Shame on Harvard (Photos from the anti-Khatami protest)

Publius Pundit ^ | 10 Sept. 2006 | Robert Mayer

[Kitten Festival]

When I heard about the protests planned against Khatami’s speech at Harvard, I knew just the guy to contact. I emailed Jesse Sage over at HAMSA and he filled me in on all the information. Khatami was to speak at 4:00 p.m. so the protests would start around three.

We arrived in Harvard Square outside of the Kennedy School of Government just before then, and people were already gathering by the dozens. It wasn’t just the people I knew from HAMSA and the Iran Freedom Concert Coalition, either. There were many, from pro-Israel Jews to Americans concerned about our security to student activists to pro-democracy Persians and Arabs.

The hoisted banners and posters proclaiming “Hold Khatami Accountable!” and “Iran Supports Terror!” And even more than that. The creativity was impressive. This is America, after all, where people will not be beaten, jailed, and tortured just for demonstrating and speaking one’s mind. One guy even had a poster with one of the Danish cartoons on it, proclaiming, “Hey Harvard, this is what freedom of speech looks like.”

From the beginning, I noticed that there were two sides to this protest. The first is outrage that Khatami is in the United States and speaking about tolerance and a dialogue of civilizations when there is no dialogue of any kind within his own civilization. The other is that Harvard is giving him the venue to do so. That’s why mixed in with all of the aforementioned slogans, you will see things like “Harvard — Useful Idiot” in there as well.

[Kitten Festival]

Rob has a huge firsthand photo album of the anti-Khatami protests today at Harvard, along with some good commentary since he was there.

[freedom44]

Awesome!! Thanks!

Khatami is Khamenei, Khamenei is Ahmadinejad, Ahmadinejad is someone who wants United States destroyed.

[freedom44]

"There were many, from pro-Israel Jews to Americans concerned about our security to student activists to pro-democracy Persians and Arabs."

Wow Arabs? I thought this was their wet dream.

[CyberAnt]

While the President was laying a wreath in NYC - guess what CPAN was showing .. Khatami!

[Gay State Conservative]

My answer to the guy holding the sign saying "what about Israeli nukes?"...

Unless your good pals in Tehran come to their senses,or get bullets in the back of their heads from decent, civilized Iranians,your pals (and you,too,if you're lucky) will eventually get to experience Israeli nukes *up close and personal*,because Israel will *not* allow your pals to develop nukes.

It's just that simple!

[Andy from Beaverton]

I'm sure if GW went there to speak, the left would have ten times the number of people and it would be national news.

[Kitten Festival]

When I saw that nutty Israel nukes sign, I thought the guy maybe wanted Israel to have nukes. Turns out he was a schmuck.

[stephenjohnbanker]

B U M P

[raccoonradio]

Boston newscasts should have some reports on this, and I heard WCVB-TV 5 teasing the story for their 11 pm newscast (during an ad/promo break right after pt 1 of The Path to 9/11.

Try:
http://www.cbs4boston.com WBZ 4 CBS
http://www.thebostonchannel.com WCVB 5 ABC
http://www.whdh.com WHDH 7 NBC
http://www.myfoxboston.com/myfox/ WFXT 25 FOX

[Cicero]

The answer to anyone who complains about Israeli nukes is that Israel has had, by most estimates, at least a couple of hundred nukes for decades, but has never used them despite continual attacks against them by their neighbors.

Does anyone think the Iranian nut jobs would show similar restraint?

[Valin]

Ping

[raccoonradio]

scenes of the protest were just on the WCVB/5 newscast. It may not immediately be on their site but should be added later.

[DBrow]

"Does anyone think the Iranian nut jobs would show similar restraint?"

I do. Nukes are great for threats, but the practical issues of their use are daunting.

We hesitated to use nukes in N Korea during the war, because it was not clear that they'd surrender, and then the diplomatic use of nukes would have ended.

Once you start chucking a few nukes around, you evaporate diplomacy and threats and enter the world of high-stakes combat. So someone nukes Israel or tries to, and all of a sudden the NYTimes and UN can no longer keep you safe, and "world opinion" means squat. Nobody is willing to chat anymore.

But, nukes in the silo unused mean that the US and UN and French and even N Korea and the NYTimes will talk to you and offer concessions if you let men with clipboards in to look at the outer cases of your nukes.

[msnimje]

Does anybody know the background of the photo with Khatami shooting a bird? I read the page at the link but saw no reference to that photo. Is it real or Reuters?

[TheCrusader]

"While the President was laying a wreath in NYC - guess what CPAN was showing .. Khatami!"

It was the President who gave his blessing to this little visit by Iran's former terrorist-in-chief by granting him the visa. I heard on the radio that Bush even assigned a detail of SS agents to protect this scumbag.

[nuconvert]

Bump

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

High Volume. Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel.

also Keywords 2006israelwar or WOT [War on Terror]

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[BaBaStooey]

The "What About Israeli Nukes?" sign dude looks a bit like Green Helmet Guy.

http://www.publiuspundit.com/pictures/KhatamiProtest/PHOT0012.JPG

[wita]

Not clear that who would surrender?

We were worried more about the Chinese than the North Koreans, and that I believe is one of the reasons we chose not to use nukes in North Korea and why the 38th parallel was such an issue. Radical Islam has no reason at all not to use nukes if they had them and thus to allow them even nuclear power is inconsistent with our safety, and folly beyond belief.

[FormerLib]

Imagine that, Michael Graham is still managing to tick-off all the right people! ;-)