Do you think Iran's president should be allowed to visit Ground Zero? Do you think Columbia University should have allowed him to speak?
29 Comments
dale said:
No! and No!
Lenora said:
I don't think he should have been allowed to visit ground zero, much less set foot on any of our campuses. It's insulting to our intelligence to think he was answering the questions without a lying agenda. It's very disappointing when the military is not allowed pulpit in Columbia University, but a terrorist is given the opportunity to spout his propaganda.
Lucy said:
Yes, I do think he should of went there.
He is from Iran, he had nothing to do with the 9/11 tragedy. There is nothing at ground zero to see now. Now remember, we started the war in Afganistan then to Iraq, because of WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION (A LIE). The government lied to us.
Believe me if any country wants to attack us they can, because we don't have security here right now in the USA... All our troops are in Iraq and Afganistan. We have no security here.
I think it is a disgrace on how the Iranian president was interviewed, he was talked down to and was dis-respected. He is a president, just like Bush. So where is the dignity and respect.
I have friends from all nationalities and they are kind. We cannot build hatred anymore.
Rita said:
Yes, I think that would of been more diplomatic to do so, then to treat him as a terrorist. We need to build peace to each other not hatred...
AMERICA WAKE UP... We have terrorist here in America already..."everyday" of our lives...
Killings
Drunk Drivers
Road Rage
Hate Crimes
Brutality
Annetta said:
No
Linda said:
No way ! Why in the world are we so open to give our enemies free reign to come into our country, and to send videos & have them be shown!! Unbelievable.
It is the most outrageous anti-American act the media has perpetrated upon the unsuspecting American public. We may as well hand our enemies the key to the White House. Disgusting.
Gigi said:
We should always talk to foreign heads of state and treat them with respect. Even Dictators. War costs lives, talking may actually accomplish something. If we don't give talks a chance, we are the aggressors. Look what a mess the war in Iraq ceated.
Duane said:
Columbia University gave Ahmadinejad a platform to regurgitate his political views. This is not free speech. Free speech means, a individual may express popular or dissenting opinions but it does not mean others must provide a platform to express those views. Whether the platform is provided, in cases such as this, is a issue of political strategy. Ahmadinejad outwitted and took advantage of CU's naivete of free speech (as their spokesman said, they would allow Hitler to speak) to gain access and credibility to a audience he would not normally reach.
David Matthews said:
I don't think Ahmadinejad should have been allowed into the U.S.. He is an international terrorist that kidnapped and imprisoned Americans before Ross Perot's team rescued them. He is dedicated to destroying Isreal and the west. George W. denies the prisoner that identified Ahmadinejad as one of the prison guards. Once again George W. denies an American, then allows a terrorist into the country. Oil money always comes first to George W.. Wake Up People!!!
kssonflour said:
Definitely NOT!!!!
Definitely NOT!!!!
Armen said:
NO to him and NO to Columbia Universities government money.
To invite a terrorist on campus to speak lies while denying our government military to speak there is absurd.
mudgolem said:
What a mistake to let him onto American soil. He should never have been allowed to speak at a campus, or to our media, because we all know that our media is honest and truthful. Just another slam at the American people who are good enough to die for our country, yet not good enough to keep the trash out of our country. This is a man who is as brutal if not more so than the original Iraq dictator. He has more than enough blood on his hands. This is a country who is supporting the terrorists in Iraq and supplying them with weapons and bombs. We have captured Iranian officers in Iraq, and traced weapons back to Iraq, so when all you nay-sayers are blaming our president for the way the war is going, then you should also blame Ahmadinejad for keeping the war alive. For all of you who hate our president, our country and all it stands for, please move to Iran and speak your mind in public, then you will personally find out what happened to all of Iran's homosexuals. Live short and die.
Robert said:
No way! If Ahmadinejad thinks he can befriend Americans by attempting to empathize with the victims of 9/11, then he grossly underestimates our ability to misinterpret him.
