Do you have any thoughts on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaking at Columbia University in New York on Monday?
I did not listen to the speach and have not read very much about it as of yet but from what I have heard and read about what he said in regards to a question about homosexuals...damn he did a fine job of sidestepping that one.
Do you think he should have been invited by the university? Yes I do.
If you were an alumna of Columbia and disagreed with the visit, would you stop contributions to your alma mater? No I would not.
Do you think he should have been allowed to visit the site of 'ground zero' where the twin towers were destroyed by terrorists on 9/11/01? Yes I do.
I found a transcript of the speach the President of Columbia University gave and the one President Ahmadinejad gave.
I have to say that I do not much like the man but...a damn good speaker I would love to debate with.
Hugs,
Eiregirl _________________ All poems and stories posted by Eiregirl are
Copyright 2005 - 2008 Aoibhegréine
These literary works are my property under copyright. If you wish to use my work for any purpose please ASK FIRST.
Thu Sep 27, 2007 4:08 am
cupcakes
Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 324
Location: NY
Thanks for posting that link.
It was really interesting to read.
I was still in the states when the President Ahmadinejad went to speak at Columbia. I remember it was such a big deal and people were getting upset, but I thought it was good to invite him here.
After reading the link, I think that right from the start, people already had many prejudices about him. I thought that he raise many good points and argued well.
It is clear from the start that Bollinger had the agenda of ridiculing him. The President answered the questions posed to him sufficiently in my opinion. The only thing he didn't do was give the answers Bollinger wanted that would make him look irrational and cruel.
Many times when he asked if he was against the Jewish Nation...it was obvious that he was looking for "yes, I hate jews." Those questions were meant to get a specific answer to confirm a preconceived idea that this man is pure evil.
I thought the way Bollinger worded the question about why there should be further research on the holocaust was ridiculous. And the president's answer got to the point. Even if it is hard to stomach hearing someone deny something we "know" is true, they should still have the right to research it or think about it.
Anyways... my answers to mdm's questions are the same as Eire's
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