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- geekee, on 10/12/2007, -4/+29"You may not like his politics, but Ahmadinejad was in fact elected, so calling him a dictator may be a bit unfair."
Iran's supreme leader did not allow moderates to run in the election. Letting the people choose between two presidents the supreme leader likes is not a democracy. - Sirocco, on 10/12/2007, -5/+22I think it's high time universities ditch the manifesto they've been shoving down our throats and stick with providing a well-rounded education that caters to everyone, not just radicals.
No wonder employers are losing faith in college degrees. - Popdmb, on 10/12/2007, -10/+24The Ivys need to stop acting progressive and start BEING progressive. Having Iranian dictators speak doesn't prove you're open-minded and embrace scholarship.
Not to mention they attempted to rip off the press Harvard got when they brought the former Iranian President in to speak. - santiago1, on 10/12/2007, -5/+19 YA, I was waiting to hear the news that they were having Hugo Chavez as the opening act before Ahmadinejad!
- elebrio, on 10/12/2007, -6/+20Ahmadinejad was "elected" after the mullahs removed any progressive candidates from the running. Calling him freely elected is absurd.
edit: ack geekee beat me to it ;p - h0kiez, on 10/12/2007, -14/+25Seriously. Having this clown speak is nothing more than a cheap publicity stunt...sort of like having a known terrorist attend your school. I wish these ivy league schools were above this...
On a side-note, I wonder where they get the reputation for insanely liberal from?
@mmichael: Saddam was also elected...unanimously I think. That doesn't necessarily say much. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+14Iranians aren't Arabs, they're Persians.
- valkyries, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9@mmichael453
saddam did have people try to run against him, they just tended to disappear very quickly. - trghpy, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9Hugo and Ahmadinejad are both afraid of America, especially the Bush administration.
They talk tough for a reason.
They also talk like religious fanatics but thats besides the point.
They're both trying to build international super powers and America is leading the UN to put rules and laws on to them which don't apply to the current super powers.
They want as much American publicity as they can get because they also know the American people have distaist for Bush and they believe that if they can stir up enough controversity among the American voters they're job at becomming a larger player in international politics becomes easier.
Personally i think they're doing a better job at defending their countries rights than ol N. Korea who just seems to just not care.
I'd like to commend Columbia for trying to have Ahmadinejad speak. The more you understand your opponant the better you can deal with their insanity.
cheers. - mecole21, on 10/12/2007, -4/+9man, i would have gone to hear him speak.... just because you don't agree with his views does not mean you should just shut him out... just bring in more police if there is a security issue... he is a world leader... in college ur supposed to learn and it is good to learn about other cultures....
- Gundam, on 10/12/2007, -7/+12Wow, I like how people are criticizing the Iranian President instead of the University. Like him our not the Iranian president is a very outspoken world leader who has opinions on the world that greatly differ from American policy. He has a valid opinion, his opinions may not be right, but they will spur intellectual debate. The fact that it was canceled due to a Jewish group is just wrong. Just because you don't agree with the guy doesn't mean you can just shut tour ears and go lalala.
- zevgreen, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10I am an Orthodox Jew AND I am a Liberal. I think he should have been allowed to speak. That way we really understand how out of touch from reality some of his positions are. I think is intelligent and may have many points for us to think about. As far as his belief that the holocaust didn't happen, he is simply wrong. But yet again, here in this country the average American is as uninformed on global warming as the Iranian Muslims are on the holocaust.
Just a tip for Ahmadinejad... before making speeches on peace, freedom, and brotherhood, perhaps he should try and institute some of these ideals in his own country? This goes for Mr. Bush as well, by the way.
Shanah Tovah Mahmoud! Happy Ramadan as well. - diggitystar, on 10/12/2007, -7/+11I'm frankly surprised that he would even come to speak at an American university. Why would he? If the U.S. is an evil country, why would he agree to speak here? What would he gain I wonder?
- Vermifax, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7I'm not saying this is the case but,
can somebody PLEASE post a link to a reputable news source that correctly quotes Ahmadinejad as wanting to kill all Jews....?
I could have sworn that he expressed at the U.N. that he doesn't have a problem with Jews.
I can find articles about how Popes and Israeli Prime Ministers wish to wipe out all of Islam.
Hypocrisy is getting old... - h0kiez, on 10/12/2007, -6/+9A stage, my friend....
You're talking about him right now, aren't you? - Vermifax, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yeah, so I check out those links.....
The more accurate ones suggest that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has a problem with Zionists, not Jews.
There is a huge difference between Judaism and Zionism but hey, don't take my word for it:
http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/zionism/index.cfm - mousky, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Yes, god forbid that we try to understand people that supposedly 'hate us'.
