Other Crap

"Washington Students reject honor to 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' hero"

• "many monuments at UW already commemorate rich white men."
• It's true that Boyington was a messed-up guy in general (as he would readily admit), but he was also a war hero who spent nearly two years of his life in a Japanese POW camp. He was awarded the Navy Cross and the Medal of Honor, and some say he was the #1 flying ace of the entire war. Not only that, he wasn't rich, or even very white. Part Native American (1/4 Sioux), he came from a poor family in a small logging town, and had an alcoholic stepfather. He and his mother had to work their asses off to put Pappy through school.
• The students said he was not the "sort of person UW wanted to produce"
• As it turns out, the kids were right. The university's formal mission statement specifically states that UW only means to turn out "lily-livered pussies whose parents can afford to pay for their degree." How did they go so very, very wrong with this guy?
• Additional reading: Here are the notes from the student senate.
• Additional reading: Here is the blog which broke the story on the 'net, including many, many comments.