PROUD TO BE A GAUCHO, BUT ...

I want to preface this post by stating that I am a proud alumni of UC Santa Barbara, and I think it's totally awesome that the UCSB Men's Soccer Team won the championship this year. As you may or may not know, UCSB has only had one other NCAA championship in the school's history, so this type of thing is a great accomplishment indeed. I might also add that I played soccer in high school, so that made this victory even more special for me.

Having said that, I have to admit to being a little perturbed when I read this story about all the college champions being recognized by Bush at the White House. I know it's an incredible honor to be invited by the President of the United States for your accomplishments, whatever they may be. But is it really an honor to be recognized by this president?

I've given this a lot of thought over the last few years, and I'm quite confident that I would refuse a call from Bush. It may seem silly to think about such things, but I do (I can't help it). Now, you may say that it would be impossible to actually turn down an invitation from the president and that it would be easier said than done. I would agree with that sentiment, but at the same time, I don't know how I could look myself in the mirror if I walked onto some stage with a fake smile on my face and shook Bush's hand.

I think Bush is single-handedly destroying the world. Or at least, destroying my country. If that's not reason enough to boycott a White House invitation, I don't know what is.