- drlha, on 10/12/2007, -7/+9You're right, often you hear liberal democrats talking about how they want to "wipe Isreal off the planet".
- dibbler, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3@shyshock21: Ahmedinejad didn't in fact say that he "wanted to wipe Israel off the map". Go read his speech at MEMRI (a pro-Israeli propaganda site). What he said was words to the effect that Khomeini had said that the Shah's regime would end, that Saddam's regime would end, that the Soviet Union would end - and that he also said that the Zionist regime in Israel would end. Those words ("the regime that is occupying Jerusalem will disppear from the pages of history" is a better translation) are the ones mistranslated as "Israel must be wiped off the map", but in context it is clear that he is simply stating his desire for the Zionist regime in Gaza/Israel/West Bank to end.
And hey, wanting regime change is okay isn't it? Hell, lying to the UN and illegally invading a country for regime change seems to be acceptable these days, though since Iran hasn't engaged in a war of agression in the last century it is kinda doubtful that they would go beyond rhetoric.
Oh, and if he wanted the "death of all Jews" I think he would probably start with the thriving Jewish community in Iran, maybe ramp up the pressure by denying them the seat reserved in the Iranian Parliament for them, that sort of thing.
Gee, its fun reading the opinions of people who are clueless. - Gundam, on 10/12/2007, -7/+9@Sirocco: So only having sanitized pro U.S. pro Liberalism speakers gives a well-rounded education? These speakers who bring differing opinions bring the other half of the "well-rounded" education. To say that its all a university brings is BS.
- hakluytbean, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3gmerin, turms out there's a large Jewish minority in Iran, been there for 3,000 years, and I found out there seems to be a reserved Parliamentary seat for a Jewish representative, you know, in the way that in the U.S. you have a seat in Congress set aside for a Jewish candidate... oh wait, you don't...
But, nm, I got modded down earlier for suggesting that reason prevails in debate, so what do I know.
Anyway looks like we were all spammed, as oonix posted the actual reason for cancelling was security, not some scary 'Jewish lobby' or fear of 15 year olds who know everything.
Iran's a complicated place -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5367892.stm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/iran/ - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Any one want a barret sniper rifle I can`t use anymore. I will pay shipping. Comes with free Mahmoud Ahmadinejad target posters.
- Trublmakr, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Freedom means allowing others to speak their minds. Even if you don't agree. Looks like certain US lobby groups are the ones that really hate freedom.
- cliffzdude, on 10/12/2007, -13/+15Wow. A school like Columbia inviting a man who has nuclear aspirations, has said he will use said nukes to arm the USA's enemies, and blow Israel off the map.
I guess if the Anti Christ were walking the earth, they'd ask him to speak at their graduation ceremonies. - msafi, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7@geekee
"Iran's supreme leader did not allow moderates to run in the election. Letting the people choose between two presidents the supreme leader likes is not a democracy."
That's also exactly what the voting system in the U.S. does. It creates two major parties and eliminates moderates and gives no chance for third party candidates to win
Wake up America!! - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Hmm, not much to say now I see...
So let's run down the list:
Death to Israel
Death to the Jews
America is Satan.
Yep, all valid opinions of a perfectly sane and rational dictator with nuclear weapons aspirations. Nothing to see here folks, move along. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@ Vermifax
How's this? Not a news source, but straight from the Klansm...er, dictator's mouth. Death To Israel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SDRcirpmXI - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+6Damn Liberal universities are going an the old adage. "An enemy of my enemy is my friend". Now translating the adage to relate to this. The universities hate Bush, so they will allow anyone who opposes Bush, no matter what their platform, to speak. This is the reason why so many conservatives say that the liberals comfort the enemy.
- gmerin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2When was the last time Columbia had the leader of the KKK speak on campus? I guess Columbia doesn't believe that advocating genocide by demanding the violent death of all Jews is quite as bad as advocating genocide by calling for the death of all non-whites.
- smagilly, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2It was not, in fact, cancled because of a Jewish group -- or any group other than facilities. The truth is the talk was canceled before the first call from the Jewish Defense League came in, and it was canceled only because of logistical concerns. Getting space, ensuring sets are only given out on a first-come, first-serve basis, allowing room for protests -- all of these things take special planning. CU had less than 48 hours to put it all together. When facilities balked, the event was canceled. End of story.
