Dallas.
What images does the city conjure up to the rest of the United States?
The Cowboys? No doubt. Tom Landry. America's team. Roger Staubach.
And, of course, there was that period of time that it meant J.R. Ewing, Bobby Ewing, and Sue Ellen. And all of that "who shot J.R." hoopla crap of the late seventies.
But, for many of us who are older, it was forever stained as "the city that killed Kennedy." A still-conservative - trying-to-vie with other escalating major metro areas, but still embracing some of those nutty, post-Confederate ideals - city that Oswald (or whoever) nested within to commit one of the most awful deeds in this country's history.
But, there are so many in Dallas who are now cheerleading for a return to those dark and dank days by doing high-fives for Big D, specifically SMU, to be the home of the Bush Library. And, unless something drastic happens, SMU and the deeds of Bush will be forever joined at the proverbial hip.
(There's more ...)
Not many here at DKos would dispute that, in not-so-many years, Bush will be widely remembered as one of the most atrocious characters that has wrenched away a leadership role in modern times. It's fairly clear that nearly six years into this nightmare, Bush's legacy is undoubtedly assured. Only the dimmest of kool-aid drinkers can still cognatively believe he is doing the right thing for Americans and the planet as a whole.
So, why would a relatively, well-known university seal its fate by associating itself througout time with an individual that will be the subject of history books as an extremely unpopular president - outdistancing Nixon - propped-up by one party domination, that committed some of the most terrible acts whose impact will linger throughout the ages?
For the most part arrogance. The arrogance of power, money, and corporate influence of so-many of its alumni, other right-wing Texas benefactors, and some of its close-by neighbors who are mostly the super-rich. Like many in corporate America, these Bush promoters only live for the moment and perhaps, for their immediate prosterity; the bottom line; the padding of one's wallet. And thinking that this immediate slice of time and their power and ego will stretch through the ages. The dogged, "I am right and every one else can go to Hell" viewpoint of the far-right and ueber-wealthy. Undoubtedly, a deliberate and permanent monument to one of the biggest "fuck-yous" to the entire world sponsored by the super-fueled egos that are driven by the excess of money and greed that trump the collective moral values of the world.
But they are so awfully, dreadully, wrong. Especially when connected to a university that is tied to a religious denomination. The association of the Bush legacy and SMU has the potential for shaping the future of the institution given the overpowering stench of death and destruction that history will trumpet when the Bush name is mentioned.
SMU, if it gains the Bush library, and it appears virtually assured at this point, may become a sought-after home and breeding ground for the most radical, hard-core, and well-financed conservatives. A place for the worship of openly-embraced ideals that run contrary to democracy. While SMU is now geneally regarded as a conservative school, the last vestiges of any liberal thought may be forever driven out, but most likely, progressives will flee from the school as quickly as the neo-cons will flock to its tree-lined campus.
Will the upcoming years and decades prove this diatribe right? Will the reputation of its nationally-ranked law and buisness schools be tarnished beyond repair? Do college-bound students still have idealogical concerns that override the reputation of a particular school? I would hope so.
Or will it be yet another reason for tourists to flock to Dallas - much likely Dealy Plaza, the sight of the Kennedy assassination - a source of dollars to fuel the local economy? A net-net win for the university and the city as a whole? A strange type of Disneyland for the morbid and the curious?
While the dark and terrible times of our country will always have a fascination to some, I believe that Dallas, and particularly those who love SMU, will regret the decision that will bring shame to so many of us that live within its borders.