Spring Break
The slow restoration of free speech
Feature Editorial
Christopher Skeet
Issue date: 10/1/07 Section: Opinions
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Almost a year ago to date, something very shameful happened at Columbia University. A group of volunteers from the Minuteman Project who'd been invited to speak were instead shouted down, physically assaulted, and ultimately silenced by a mob of "activists." Their actions were caught on video, and internet surfers were rightfully exposed to the hypocritical thuggery which passes for open-mindedness on modern campuses.
But then Columbia University invited Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak. And in that gesture, they invited free speech back onto their campus.
Most of us know who Ahmadinejad is and, more importantly, what he represents.
His politics? He wants Israel "wiped off the map."
His interpretation of history? He claimed the Holocaust is a myth, and he hosted KKK leaders in Tehran to set the record straight.
His commitment to peace? He presides over the world's biggest sponsor of terrorism.
His domestic record? Since his ascension, the Iranian regime has increasingly cracked down on student groups, women's rights and independent media.
His faith? He believes he has personally been sent to pave the way, via nuclear apocalypse, for the coming of the Hidden Imam (Ahmadinejad's colleagues allege he physically glowed during a recent U.N. speech).
But Ahmadinejad is more than your average cookie cutout psychopathic dictator ? he does improv as well. He got a good laugh from his Columbia audience when he denied the existence of homosexuals in Iran. This seems a rather strange absurdity, considering the approximate 400 known Iranians who have been executed for homosexuality.
So when this degenerate lunatic took the stage at Columbia, the audience did the right thing. They didn't shout him down, rush the stage, or silence him. They let him make a complete fool out of himself. And, with flying colors, he did exactly that.
University president Lee Bollinger kicked off the night with a point-by-point denunciation of Ahmadinejad, his policies and the primitive mindset he represents. Such frank and open dissent from a non-ayatollah was foreign to Ahmadinejad, probably as foreign as all those unscarved females, sitting without male babysitters in the audience. He responded by avoiding the points Bollinger made, and went on to assure the doubting crowd that he really, really, really likes Jews. Really.
But then Columbia University invited Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak. And in that gesture, they invited free speech back onto their campus.
Most of us know who Ahmadinejad is and, more importantly, what he represents.
His politics? He wants Israel "wiped off the map."
His interpretation of history? He claimed the Holocaust is a myth, and he hosted KKK leaders in Tehran to set the record straight.
His commitment to peace? He presides over the world's biggest sponsor of terrorism.
His domestic record? Since his ascension, the Iranian regime has increasingly cracked down on student groups, women's rights and independent media.
His faith? He believes he has personally been sent to pave the way, via nuclear apocalypse, for the coming of the Hidden Imam (Ahmadinejad's colleagues allege he physically glowed during a recent U.N. speech).
But Ahmadinejad is more than your average cookie cutout psychopathic dictator ? he does improv as well. He got a good laugh from his Columbia audience when he denied the existence of homosexuals in Iran. This seems a rather strange absurdity, considering the approximate 400 known Iranians who have been executed for homosexuality.
So when this degenerate lunatic took the stage at Columbia, the audience did the right thing. They didn't shout him down, rush the stage, or silence him. They let him make a complete fool out of himself. And, with flying colors, he did exactly that.
University president Lee Bollinger kicked off the night with a point-by-point denunciation of Ahmadinejad, his policies and the primitive mindset he represents. Such frank and open dissent from a non-ayatollah was foreign to Ahmadinejad, probably as foreign as all those unscarved females, sitting without male babysitters in the audience. He responded by avoiding the points Bollinger made, and went on to assure the doubting crowd that he really, really, really likes Jews. Really.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Ahron Siev
posted 10/02/07 @ 10:05 PM CST
Let me point out the following:
1. It is not the slow restoration of free speech, but the quick surrender to power of evil.
2. Try to bring a pro Israeli speaker to the ?Free Speech? platform of Columbia (or any other university for that matter) and he/she will not get a platform due to the issue being "too controversial". (Continued…)
Jim Gilchrist, Founder and President - The Minuteman Project
posted 10/05/07 @ 10:56 AM CST
Dear Christopher Skeet,
Thank you for bringing awareness to the fact that our 231-year-old principle of freedom of assembly and speech is now reserved only for the meanest thugs wielding the biggest clubs. (Continued…)
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