News-Record.com

Al, sometimes you have overlook the minor things like the execution of homosexuals and focus on the greater good in a person like Ahmadinejad.

He hates Bush too.

oh I dunno .. from what little I heard the Columbia University was not flattering to Ahmadinejad .. maybe more like the '36 Olympics where a Black American showed the world that the Nazi party "superior race" rhetoric was bogus.

Columbia University president Lee Bollinger in his address to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in New York on Monday 24 September.

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.. on the Iran president's denial of the Holocaust

''In a December 2005 state television broadcast, you described the Holocaust as a “fabricated legend.” One year later, you held a two-day conference of Holocaust deniers.

For the illiterate and ignorant, this is dangerous propaganda. When you come to a place like this, this makes you, quite simply, ridiculous. You are either brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated.

You should know that Columbia is a world center of Jewish studies and now, in partnership with the YIVO Institute, of Holocaust studies.

Since the 1930s, we’ve provided an intellectual home for countless Holocaust refugees and survivors and their children and grandchildren.

The truth is that the Holocaust is the most documented event in human history. Because of this, and for many other reasons, your absurd comments about the “debate” over the Holocaust both defy historical truth and make all of us who continue to fear humanity’s capacity for evil shudder at this closure of memory, which is always virtue’s first line of defense.

Will you cease this outrage?"

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.. ondestruction of Israel

"Twelve days ago, you said that the state of Israel “cannot continue its life.” This echoed a number of inflammatory statements you have delivered in the last two years, including in October 2005 when you said that Israel should be “wiped off the map.”

"Columbia has over 800 alumni currently living in Israel. As an institution we have deep ties with our colleagues there. I personally have spoken out in the most forceful terms against proposals to boycott Israeli scholars and universities, saying that such boycotts might as well include Columbia. More than 400 college and university presidents in this country have joined in that statement. My question, then, is: Do you plan on wiping us off the map, too?"

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Guess freedom of speech would be another small item our little kitty would throw out, along with other parts of the Constitution.

What a moron.

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I must admit a change of heart on this one......

When Iheard about the invitation, my thought was "What the hell are they thinking?? Why lend your name to a person whois actively working to kill Americans?"

Then I heard Mr. Bollinger (on the "Today Show, I think) explain why the invitation was extended, and my mind was changed.

After reading the reports of Mr. Bollinger's comments indroducing the terrorist, I thought here was a guy who did something really stupid (extending the invitation), got himself backed into a corner (because he couldn't uninvite the terrorist without "bowing to pressure") and got out of it by being rude to him.

You can't even be polite to an invited guest?

Columbia University still has a problem squaring the free-speech arguement of inviting the terrorist. When the leaders of the Minutemen were invited by college Republicans to speak at Columbia, the speakers were attacked - physically attacked - by students and the speech was shut down. Bollinger did not see fit to punish the students, even though their identies were known. Free speech? Only if you have the proper (certainly can't use the word "right") viewpoint!

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NicDanger,

Bollinger definitely pandered to the righties with his insults to the Iranian leader. What is so wonderful about all of this, is that the free world got to see just how ridiculous this fellow is. Of course, those like neocon, who would only have jackbooted thugs telling us what to think, will never see how our 'FREEDOMS' were on display for the world.

Thank you, Columbia University.

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JDR, thanks for posting the comments. I was wondering (and was going to post) the information you did. I should always remember to see if you have posted on an LTTE such as this before getting "set" to post something.

Thanks for showing what Columbia U did!

Shalom

Darryl - I looked for the whole thing, but could not find it. What is interesting, however and especially in light of Meow's pussy-hiss, is the ones most upset by what Bollinger said seem to be the far lefties who thing Bollinger "mirrored" the neo-con's (supporting neo-con contentions)

One positive benefit of the Columbia invite. Gays might not see Tehran as a vacation hotspot since there are no gays in the country: )

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Dan,
Guess the President of Iran is like the conservatives who said there were no gays in our military before President Clinton's executive order.