John King said:
Foreign leaders who visit our country deserve our respect. I am not proud of the reception given Iran's leader by Columbia University. There is an underground move toward democracy by Iran's citizens, largely ignored by the press. When their citizens hear of the rude treatment given their leader by the U.S., it stifles that progress.
andi said:
No, I don't think Ahmadinejad should have been allowed to desecrate Ground Zero.
As far as Columbia, I was very much against it, but in the end, with the extensive media coverage, it only proved what an irrational and dangerous nutcase Ahmadinejad really is. This was a good thing to shine a light on.
Columbia President Bollinger gave a scathing introduction. This was also a good thing. But Bollinger's motive was purely political. He had to do this to appease donors who were appalled by his decision to give this terrorist a forum to spew his venomous nonsense.
So all in all, the event showed once and for all Ahmadinejad's disconnection with reality. It also showed Columbia's and Bollinger's hypocrisy as it relates to free speech. They embraced a dangerous terrorist and gave him a stage, while at the same time banning ROTC and our military from their campus. Shame on them!
Judith said:
Yes, and I feel that he was treated rudely. It is not that he didn't deserve debate and being refuted, but in a civil and just manner. After all, we claim to allow freedom of speech and fairness and justice. That means we must allow others to be heard, even if we disagree or are opposed to their philosophy. An honest debate should have been set up and the president of Columbia should have been civil toward this guest. I also believe he had a right to visit Ground Zero. We have no proof that he personally was to blame for the attack. Who knows, the shock might have jarred him into sensibility. Hear him out but bring in the evidence to force him to listen and see, both for 9/11 and for the Holocaust.
Mike K said:
They should most certainly let him speak, they always need fresh material for Saturday Night Live.
Bruce said:
Not only no, but hell no!
C said:
.... Freedom of speech ....
erv said:
he looks like he should be one of the geico cavemen.
John said:
The affirming comments about Ahmadinejad from above crack me up. I would suspect that these appeasers would say the same ridiculous things because they are ignorant of history. I am not--I teach it daily and constantly try to find relevance and connections. As for 'Freedom of Speech,' Ahmadinejad is not American; he is a psychopath who, in his own words, has announced his intention to destroy Iran; he has murdered enough innocents in his own country to justify a censor. He is evil so why would you stroke his already ballooning ego?
kathy said:
Of course these people, parents or not, should be held accountable for their actions. Do you really think that they had NO IDEA what their grown son was doing?
kathy said:
previous post placed in wrong blog...can this be corrected?
C said:
how much innocent blood do you think GW has on his hands?
MJ Shaw said:
Hmmm... I can't imagine what it would be like to be a citizen of a nation lead by a terrorist...
A terrorist who would aggressively enter another country under false pretenses - imprison people without basis or charges - a leader who could and would spy on their citizens at random - a terrorist that would supply arms to other, highly aggressive, highly questionable leaders in order to influence the outcome of a conflict...
Can anyone else here imagine what it would be like to live in a nation where the above completely encapsulated your own leader... The thought makes me shiver...
Retards - take a closer look at the filth and corruption in your own yard before criticizing someone else's...
Quinn said:
Hey MJ - WAKE UP... You are a citizen of a country led by a terrorist. George Bush is one of the most sick, disgusting, evil terrorists in the history of humanity.
I think that it was a great thing for Ahmadinejad to speak in NYC, now everyone at Columbia should know for certain that he's insane. However, one thing's for certain, he has a better grasp of his native language than our "president".
MJ said:
Ummmm, Quinn, my statement above was satarical and highly, highly sarcastic. I know I live in a country lead by a terrorist; if you read what I wrote again, you will see that I am fully aware of the reality...
Sorry if my dark humor was a little too shadowed for your tastes... :)
Quinn said:
I see... my bad.
Tomas Jefferson said:
. I think it's best that we did let Ahmadinejad speak at the university. The president of Columbia got to tell him to his face, that he thinks he's a son of a bitch.
