Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.
Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.
Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.
Now it gets really weird.
Lincoln 's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln .
Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.
Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln , was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.
John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln , was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939
Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.
Now hang on to your seat..
Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford.'
Kennedy was shot in a car called ' Lincoln ' made by 'Ford.'
Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.
Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.
And here's the kicker...
A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe , Maryland
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.
This Was written by a friend of mine and is a group on Facebook -
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=28800990251
You'd assume that University Unions are run by students... you'd be
wrong, under changes proposed and being voted on Wednesday and
Thursday, students lose the right to democracy and the powers they
currently hold for no good good reason. This is not due to changes in
the law:
The Charities Commmission has informed us that there
are no major changes to the law regarding Swansea Union's Constitution
since 2002. (November/December 2007).
The University is not
happy with the changes to the Constitution - they have not been
conveyed properly and the changes are shrouded under a mist of deciet.
The
major change that is moving into effect is one where the students - the
heart of the Union - can no longer control what is happens.
I
highly expect a Sabb to appear on the wall to declare there is not a
problem with the new Constitution - with no explanation of the word
'Veto'
Combining poorly advertised Sabbatical Elections, and
merging an even POORER campaign to 'inform' the Union of the changes to
the Constitution and that that this the Consittution is shoved under in
such a way you instinctively vote 'yes'.
Naturally though... the
constant reminders of the very vital '1 Day Sale of SUMMER BALL
TICKETS! LOL!' - which... you guessed coincides with the Constitution
and Sabbatical Elections on Wednesday... suggests where the true
motives may lie.
How does this effect you?
Whether you are a
student at Swansea or not, the changes here will affect you. What
occurs at one University can easily set a precedent for the next,
domino theory...
If we the Students cant retain our right to democracy than lord help our country.
Summary of the Changes:
1.
Executive Decision Making Power drops to the elected Sabbatical
officers and 3 'independent Co-opted Trustees' - a 1/3rd of those
involved are not invovled with the Union at all... combined these two
groups are now refered to as 'Trustees'
2. Audit Committee can be
chaired by 3 Trustee members - essentially the Trustees are checking
AND validating their own Audit... *Cough*ENRON*Cough*
3. Trustees have the power to Veto without explanation anything that can be construed as negative financial impact.
4.
Executive Committee (which includes the 6 Sabbs and the part-time
executive committee members – but they can be overruled by the Trustees
‘but only with good financial and legal decision…’ *Hmmm*
5. Student
General Meetings – drop to consultive bodies but would be able to send
recommendations to the referenda or the Exec. However, they will have
no power to make policy unless they get 3% of the Student Population to
vote… that’s 3-400 people at one SGM… *and the largest Lecture Theatre
is 280 seats or so…* AND this can be VETOED without explanation beyond
it being a negative financial impact… “for example campaign that may
possibly cost £1 can be rejected on these grounds…”
This follows
on from being able to freely advertise events at other bars other than
Oceania… no consultation of the Union was taken… so much for the
*Union*…
This follows in a year when:
1.SGMs have been suddenly changed at short notice – and announced at short notice
2. Motions have been overulled that allowed students to be ethical traders
3. The publicity of the Constitution has been one sided and a smear campaign has been conducted.
4.
Internal Audit papers were not available when requested by parties
until the AGM where they would be fully ratified, a watered down
version was presented to the assembled students – students were
confused into believing there would be a second chance to review the
Audit Papers publically.
5. £30,000 of the ringfenced for Student
Nurse’s was spent to keep us afloat. This money was from the NHS to
support student nurses and the SU has abused their and our trust.
If
you are like me – disgusted by the culture of lies and deceit that has
surrounded this process, the lack of consultation, the smear campaign,
the move from an becoming an SU to effectively becoming a ‘Pseudo-Union”
This
is our first chance to stop this campaign in its tracks – and force a
backtrack. Those accountable have lied to us – the Students and the
University – they must be held accountable for these actions.
Whether
you are a student at Swansea University or not… in a week that has seen
Unions moving away from free expression in London *UCL* and during the
debate about ID Cards... the loss of democracy where it should thrive
should chill the hearts of all involved.