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Posted: 3:16 PM- Some Brigham Young University students, faculty and alumni have launched several petition drives voicing their opposition to Vice President Dick Cheney speaking at the school's commencement in April.
Others are planning to boycott the graduation, hold alternative ceremonies off campus, or publicly protest the vice president's speech, said Warner Woodworth, a professor of organizational behavior who is helping with some of the petitions.
An online petition at http://cheneyspeech.blogspot.com" Target="_BLANK">http://cheneyspeech.blogspot.com says, "Cheney has made misleading statements about the tragic war which continues in Iraq, levied outrageous partisan accusations against his Democratic opponents, and used vulgarity on the Senate floor. He has been linked to serious scandals involving botched intelligence reports, no-bid contracts awarded to friends and political donors, and perjury convictions handed down to his own staff."
Because of such actions, the petition says, Cheney should not be given a platform "for his controversial political agenda."
The petition asks that the school refuse Cheney's offer to speak, or at the least, provide a prominent Democrat with a similar schoolwide platform.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the online petition had nearly 200 signatures. Most signers identify themselves as current or past BYU students.