. Then Ahmadinejad opened his mouth and showed everyone what a fascist he truly is. He came, we saw, and he fuct up.
. If he broke any of our laws then he maybe should have been arrested. I don't think he did, but I could be wrong.
. The real Thomas Jefferson said that no law should abridge freedom of speach, only the court of public opinion should do that. Then, when he was elected president, he allowed the press to lie about him, without taking them to court, even though he could have under the tort laws, because he believed so strongly in freedom of speech.
. That's good enough for me.
No! and No!
I don't think he should have been allowed to visit ground zero, much less set foot on any of our campuses. It's insulting to our intelligence to think he was answering the questions without a lying agenda. It's very disappointing when the military is not allowed pulpit in Columbia University, but a terrorist is given the opportunity to spout his propaganda.
Yes, I do think he should of went there.
He is from Iran, he had nothing to do with the 9/11 tragedy. There is nothing at ground zero to see now. Now remember, we started the war in Afganistan then to Iraq, because of WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION (A LIE). The government lied to us.
Believe me if any country wants to attack us they can, because we don't have security here right now in the USA... All our troops are in Iraq and Afganistan. We have no security here.
I think it is a disgrace on how the Iranian president was interviewed, he was talked down to and was dis-respected. He is a president, just like Bush. So where is the dignity and respect.
I have friends from all nationalities and they are kind. We cannot build hatred anymore.
Yes, I think that would of been more diplomatic to do so, then to treat him as a terrorist. We need to build peace to each other not hatred...
AMERICA WAKE UP... We have terrorist here in America already..."everyday" of our lives...
Killings
Drunk Drivers
Road Rage
Hate Crimes
Brutality
No
No way ! Why in the world are we so open to give our enemies free reign to come into our country, and to send videos & have them be shown!! Unbelievable.
It is the most outrageous anti-American act the media has perpetrated upon the unsuspecting American public. We may as well hand our enemies the key to the White House. Disgusting.
We should always talk to foreign heads of state and treat them with respect. Even Dictators. War costs lives, talking may actually accomplish something. If we don't give talks a chance, we are the aggressors. Look what a mess the war in Iraq ceated.
Columbia University gave Ahmadinejad a platform to regurgitate his political views. This is not free speech. Free speech means, a individual may express popular or dissenting opinions but it does not mean others must provide a platform to express those views. Whether the platform is provided, in cases such as this, is a issue of political strategy. Ahmadinejad outwitted and took advantage of CU's naivete of free speech (as their spokesman said, they would allow Hitler to speak) to gain access and credibility to a audience he would not normally reach.
I don't think Ahmadinejad should have been allowed into the U.S.. He is an international terrorist that kidnapped and imprisoned Americans before Ross Perot's team rescued them. He is dedicated to destroying Isreal and the west. George W. denies the prisoner that identified Ahmadinejad as one of the prison guards. Once again George W. denies an American, then allows a terrorist into the country. Oil money always comes first to George W.. Wake Up People!!!
Definitely NOT!!!!
Definitely NOT!!!!
NO to him and NO to Columbia Universities government money.
To invite a terrorist on campus to speak lies while denying our government military to speak there is absurd.
What a mistake to let him onto American soil. He should never have been allowed to speak at a campus, or to our media, because we all know that our media is honest and truthful. Just another slam at the American people who are good enough to die for our country, yet not good enough to keep the trash out of our country. This is a man who is as brutal if not more so than the original Iraq dictator. He has more than enough blood on his hands. This is a country who is supporting the terrorists in Iraq and supplying them with weapons and bombs. We have captured Iranian officers in Iraq, and traced weapons back to Iraq, so when all you nay-sayers are blaming our president for the way the war is going, then you should also blame Ahmadinejad for keeping the war alive. For all of you who hate our president, our country and all it stands for, please move to Iran and speak your mind in public, then you will personally find out what happened to all of Iran's homosexuals. Live short and die.
