Tomorrow, May 21, 2006, I will be a college graduate. I was just looking at some pictures when I came across this one.
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words; this one speaks no fewer. It was taken just a few weeks ago at my friend Meredith's apartment. In it, my friends, from left, Meredith, Bethany, Jamie (that's me!) and Renée proudly huddle behind Nancy as the curtain slowly descended upon our fourth year of college. Of all of my classmates, I will miss few more than these graduating seniors.
One of the first things one will realize about this image is that it is not crisp or perfect, the lighting is not the most ideal nor is it absolutely centered and yet it is beautiful because of who I am standing with. The past four years are now becoming a blur, although everyday was not perfect, I remember smiling faces, good times and a lot of laughing with a few slices of pizza here and there. I made it through the few darker days because I was never alone on my collegiate adventure. When I do think back on my four years at Quinnipiac University, a beautiful picture develops of days that I would never change. I will miss each and every one of you in more ways that what mere words could ever express.
Congratulations to everyone making the walk as a representative of the Class of 2006!

While introducing the vice president, U.S. Rep. Rick Keller said Cheney had responded to Keller's recent votes against the administration on three issues by telling him: "Don't be too hasty. Let's go hunting. We'll talk about it."

Cheney himself said that when he returned to the White House from the hunting trip, Bush told him, "Dick, I'm 38 percent in the polls and you shot the only trial lawyer who supports me."

As if it were not bad enough that the Vice President of the United States got away with shooting someone and covering it up, now he is using it to rally support from other Republicans.
Although I was one of Cheney's biggest critics when he did not come forward about the shooting, I think that may have been best now that I know he views shooting of innocent civilians as humorous and a rallying call to GOP extremists.
I don't know what Mr. Cheney learned in school but I learned that one ought to come forward and take responsibility when one does wrong and then ask for forgiveness. The Vice President, I suppose, mistook that lesson for covering up one's wrong-doings then blaming everyone around you for making mention of it and then using it to raise money and get cheap laughs. Dear God, I hope children do not ever look to this man as a role model.

"If I leave a legacy and I hope I do, it's my joy in this work. There's never been a day I didn't want to come to work. My legacy, I would hope, is that younger people would find the same kind of joy in this kind of work because it is difficult, it's competitive, it's frustrating. But what we do on the tube each day, if we are giving ourselves to it, we are doing something of great value to the country, to ourselves. We do something worthwhile and with God's luck, you can be happy doing it. I was," Beutel said.