Posted on 09/26/2007 7:02:29 AM PDT by IrishMike
A backlash against the president of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, who on Monday delivered a harsh rebuke to President Ahmadinejad, is coming from faculty members and students who said he struck an "insulting tone" and that his remarks amounted to "schoolyard taunts." The fierceness of Mr. Bollinger's critique bought the Iranian some sympathy on campus that he didn't deserve, the critics said, and amounted to a squandered opportunity to provide a lesson in diplomacy.
Mr. Bollinger opened a two-hour program during which the Iranian president spoke and answered questions at the Roone Arledge Auditorium in Morningside Heights by calling Mr. Ahmadinejad a "petty and cruel dictator." He chastised the Iranian for calling for the destruction of Israel, funding terrorism, persecuting scholars, women, and homosexuals, denying the Holocaust, and for fighting a proxy war against America within the borders of Iraq. Mr. Bollinger also tauntingly predicted that the Iranian would lack the "intellectual courage"
"It's odd to invite someone and then deal with the objections to inviting him by insulting him before he gets to talk," a professor of political science at Columbia, Richard Betts, said during an interview in his office yesterday. "He's having it both ways in a sense, honoring the principle of free speech by not choosing speakers on the basis of how nice they are, but being sharp to him before he speaks."
Mr. Betts said a more appropriate introduction would have been to make clear that an invitation to speak at Columbia did not qualify as approval of the content of the speech. He said the message should have been delivered as a "less in-your-face assault."
Students said they interpreted the severity of Mr. Bollinger's opening, in which he called Mr. Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust "brazenly provocative or astonishingly uneducated,"
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
Yes but the Iranian Hitler said there were no homosexuals in Iran! How can the Bollinger issue compare to that? /sarc
The reason is simple, the academy is left and modern leftists are traitors. They think they are promoting peace and avoiding war by siding with the enemies of their country. They think it undermines the consensus what they consider fascism needs to survive. The irony is that actual fascism doesn't need it but they cater to it slavishly. They have no principles, just partisan treason. Ever form of funding and subsidy to these scum should be ended yesterday - it is utterly obscene that tax money coerced from law abiding patriots is supporting this tripe.
Free speech means that the Congress cannot pass a law restricting what we say...
"or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
Nothing more, nothing less. Bollinger can say what he wants on his campus, and I can call him an ass for handling the whole situation poorly, and I can't get arrested for it.
Appeasement fails again.
What utter HYPOCRISY!When Mr. Bollinger began to take some heat for his incredible hubris in inviting Adolph Jr. to speak at Columbia(he said it was because he believed in protecting “Free Speech”),he tries to find some cover by challenging this A**HOLE at the outset?Apparently Mr. Bollinger’s regard for”Free Speech”doesn’t extend to those who differ from The Lib Agenda(Swift Boaters,etc.,etc.,).Former head of Harvard(Larry Summers)has just been disinvited to speak at UC Davis.I LOVE it!!!!They’re”EATING THEIR OWN”!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL! I love your definition of free speech!! May I steal it?
It is for statements like that the DemonRats are at 11% approval rating.
Is there really that much difference between “Joe thinks you stink” and “I think you stink”? If some said that about me, I would be insulted either way. If the remarks insulted Imanutjob, then that is a very good thing. It is meant as a wakeup call that the 21st century is here, not the 14th.
Somewhere at the end of one of the threads is my agreement. The decision to invite this criminal was reprehensible. But once you invite him, the person in charge is obligated to treat him like a guest.
Too many in the world view us as an aggressor nation. Cable news brings the event to them. The last image we need is of a university president behaving like an overly aggressive boor by using the intro to insult a head of state so he can cover his butt.
A university president has no excuse for such shockingly bad manners. Not even if his speaker is the president of Iran.
THe only thing for Bollinger to have done was to have fought to refused to give him and invite and then refused to show up. What he did was try to win both sides over and failed. He is a craven man.
Ahmacrazyraghed is a hero to the Dims since he is killing American Soldiers.
Pray for W and Our Troops
I predicted that would happen. Bollinger was just trying to appease alumni contributors and prevent any government reduction of grants. His phony bravado made Ahmadinejad into a victim and a sympathetic figure to some. Ahmadinejad should never have been invited period.
I think Bollinger’s comments could also an expression of “free speech,” however it is clear “free speech” is only for leftists and murderous dictators.
LOL, Back in previous lives when I had some responsibility for various organizations, we considered most of the ivy league as schools havens for the maladjusted, pubescent, immature and just plain life-ignorant. Harvard and Columbia were at the top of this list. Very few ever got in the door to interview and none were ever hired.
What other Country is going to challenge this madman? We should care what he or other Countries think of us because??
Pray for W and Our Troops
It was a sleazy, cover-your-@ss attempt by the president to somehow undo a bad mistake, and it didn't work.
I hope he loses his job for this two-faced incompetence.
This madman should have been challenged—with facts about his regime and what they are doing in the world. From what I can tell, Bollinger didn’t do much of that. Instead, he resorted to name calling. That should take place in a nursery. Mature people need to take the places of leadership so they can deal honestly and boldly with people. Bollinger should have politely held his feet to the fire. Instead, he handed him a PR coup and acted badly, reflecting badly on himself, his university and our country.
It's even worse than you think. And get this - 45% Want Ahmadinejad As US President in a poll at their favorite website.
Click link below and scroll down to Monday, September 24, 2007
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