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If I were Bush, I wouldn't want my library to be
at an institution where I'm not appreciated. I
think that Liberty University, from whom he
obtained so many lawyers, might be a good
choice. Otherwise, how about the University of Phoenix?
Bishops speak out against Bush Library, Think
Tank at SMU and Vow to Push Forward
Today the organizers of a United Methodist
Church petition urging Southern Methodist
University (SMU) not to house the George W. Bush
Presidential Library, Museum, and Institute
released early results of their petition drive
and vowed to continue with the drive.
"We now have as signatories fourteen Bishops in
the United Methodist Church, the past President
of the Methodist Church of New Zealand, two
Superintendents in the British Methodist Church,
over 600 United Methodist clergy, and more than
nine thousand members of churches from across
the United States and Canada," said the Reverend
Andrew Weaver, the SMU alum who organized the petition.
The petition, www.protectSMU.org, has been
online for less than two weeks. Its organizers
argue that Bush's legacy is incompatible with
the values of Methodism and thus that his
Library, Museum, and Institute should not be
housed on SMU's campus. Bishop C. Joseph Sprague
condemned the administration, stating that.
"Bush violated United Methodist teachings when
he initiated a pre-emptive, first- strike war,
contrary to Just War criteria, when he pursued
policies that reward the rich, while punishing
the poor and he further sneered at church
teaching by condoning the torture of prisoners.
Add to these callous and arrogant acts the fact
that he presided over more capital punishment
executions (state-sanctioned murder is condemned
by our church) than any governor in this
nation's history, and it becomes abundantly
clear why a G.W. Bush Library should not be
housed on United Methodist Church property. The
United Methodist Church's Social Principles call
all United Methodists to social holiness. This
petition reflects our church's tradition that
all United Methodists are to be held accountable
for our personal and institutional behavior."
Southern Methodist University is one of 123
educational institutions that are related to The
United Methodist Church. Petition organizers
believe that association with this president
through his proposed $500 million library,
museum, and institute will reflect poorly upon
Methodism worldwide. They invite all people of
faith who honor the good name of Methodism and
our Christian heritage to sign our petition at www.protectSMU.org.
"The placement of the George W. Bush Library and
the establishment of an Institute to promote the
policies of this president at Southern Methodist
University would be a tragedy." said Bishop
William Boyd Grove. "The policies of the Bush
administration are in direct conflict with the
Social Principles of the United Methodist Church
on issues of war and peace, civil liberties and
human rights, care for the environment and
health care. SMU is a university of the church,
and is home to one of our outstanding
theological seminaries. Its Methodist identity
and its moral authority would be seriously
compromised were it to be identified with the
policies of George W. Bush in this way".
"We've had an outpouring of support so far,"
said Rev. Weaver, "from those who don't wish to
have their beloved church associated with a man
who has authorized torture and a lie-based war
of aggression against the people of Iraq. The
comments on the petition are a modern epistle to
the church and the 45 million Methodists worldwide, pleading for justice."
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