Remember when Wick pointed out that SMU was all set to give Eddie Bernice Johnson a distinguished alumni award? Turns out, no so much. Johnson appears to have been bumped from this year’s list of recipients. I’ve called SMU to get the back story on that bumping.
Update (5 p.m.): Kent Best, SMU’s executive director of news and communications, tells me that Johnson had to withdraw from the program because of a scheduling conflict. He says this happens from time to time and that her honor will be deferred to a later date that has yet to be determined. I asked him if the date had yet to be determined because we don’t know yet whether Johnson will be facing a grand jury. To his credit, Best did not laugh. No matter. I laughed heartily enough at my joke for both of us. Anyway, kudos to Johnson for coming up with the scheduling conflict that will save her alma mater the embarrassment of honoring her. Maybe she’s not the worst grandmother in America after all.
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SMU’s Daily Campus has been following this story since it broke this morning. http://www.smudailycampus.com/news/johnson-no-longer-getting-distinguished-alumni-award-due-to-scheduling-conflict-1.1649471
Maybe Liberty University can give Stephen Broden an award for his belief that “darwin-atheism” is a gigantic conspiracy to commit genocide against black people through abortion, his belief that Christians have an obligation to fire gay people from their jobs, his opposition the the Employement Non-Discrimination Act and hate crime legislation, him breaking IRS law by using his church as a political platform (On purpose, with full knowledge that that was no OK) and being arrested at the White House after knowingly entering a restricted area and being asked 3 times to leave to protest Obama not publicly praying as the bible warns against doing.
Maybe they can, John M, maybe they can….
Maybe Kent Best didn’t laugh because he was confused by your punchline, Tim. For those of you missed this in all the colorful “reporting”, this incident with the scholarships doesn’t involve misuse of taxpayer funds (these were private foundation funds, and the private foundation is not seeking legal action), nor will it go to a grand jury. It’s a very disappointing situation, and probably an ethics violation that will stain the record of her career for some time, but it’s only this notable because there’s serious Republican carpetbagger money in this particular election.
I look forward to the same sustained, impassioned coverage over the scandal that is how private banks gouge families out of millions of dollars every year through a seriously flawed, exploitative student loan system in this country.