Many at Utah State University are less than pleased with the implications that come with actor-activist Danny Glover's planned commencement speech.
According to the Herald-Journal, some Utahns take issue with Glover's views on citizenship and his ties with Venezuela -- and they aren't holding back in expressing their disapproval:
On the Internet, websites for The Herald Journal, KSL-TV, the Standard Examiner and the Deseret News are abuzz with statements calling the actor "an anti-American Communist," "creep" and "idiot" with some telling USU to rescind their invitation.
"My opinion of Utah State just hit an all-time low," one commenter wrote.
Smithfield resident Russ Larsen, who wrote a letter to the editor last week on the topic, echoed those views.
"Utah State has lost a lot of esteem in my mind," he said, adding that the honorary doctorate that Glover will receive at the May 8 ceremony is "the final insult."
Utah State University President Stan Albrecht defended the school's choice in an Earth Day speech to students.
Addressing an enthusiastic crowd of about 100 in USU's Taggart Student Center on Thursday, Albrecht began by saying that "ideological discord" in the United States has reached new heights.He went on to explain his support of Glover's visit, saying that the actor was chosen "not because of his Hollywood achievements but because he is a renowned and highly respected humanitarian known for his personal, hands-on efforts to help people throughout the world on issues that include hunger, housing for the poor, community safety, equal and fair wages for workers and meeting the health care needs of the underserved."
What do you think? How would you feel if Glover was your commencement speaker?