THERE ARE few things scarier than being within the same square mile as Michael 'I hate America' Moore. One of these things would be knowing that Moore had been paid tens of thousands of dollars of tax-payer money in order to spread his lies through a speech at this university. Evidently, a representative of Moore has contacted the University Programs Council with an interest in coming to speak Oct. 29.
The University Programs Council is an important aspect of student life. They run Cinematheque, and they are charged with bringing interesting speakers and events for the students to enjoy. Normally, Moore would fall under the category of "interesting speakers"; however, there are several problems with this classification. The first problem is the exorbitant fee that Moore is demanding: $50,000. This is more than double the highest fee UPC would normally considering paying for its guests. While this seems in line with what other schools have been paying the noted propagandist, this is way out of line. This is a publicly funded University, and for UPC to even consider expending such a large portion of its budget on such a low-caliber guest, even if it were to seek co-sponsorship, is absolutely absurd.
Moore is not just a person who happens to possess controversial political views. While he certainly is controversial, his overtly stated goal is to influence the November election. The front page of his Web site quotes him as saying, "Bush has got to go." Moore would be speaking just several days prior to the election and just 100 miles from the nation's capital. Certainly, there is nothing wrong with Moore spouting his political views to a willing audience. But there is something wrong with this publicly funded university paying him to attempt to influence the election. Moore's attendance would be roughly equivalent to the University funding a Bush or Kerry campaign event to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars.
A neighboring public university, George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., has felt the sting of agreeing to host Moore for the paltry sum of $35,000.Unfortunately for GMU, this untimely decision to allow this master of deception to attempt to manipulate the votes of the student body before the election created some negative publicity. State Del. Richard Black of Sterling has been notably critical, telling WMAL630 that the university was "promoting liberalism at taxpayer expense." The administration of GMU caved to public pressure just days later.The president of GMU told The Washington Post that the decision to bring Moore was "a mistake."
Alex Thurber, chair of the University Programs Council's speakers committee, stated that the "main obstacle at the moment is the venue," since Moore "only wants to come if he can reach a few thousand people." This limits the affordable on-Grounds venues to the Amphitheatre, which would only work if the weather was clear. UPC still has to rent venues such as University Hall from the school, thus limiting the selection to the more affordable venues. As such, logistical problems present the biggest hurdle for UPC at the moment. However large the logistical hurdles, though Thurber admitted that the committee has not even considered if they should bring Moore to speak. "We haven't really considered whether or not bringing him is appropriate," she said.
As much as the sight of the unwashed liberal sends shivers down my spine, he should be welcome to come speak at the University... at his own cost. Clearly, Moore wishes to influence the election and reach a large group of people. If Moore is truly dedicated to this cause, he should use some of the millions of dollars he made from his film of lies -- "Fahrenheit 9/11" -- and come to the University without gouging UPC. The reward of spreading his message should be enough. If Moore comes without charging UPC, then I will even consider going to listen to him speak. But if that tax check I sent off to Richmond last month helps pay for his donuts, you can be sure I will be seen nowhere near such an event.
Since the decision to bring Moore has not yet been made, and the logistics have not been worked out, as students we must work now in opposition to funding such a visit. Alex Thurber has made it clear that she is willing to receive feedback on the issue, and I urge everyone to e-mail her and indicate the travesty that would occur if our tuition dollars were used to pay for the equivalent of a Kerry campaign event.
Daniel Bagley is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. He can be reached at dbagley@cavalierdaily.com.
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