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Convicted murderer of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner, Mumia Ab-Jamal.

Mumia Abu-Jamal was unanimously convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1982, one year after the murder.

Abu-Jamal was originally sentenced to death. His sentence was ultimately vacated and instead became life imprisonment, because of a ruling that the jury had not been properly instructed. Every court that considered his conviction, however, upheld it.

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And now Goddard College, in Plainfield, Vermont, has invited Abu-Jamal to give its graduating seniors the commencement speech. As a convicted murderer, Abu-Jamal cannot leave prison to give the speech, but he has pre-recorded it and the speech will be played at the school’s commencement.

This lack of taste, of course, is not unprecedented. In fact, Abu-Jamal has provided pre-recorded commencement speeches twice before.

But the statement of Goddard College’s interim president, Bob Kenny, should be shared by many: it evidences the dramatic shift in educational direction and moral relativism in the United States.

“Choosing Mumia as their commencement speaker, to me, shows how this newest group of Goddard graduates expresses their freedom to engage and think radically and critically in a world that often sets up barriers to do just that,” the interim president of Goddard stated in a press release issued by the school.

On the other hand, Goddard is a school which prides itself on individuality. So much so that there will only be 20 graduating students present to hear Abu-Jamal’s speech for the Oct. 5 graduation. There are 20 commencement exercises each year, in order to allow “students in each degree program to personalize their graduation experience.”

Although the press release states that Abu-Jamal was a 1996 graduate of Goddard College, the convicted murderer has been in prison since 1981.

The school is extremely innovative and progressive, but it does have at least a limited requirement of on-campus learning. In what it calls its “low-residency” program, students can learn at home for most of the semester, but at least one week of each semester they are required to spend on-campus “in intense meetings and seminars.”

Perhaps the school waived one of its few iron-clad rules for Abu-Jamal.

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Lori Lowenthal Marcus
Lori Lowenthal Marcus is a contributor to the JewishPress.com. A graduate of Harvard Law School, she previously practiced First Amendment law and taught in Philadelphia-area graduate and law schools. You can reach her by email: Lori@JewishPressOnline.com

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119 COMMENTS

  5. The BIBLE says there will come a time “when right is wrong and wrong is right”………It’s here people. Psalm 2 says “HE WHO is in heaven laughs at them and their rebellion against HIM”. GOD is about to clean this ALL up. Be sure your personally ready or you loose. Sorry, I didn’t say that…GOD did. Your unbelieve in GOD doesn’t make HIM go away. HE’S waiting for us ALL even this killer. HE is the greatest FORGIVER. HE allowed HIMSELF to be crucified to show us how much HE LOVES us.

  28. How pathetic that they would choose a cop killer. I’ve read about his trial. Guilty as sin. He should burn in hell, and the people that support him should be forced to spend time with him there.

  48. Clearly our nation is lost. We’ve been lost before and I believe we will find our way again. We won’t do that until we reestablish our morals and faith-based values. With all the good people available who could inspire students, it is a mystery to me why this would be preferred.

  50. Mumia stood over the wounded police officer and SHOT HIM IN THE HEAD. There were several Blacks on the jury and he was found guilty by all of the jurors. Anyone attending, or hiring a Goddard grad, is as stupid as its faculty…. morons all.

  56. How pathetic that they would choose a cop killer. I've read about his trial. Guilty as sin. He should burn in hell, and the people that support him should be forced to spend time with him there.

  69. Mumia stood over the wounded police officer and SHOT HIM IN THE HEAD. There were several Blacks on the jury and he was found guilty by all of the jurors. Anyone attending, or hiring a Goddard grad, is as stupid as its faculty…. morons all.

  75. On the other hand, Goddard is a school which prides itself on individuality. So much so that there will only be 20 graduating students present to hear Abu-Jamal’s speech for the Oct. 5 graduation. There are 20 commencement exercises each year, in order to allow “students in each degree program to personalize their graduation experience.”

  93. “there will only be 20 graduating students present to hear Abu-Jamal’s speech for the Oct. 5 graduation.” I’m an old guy and I can get that many people to listen to me talk about “Bug Poop”..

  102. What kind of college is this? How does a convicted murderer get to be a commencement speaker? What the hell kind of school of upper learning feel a need to have him speak? He is not a role model, nor an example of a good life. What are they putting in the heads of those students? What can this man offer?

  104. ISRAEL, please forgive us our extreme stupidity. Nowadays this is just another “bump in the road” in the decline of our great country. Obama was re-elected…I can not explain how that was possible either, unless most of us are just plain stupid.

  108. What kind of college is this? How does a convicted murderer get to be a commencement speaker? What the hell kind of school of upper learning feel a need to have him speak? He is not a role model, nor an example of a good life. What are they putting in the heads of those students? What can this man offer?

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