By Concerned Fordham University Students

As many have probably heard, John Brennan, FCRH ’77 and the Obama
administration’s deputy national security adviser for counterterrorism and
homeland security, has been selected to represent the Class of 2012 as the
keynote speaker for commencement. Mr. Brennan has explicitly defended the
use of torture, the use of rendition, and the United States's drone
campaign. Such positions fail to recognize the sanctity and dignity of all
life, and cannot be reconciled with our Jesuit values.

While we understand that graduation is supposed to be a celebratory
occasion, this blatant afront of morality cannot and will not go unnoticed.
As Martin Luther King Jr. once once said, "an injustice anywhere is a
threat to justice everywhere." It is time to show that Fordham University
truly does make men and women for and with others; men and women who are
troubled by the world around them, and who will not stand for injustice
whether domestic or abroad.

As a way of voicing our discontent with Mr. Brennan's selection and the
policies he and our government carry out, the following actions are planned
for the day of commencement:
1. Orange ribbons will be distributed at entrances to be worn over
graduation gowns. These ribbons symbolize our stance against the use of
torture.
2. We will stand up and turn our backs once Mr. Brennan begins to speak to
silently show that we do not agree with his policies/what he stands for.

If you sympathize with our cause please join our group and forward this
information to everyone you know. 

If you would like to learn more in detail about John Brennan's specific
policies and why we think he stands for exactly what a Catholic, Jesuit
university is supposed to stand against, please see the following links:

http://www.change.org/petitions/john-brennan-s-selection-as
-fordham-s-167th-commencement-speaker-stand-against-this-outrage

http://www.change.org/petitions/fordham-university-students
-we-ask-that-fordham-university-choose-an-alternative-commencement-speaker

http://www.theramonline.com/opinions/letter-to-the-editor-1.2718
026#.T6yOrFE5jBI