Cheney in Laramie

Photo from the Laramie Boomerang.

Yesterday Melissa and I witnessed a fascinating moment in the history of Laramie and the University of Wyoming. Dick and Lynne Cheney were on campus for the dedication of the Cheney Center for International Studies at the University of Wyoming. The Cheneys donated over $3 million to the University, so the University named the new center in their honor.


Both supporters and protesters attended the dedication ceremony. I'm afraid the photos I took aren't very good, and my camera batteries died after two photos. But we saw people holding signs that say things like "Dick Cheney is a war criminal." The ceremony featured several speakers, including Dick and Lynne Cheney, former senator Alan Simpson, and a UW student who had traveled to Liberia through a university program funded in part by the Cheneys' donation. For much of the time, the protesters booed loudly. I could hear them shout things like "you're a fascist!" and Melissa heard someone yell something about Nazis. The protesters were against the new International Center being named for the Cheneys because they fear that the Cheney name will reflect poorly on the University of Wyoming, in large part because of the questionable policies such as "enhanced interrogation techniques" that Mr. Cheney advocated as vice president.

The Cheneys' remarks were in no way political. Mr. and Mrs. Cheney stood at the podium side-by-side and took turns speaking. They mostly reminisced about their time at the University of Wyoming and their fondness for the state of Wyoming, and they discussed the importance of study abroad opportunities for students. As an observer, I was torn by my own disagreement with Mr. Cheney's politics and my support for study abroad programs. I believe that international travel is a vitally important part of a person's education, and as a resident of Wyoming, I appreciate Mr. and Mrs. Cheney's generous gift to the university. I couldn't help feeling that the boos, jeers, and taunts from the crowd yesterday were inappropriate for the occasion.