Should Ahmadinejad be allowed to speak at Columbia University?

[Pardalis]

Personally, I say yes. If he's going to talk BS (which he probably will) I say let him. Show the world how free and unafraid the US is.

If he entices even further the conflict with what he will say, then that'll be his undoing.

(poll coming soon)

 

[Pardalis]

I found this interesting article, where it is suggested that the US might be putting too much emphasis on this man. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/24/world/middleeast/24iran.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Maybe he is just a tease, a political troll, a loud mouth who likes to provoque, with very little support from back home. If he is this inconsequential, then this should be treated as an inconsequential visit. US officials should downplay his importance by ignoring his rhetoric, so that heads cool down and real diplomacy can have a chance.

 

[a_unique_person]

I agree. It's not just a matter of people hearing what he has to say, and making up their own minds, but of him hearing what they have to say. I think he needs a little more education in the ways of the world than he has been getting to date.

 

[Matteo Martini]

Personally, I say yes.

Me too.

 

[yairhol]

Personally, I say yes.

I say no.

 

[Matteo Martini]

I say no.

I beg to insist.
Yes.

 

[Oliver]

Yes, of course I want to hear what he has to say after
all the "EvildoerMushroomcloudWMDEndofworldDictator"-
Propaganda in the MSM and from the White House:

 

[RandFan]

I think he should be heard.

 

[yairhol]

Yes, of course I want to hear what he has to say after
all the "EvildoerMushroomcloudWMDEndofworldDictator"-
Propaganda in the MSM and from the White House:

You mean you haven't heard him yet? He's on the news almost everyday. Saying same old things like that Israel and America are the cancer of the world or that

Ahmadinejad Says Britain, Israel, US To 'Vanish Like The Pharaohs'

from http://www.hyscience.com/archives/2006/12/ahmadinejad_say.php

Ahmadinejad: Destroy Israel, End Crisis

from here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/03/AR2006080300629.html

"God's promises have come true," Ahmadinejad told a huge crowd in Arbadil in northwestern Iran. "On one side, it's corrupt powers of the criminal U.S. and Britain and the Zionists ... with modern bombs and planes. And on the other side is a group of pious youth relying on God."

from here: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8JGVFKO0&show_article=1

Ahmadinejad: Israel acting like Hitler

from here: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1150886014306

Israel and the United States will soon be destroyed, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday during a meeting with Syria's foreign minister

from here: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3356154,00.html

Is that enough or do you want more?
Even if he says different things when he visits NY, why would you believe what he says there and not what he's been saying for years?

 

[Oliver]

You mean you haven't heard him yet? He's on the news almost everyday. Saying same old things like that Israel and America are the cancer of the world or that from http://www.hyscience.com/archives/2006/12/ahmadinejad_say.php

from here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/03/AR2006080300629.html

from here: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8JGVFKO0&show_article=1

from here: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1150886014306

from here: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3356154,00.html

Is that enough or do you want more?
Even if he says different things when he visits NY, why would you believe what he says there and not what he's been saying for years?

Doesn't really matter to me: I want to hear his words
coming from his own mouth, not from some lairs:


Does anyone actually believes in what's being aired?

 

[Oliver]

Lies, Lies, Lies:



What kind of laughingstock is this Congress?

 

[yairhol]

Doesn't really matter to me: I want to hear his words
coming from his own mouth, not from some lairs:

I've seen him talk on T.V. many times. What I wrote you in post #9 is exactly what he says on T.V.
I can imagine he'll talk differenately in NY but again, why would you believe his words there and not what he's been saying for years?

 

[Southwind17]

Doesn't really matter to me: I want to hear his words
coming from his own mouth, not from some lairs

Freudian slip, or would that just happen to include the 'lair' where OBL's hiding? Is there something you're not telling us here Oliver?!? BTW - what are your other initials?!?

 

[Puppycow]

Even if Iran does "fill the vacuum" they'll run into the same problems we did. They'll be a hated foreign occupier. Conversely, if they are not, then at least there will be stability.

 

[Southwind17]

Even if Iran does "fill the vacuum" they'll run into the same problems we did. They'll be a hated foreign occupier. Conversely, if they are not, then at least there will be stability.

Relevance to the foregoing?

 

[TragicMonkey]

I hope they allow students to ask him questions, and someone asks him if he really thinks executing people for being gay is modern and civilized, or whether it's just more evidence that his country is in a state of primitive savagery. Also, I'd like someone to ask about the persecution of the Iranian Arabs.

 

[KoihimeNakamura]

I had a longer post typed up as I read the interviews but I'm too lazy to bring it back up (blasted Avant, I should have done this in Opera)

But, uh, considering this:

[AHMADEINEJAD] Twin Towers. Many books in the U.S. have been written about the incident., and there are questions circling in your society. Once you go back, go to the streets, ask the local people who was behind this, what were the reason for that? And, again, I fail to see why you continually say “the American people.“ I have the latest surveys. Eighty percent of the American citizens say that the American government knew about the attack beforehand. They had information.

^... I'm not impressed.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/21/60minutes/main3286706_page5.shtml

The entire story (part 1 and 2 of the interview) can be found at these links:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/21/60minutes/main3286690.shtml
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/21/60minutes/main3286706.shtml?source=mostpop_story

 

[marksman]

Should he be allowed? I'm not even sure that's the right questions.

First, is the questions as to whether Columbia should have invited him to speak. I don't particularly see the point of it, other than to give Ahmedinejad a platform. I'm sure there are people who don't have their own nation, who will not be giving a speech to the UN later that day, and who might need a platform at an Ivy League University to get their ideas into the public sphere, that Columbia's students could listen to. To me, this is simply a ploy by Columbia to get some press, and an opportunity for Ahmedinejad to try to soften his nation's image in the wake of hostile words coming from Russia and France, erstwhile defenders.

Second, is whether, having been invited, efforts should be made to stop it. And to that I answer a resounding "No." Having been invited by Columbia, nobody else has a right to stop him. Nor should they try to interrupt his speech or interfere in it. They can protest outside, provide counterpoint, etc.

 

[Cleon]

I've seen him talk on T.V. many times. What I wrote you in post #9 is exactly what he says on T.V.

Yeah, so?

Three things come to mind immediately as to what makes this different:

1. This time he won't be filtered by a media outlet.

2. This time Americans will be able to ask him questions directly, even argue with him.

3. Even if you're correct, and he says nothing different than what has been reported on before, so what? Why should that prevent him from saying his piece and being questioned?

 

[sackett]

Why shouldn't he appear? A freakshow always draws a crowd.