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I did not think it was advisable to invite Iran's president to our country for any reason.

Personally, I'm pissed that we even allow such a person IN our country.

United Nations is one thing but to just travel around, nope.

Not a declared enemy of the United States. Not someone described as a leader of an 'axis of evil'.

Doesn't make a lick of sense to me.

But that's more of a government policy issue than a university at fault.

At the same time, I agree that it was rude and in poor taste to ambush someone that you've invited to speak at your university. Why not just pour a bucket of pig blood on him while they were at it?

nit, how is it that Ahmadinejad was in an "ambush?"

He wasinvited to Columbia U. He was allowed to speak. Then President Lee Bollinger took him to task. Ahmadinejad went to Columbia U knowing (I would hope) of its connectedness to groups that are counter to Iran and its policies.

Let's not play Ahmadinejad as the victim here. If he went to Columbia, he went of his own free accord. He could have refused the invite. He did not. He chose to go so he must bear responsibility for what transpired.

Shalom

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Nitwit,
Your shallow approach to Democracy is absurd!
We showed the world how "Freedom of Speech" works. The Iranian President, at the same time, showed the world what fruitcake he is!
They didn't award him with an honorary doctorate or something--they just invited him to speak. Under your line of thinking, we should never allow anyone to speak whose thoughts are contrary to ours. That line of thinking lacks logic and pretty much sums up why we are in the mess we are in.
You've said some pretty ignorant things, but this one is for the record books! Guess you're busy building that "Bridge to the fourteenth century".

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"He was allowed to speak. Then President Lee Bollinger took him to task"

From the accounts I've read, the president of the university ripped him a new one in his introduction, before he was given the chance to speak.

Had they invited him there for a debate that would be one thing.

I feel that he was invited there to speak and had no indication that he would be broadsided in his introduction.

I believe he was deceived and ambushed.

It was very rude and uncalled for behavior towards an invited guest.

Freedom of speech doesn't involve embarrassing an invited guest, insulting them at the onset, and acting like a baffoon.

And when dealing with an international guest, it would be prudent to least understand of enough about their culture to know that such treatment of an invited guest is considered extremely offensive. Not only did you piss off your guest but an entire country of supporters.

I've criticized Bush for his clumsy foreign policy and this is in the same vein.

But then again, universities are tolerant bastions of intellectual freedom aren't they?

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Earlier, our "nitwit" says:

"I did not think it was advisable to invite Iran's president to our country for any reason.
Personally, I'm pissed that we even allow such a person IN our country.
United Nations is one thing but to just travel around, nope.
Not a declared enemy of the United States. Not someone described as a leader of an 'axis of evil'.
Doesn't make a lick of sense to me.

LATER, OUR "NITWIT" SAYS:

"Freedom of speech doesn't involve embarrassing an invited guest, insulting them at the onset, and acting like a baffoon.

And when dealing with an international guest, it would be prudent to least understand of enough about their culture to know that such treatment of an invited guest is considered extremely offensive. Not only did you piss off your guest but an entire country of supporters."

Like I've said in the past, you are like the character on Green Acres known as Hank Kimball, the county agent. You make it up as you go!

Typical conversation would be, "Well, it sure got cold last night. But then again it was warm for October. Of course, It might have been average for this time of year. Guess it wasn't so bad after all. Of course it could have been warmer, if it hadn't been so cold".

So one minute you don't want this fellow in our country for ANY reason, and the next minute, you don't want them to "offend" him. One minute he's a member of the axis of evil, and the next minute he's an honored guest deserving nitwit's best manners. What is your freaking deal???

I watched the entire speech and it was fascinating. The President of Columbia had to appeal to the right wing nutjobs, the jews offended by the Iranian's ignorance of history, and of course the FoxNews groupies who would have taken on Columbia as a bastion of sedition and anarchy.

Bottom line: It was a great display of our "Freedom of Speech" and it also revealed what a wacky guy the Iranian Prez really is. In fact, now the world knows that the United States AND Iran both have pretty wacky heads of state.

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