion/blumenthal/2007/08/09/iraq_powell/
http://www.counterpunch.org/stephens11072005.html
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2000/121700a.html
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?list=type&type=12
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/newsfull.php?newid=62894
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/May2004/DeRooij0527.htm
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2007/112807a.html
http://www.inteldaily.com/?c=173&a=4403

$125K to invite a war criminal onto campus. Nice move Miami. He should be paying universities $125K for using their campuses to spin his criminal misdeeds for posterity.

I would hope that the tiny portion of this student body that has learned to think beyond the narrow views of their Republican, suburban childhoods will be out in force to protest the appearance of this war criminal.

Pea Soup in Foggy Bottom (published in COUNTERPUNCH, 1/20/2005)
By JAMES REISS

Whenever you feel bad and want to howl,
Remember someone in our government
Who used to stand for reason, Colin Powell.
He used to care about an argument
In which two nations babbled, cheek to jowl,
Instead of squaring off like fighters bent
On uppercuts and jabs, both crying foul,
Both breaking bones and wrecking the event.

This referee who chucked his boxing gloves,
This statesman next to Rummy's vast defense
Establishment, when pushes turned to shoves,
Had little hope of using common sense
To make warhawks morph into turtledoves
On different sides of one sweet picket fence,
Which lets good neighbors recognize their loves
And fears can coexist for decades hence.

Alas, the fix was in! It's shove and push
Until one side is down, the other's swollen,
Ready to K.O. all bad guys-swoosh!-
And swear the rules of reason have been stolen
By enemies in, say, the Hindu Kush
Or any other place that knocks a hole in
What we call the head of our prez Bush,
While someone heads out. Here's to that man, Colin!

James Reiss is Poet-in-Residence and Professor of English at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. His most recent book is Riff on Six: New and Selected Poems (Salt Publishing). He's He can be reached at: reissja@muohio.edu

I apologize that this has nothing to do with Mr. Powell:

Dear Miami Prof,

Is there any aspect of Miami University that pleases you in the slightest? Just wondering. I've noticed your acerbic comments plastered all over this website and they've started to annoy me.

I agree that Miami has its fair share of stereotypically airheaded bimbos and fratastic (word courtesy of my roommate) jocks. However, there also exists a sizable portion of students who are intelligent, caring, and independent thinkers.

I don't know who you are and you may have a perfectly good reason for loathing Miami with as much fervor as you do. It's not my place to pass judgment or make assumptions. However, I truly wish that you could see the glass as half full and work to change things at Miami instead of complaining and constantly tearing the school down via anonymous posts on an Internet message board.

Thanks for listening,
Austin

Pea Soup in Foggy Bottom
By JAMES REISS

Whenever you feel bad and want to howl,
Remember someone in our government
Who used to stand for reason, Colin Powell.
He used to care about an argument
In which two nations babbled, cheek to jowl,
Instead of squaring off like fighters bent
On uppercuts and jabs, both crying foul,
Both breaking bones and wrecking the event.

This referee who chucked his boxing gloves,
This statesman next to Rummy's vast defense
Establishment, when pushes turned to shoves,
Had little hope of using common sense
To make warhawks morph into turtledoves
On different sides of one sweet picket fence,
Which lets good neighbors recognize their loves
And fears can coexist for decades hence.

Alas, the fix was in! It's shove and push
Until one side is down, the other's swollen,
Ready to K.O. all bad guys-swoosh!-
And swear the rules of reason have been stolen
By enemies in, say, the Hindu Kush
Or any other place that knocks a hole in
What we call the head of our prez Bush,
While someone heads out. Here's to that man, Colin!

James Reiss is Professor Emeritus of English at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. His most recent book is Riff on Six: New and Selected Poems (2003). His novel, Façade for a Penny arcade will be published in November 2008. He can be reached at: reissja@muohio.edu

(This poem originally appeared in CounterPunch magazine on January 20, 2005.)

That poem was terrible.