ActionLA Latest Alert! June 14, 2005 URL: _http://www.ActionLA.org_ (http://www.actionla.org/) Schwarzenegger Jeered at Graduation Speech By MICHAEL R. BLOOD .c The Associated Press
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) - Politics followed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to his alma mater Tuesday, where he was jeered relentlessly by protesters while delivering a commencement speech. His address to 600 graduates in blue robes and caps at Santa Monica College turned into an exercise in perseverance, as virtually his every word was accompanied by catcalls, howls and piercing whistles from the audience of several thousand people watching the graduation. Schwarzenegger's face appeared to redden during the 15-minute speech, but he ignored the shouting while recalling his days as a student in the early 1970s and, later, his work as a bodybuilder and actor. ``Always go all out and overcome your fears,'' he told the graduates. ``Work, work, work. Study, study, study.'' At least 200 protesters gathered by the entrance to the college's outdoor stadium where the ceremony was held. They ridiculed Schwarzengger's education policies and plans to hold a special election later this year. Meanwhile, other protesters were scattered around the stadium and on nearby streets. Inside the stadium, the drone from hundreds of rowdy protesters threatened to drown out the governor's voice at times. Many in the crowd erupted in boos when a police officer pulled down a banner criticizing the estimated $45 million cost of the special Nov. 8 election that Schwarzenegger scheduled Monday. The governor is backing three ballot initiatives that call for imposing a cap on state spending, stripping lawmakers of the power to draw their own districts and increasing the time it takes teachers to gain tenure. At times during Schwarzenegger's speech, cheers and boos mingled, and the graduates themselves appeared eager to hear the governor, Many applauded at one point when the noise from the bleachers briefly subsided. ``It didn't matter. I just ignored them,'' graduate Ray Lewis, 21, of Los Angeles, said when asked about the racket from protesters. Schwarzenegger's ``political views and all that had nothing to do with the graduation,'' Lewis said. Schwarzenegger has been feuding for months with groups he calls ``special interests'' - teachers, nurses and other public employee unions who accuse him of selling out to big business while shortchanging education, health care and other programs. Those groups have hounded Schwarzenegger at his public appearances, sometimes attracting crowds in the thousands. The special election ``is a waste of money that you could be using for education, hospital care. He's wasting it on his vanity election,'' said Sue Cannon, a nurse at the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center, who was among the crowd outside the stadium. About two dozen Schwarzenegger supporters also rallied outside the stadium. The ceremony ``should be about the students,'' said Ben Eisenberg, who heads the Santa Monica College Republicans. Schwarzenegger left the stage almost immediately after his speech, speeding across the infield in a golf cart surrounded by sprinting security guards. Across the field, he pulled up toward a waiting SUV and a large steel gate was closed behind him. 06/15/05 00:32 EDT ===================================================== ActionLA Action for World Liberation Everyday! Tel: (213)403-0131 URL: _http://www.ActionLA.org_ (http://www.actionla.org/) Please Donate to ActionLA! Send check pay to: ActionLA/SEE 1013 Mission St. #6 South Pasadena CA 91030 (All donations are tax deductible) Please join our ActionLA Listserv go to: _http://lists.riseup.net/www/subscribe/actionla_ (http://lists.riseup.net/www/subscribe/actionla) or send e-mail to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAAMN: Los Angeles Alternative Media Network --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digest: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Help: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive1: <http://www.egroups.com/messages/laamn> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive2: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED]> --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/laamn/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
