Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

My hero: Mari Oye of Wellesley

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Who?

In the Georgetown University dormitory the night before the big moment, the newly minted Wellesley High graduate persuaded 49 of her 140 fellow scholars to sign a letter she and a dozen others had drafted and she had just written longhand on notebook paper, calling on President Bush to reject torture and treat terrorism suspects humanely.

Before the scholars posed for a photo with Bush on Monday, she handed him the letter. He put it in his pocket and took it out after the photo shoot. Reading silently to himself, the president looked up quizzically at Oye and said, according to her, “We agree. America doesn’t torture people.”

Thank you, Mari — and thanks to your 48 co-signers for standing up for human dignity. (Massachusetts represent!)

And as I’m sure you know, the President lied to your face. But what can you do? Only what you did. Shame on him, and shame on anyone who accepts, rationalizes or ignores our administration’s disgraceful behavior. You used your opportunity to speak truth to power well.

Again, my deepest gratitude.

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Comments

  1. I was trying to figure out if there was a way to write her a thank you letter when I read this morning that the ring leader was from Mass.  This will have to do, hopefully somebody will point BMG’s thread out to her.

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    Thank you Mari for your courage and principles, and for taking a stand when you had the chance.  As a fellow college student, I’m extremely proud of you, and if you were coming to my quaker-influenced college (Swat) in the fall, you’d probably be an on-campus celebrity (whether you’d like it or not).  You showed Bush, the Administration, and the country that intelligent young voters aren’t buying the crap they’ve been feeding us.

    • I’ll point it out to her. I’m really happy to be going to school with her in the same yale class of ’11.

  2. …from what I had read–and the way I read the blockquoted material–it was fifty in total who signed the letter, not fourty-nine.

  3. Way to go.

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    Here is a copy of her letter:

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    Mr. President.

    As members of the presidential scholars class of 2007, we have been told that we represent the best and brightest of our nation. Therefore, we believe we have a responsibility to voice our convictions. We do not want America to represent torture. We urge you to do all in your power to stop violations of the human rights of detainees, to cease illegal renditions and to apply the Geneva Convention to all detainees, including those designated enemy combatants.

    Signed

    • to think of such a young person having the stones to hand that request to Bush. Maybe we’ll be able to salvage our democracy after all.

    • Terrorists wouldn’t have such a success rate attacking Americans at home and abroad, and conning a president into acting under terror and deeply changing the American way of life.

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      Bush isn’t fit to catch the ashes that fell from FDR’s cigarette.

      • but the Terrorist are not having a great success rate attacking the United States at home or abroad in any area in which we are not engaged and on offense.  They just aren’t  Please show me one attack on US interests where we were not engaged since 9/11. 

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        I’m waiting. 

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        9/11 was the culmination of planning that happened under the Clinton “no cruise missle left unfired” approach to thwarting terrorism. 

        • I’m sure that your Republican collegues will applaud your efforts here, but your efforts are really quite unavailing.

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          Let’s see.

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          There was an attempted bombing of the WTC in 1993.  Probably planned during the Bush I administration.  Didn’t do much damage.  The culprits were brought to justice during the Clinton administration.  What did Bush I do?  Apparently nothing.

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          There was the bombings of the federal building in OKC.  What happened?  The perp was arrested and put to death.

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          There were the bombings at the Atlanta Olympics and at other places by the Christianist Eric Frank Rudolph.  The feds knew who he was, but he was protected by fellow Christianists.

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          Then there was the bombing of the WTC in Sept 2001.  The Clinton administration had notified the incoming Bush II administration of the possible danger.  The Bush II malAdministration not only ignored the warnings, but they also ignored the warnings of the FBI.

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          BTW, if you want to find the US State Department’s assessment of terrorism, do a simple Google search.  The latest results are here.  Some of us actually know how to do research over the Internet.

            • 9/11 was the culmination of planning that happened under the Clinton “no cruise missle left unfired” approach to thwarting terrorism

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              …do you not understand?

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              Some of us really do understand your intended implication.

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              I’m sure that you will be looking through the US Dept of State terroism reports (one of which I linked to) to see what has been going on in the last few years.  /sarcasm

      • What so many need, and do not have is paid work.  I am terribly  worried that of the senior high school classes in Springfield – the graduation rate is under 10% and in Boston, under 30% – what will these young people DO?

    • If so, it’s relatively obscure.

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      Which are you?  The commenter who claimed to have 20 years in medical care?  Or the commenter who claimed to be a recent retiree from the US Military?  Or the commenter who obviously is a paid troll from the Republican party?

  5. …maybe she should be invited to participate in whatever parade Wellesley has for July 4.

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    I’d cheer her,

  6. I also admire Mari Oye’s courage.

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    However, I cringed when I read the statement about her class representing “the best and brightest” of our nation.

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    That phrase comes from the title of a book by David Halberstam, “The Best and the Brightest,” and refers to members of the Kennedy-Johnson administrations.  It was meant to be ironic.  The best and the brightest got us into Vietnam.

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