Should credentials be required, I'm a Columbia (SIPA) student who had lunch today with the person who was handling all of these calls. There was no politics involved. Of course, all that makes for a lot less sexy headline, doesn't it? - BillehBob, on 10/12/2007, -6/+7No, it's not. Republicans call Democrats enemy harbouring leftists as part of their propaganda campaign in the US against ANYONE who does not agree with their points of view.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Actually, I'll do you one better, I'll do the Google search for you - http://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=Ahmadinejad+death+jews&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8
Look and see for yourself how many articles there are detailing Ahmadinejad's stance on exterminating Israel and the Jews. - dibbler, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2@skyshock21: so you can do a google search and find the black propaganda? Wow, you got me convinced. Look, here is the speech at MEMRI: http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP101305
Reading it for yourself. It was given at a conference called "A World Without Zionism", and as far as I can tell Zionism is a philosophy, not a group of people. - Vermifax, on 10/12/2007, -3/+4@skyshock21
You don't ..... chat with many Israeli prime ministers, do you? - zombo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1.-. ..- -... -... .. ... ....
- dibbler, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3"I guess Columbia doesn't believe that advocating genocide by demanding the violent death of all Jews is quite as bad as advocating genocide by calling for the death of all non-whites"
I guess Columbia have people there smart enough to know that that isn't the case. Whereas sheeple like you will believe any old ***** as long as Fox news keeps repeating it often enough. - davids1, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Only American youth add comments on digg now. Have no clue of history. Contribute to the failing of this structure.
- Trublmakr, on 10/12/2007, -5/+5Arab groups must be outraged that Jewish groups are outraged.
- Yez70, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3"In his interview in Time, he said he had nothing against the American people and America itsself. Only Bush and everyone else around him."
Sounds like half of the american population... - hakluytbean, on 10/12/2007, -4/+4How lame. If he does indeed have crazy and unpalateable opinions a debate would render them self-evident. Unless you don't allow debate, in rather the same way that the religious authorities in Iran remove Presidential candidates they don't like, for example.... and in both that case and in this one all you have left is a bunch of people grinding their political axes and telling you what to think, entirely against the Western empirical academic tradition, never mind freedom of speech.
Now excuse me while I take a call from my good friends in the governments of China and Pakistan.... - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -7/+7Didn't you hear? He has nothing but love and respect for the common American citizen.
- gmerin, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1If he gets his way, there won't be anyone like you left to note his hypocrisy.
Sometimes liberalism should be tempered with common sense. - Popdmb, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Had you looked at the above threads, you would have seen that most of them have to do with criticizing Columbia for being faux progressive.
- Trublmakr, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Why? Because you don't like brown folks? Cant stand a little criticism? Want to enforce a gag order on political dissenters? What's your real reason for wanting to BAN the leader of a nation from engaging in politics,. let me guess,. 'cause cowboy Bush said "aint gonna meet with him" that means all of the sudden it's unAmerican to resolve political differences diplomatically?
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -6/+6@Diabllickungfu
Yup, after all the ***** the world has put up with since 1972 Munich with islam, maybe you would be as well. Open your eyes.....
If Allah really does find joy in this I'd rather worship a head of lettuce..... - riverside71, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Columbia won't have any problem having Pipes, or the other Islamophobes in there anytime they want..
and they say we're not slaves of Isarel.. wake up Simpletons.. u're being taken on a ride.. - yelkereb, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5Wow, I’m pretty sure claiming the Holocaust either didn’t happen, or was grossly over played, then going on to say that the problem is any Holocaust that did happen wasn’t successful and he believes that it should be completed and all Jews should die, is a pretty good reason to protest against him.
I’d assume Muslim groups would protest against anyone who claimed all Muslims should be rounded up and killed, just a guess of course. - MrLuigi, on 10/12/2007, -7/+6I personally would have hoped that the university would have not fallen under the pressure of a Jewish activist group. No one would stop the pope from talking in a school because he hates muslims and no one would stop bush from talking because he hates homosexuals. Just because someone doesn't have the same beliefs as you does not mean its a bad thing to hear them speak. Ahmadinejad is a very intelligent and well spoke person. Even I do not agree with his beliefs but it would still great to hear what he has on his mind.
And its understandable he doesn't like Bush. The world doesn't like Bush. It's not that they don't like the american people but Bush trying to change the laws to protect himself and his warrentless wiretapping should show that he is not a good man.
The Bush administration and the people who belive every word that comes out of his mouth, I would like to direct you to a great quote:
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790), Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759 - nwshc, on 10/12/2007, -6/+5In his interview in Time, he said he had nothing against the American people and America itsself. Only Bush and everyone else around him.
But, thats a load of bs :) - andrew1193, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3"@Sirocco: So only having sanitized pro U.S. pro Liberalism speakers gives a well-rounded education? These speakers who bring differing opinions bring the other half of the "well-rounded" education. To say that its all a university brings is BS."
Would you invite Hitler to speak at your university? -
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