No way! If Ahmadinejad thinks he can befriend Americans by attempting to empathize with the victims of 9/11, then he grossly underestimates our ability to misinterpret him.
Foreign leaders who visit our country deserve our respect. I am not proud of the reception given Iran's leader by Columbia University. There is an underground move toward democracy by Iran's citizens, largely ignored by the press. When their citizens hear of the rude treatment given their leader by the U.S., it stifles that progress.
No, I don't think Ahmadinejad should have been allowed to desecrate Ground Zero.
As far as Columbia, I was very much against it, but in the end, with the extensive media coverage, it only proved what an irrational and dangerous nutcase Ahmadinejad really is. This was a good thing to shine a light on.
Columbia President Bollinger gave a scathing introduction. This was also a good thing. But Bollinger's motive was purely political. He had to do this to appease donors who were appalled by his decision to give this terrorist a forum to spew his venomous nonsense.
So all in all, the event showed once and for all Ahmadinejad's disconnection with reality. It also showed Columbia's and Bollinger's hypocrisy as it relates to free speech. They embraced a dangerous terrorist and gave him a stage, while at the same time banning ROTC and our military from their campus. Shame on them!
Yes, and I feel that he was treated rudely. It is not that he didn't deserve debate and being refuted, but in a civil and just manner. After all, we claim to allow freedom of speech and fairness and justice. That means we must allow others to be heard, even if we disagree or are opposed to their philosophy. An honest debate should have been set up and the president of Columbia should have been civil toward this guest. I also believe he had a right to visit Ground Zero. We have no proof that he personally was to blame for the attack. Who knows, the shock might have jarred him into sensibility. Hear him out but bring in the evidence to force him to listen and see, both for 9/11 and for the Holocaust.
They should most certainly let him speak, they always need fresh material for Saturday Night Live.
Not only no, but hell no!
.... Freedom of speech ....
he looks like he should be one of the geico cavemen.
The affirming comments about Ahmadinejad from above crack me up. I would suspect that these appeasers would say the same ridiculous things because they are ignorant of history. I am not--I teach it daily and constantly try to find relevance and connections. As for 'Freedom of Speech,' Ahmadinejad is not American; he is a psychopath who, in his own words, has announced his intention to destroy Iran; he has murdered enough innocents in his own country to justify a censor. He is evil so why would you stroke his already ballooning ego?
Of course these people, parents or not, should be held accountable for their actions. Do you really think that they had NO IDEA what their grown son was doing?
previous post placed in wrong blog...can this be corrected?
how much innocent blood do you think GW has on his hands?
Hmmm... I can't imagine what it would be like to be a citizen of a nation lead by a terrorist...
A terrorist who would aggressively enter another country under false pretenses - imprison people without basis or charges - a leader who could and would spy on their citizens at random - a terrorist that would supply arms to other, highly aggressive, highly questionable leaders in order to influence the outcome of a conflict...
Can anyone else here imagine what it would be like to live in a nation where the above completely encapsulated your own leader... The thought makes me shiver...
Retards - take a closer look at the filth and corruption in your own yard before criticizing someone else's...
Hey MJ - WAKE UP... You are a citizen of a country led by a terrorist. George Bush is one of the most sick, disgusting, evil terrorists in the history of humanity.
I think that it was a great thing for Ahmadinejad to speak in NYC, now everyone at Columbia should know for certain that he's insane. However, one thing's for certain, he has a better grasp of his native language than our "president".
Ummmm, Quinn, my statement above was satarical and highly, highly sarcastic. I know I live in a country lead by a terrorist; if you read what I wrote again, you will see that I am fully aware of the reality...
Sorry if my dark humor was a little too shadowed for your tastes... :)
I see... my bad.
. I think it's best that we did let Ahmadinejad speak at the university. The president of Columbia got to tell him to his face, that he thinks he's a son of a bitch.
. Then Ahmadinejad opened his mouth and showed everyone what a fascist he truly is. He came, we saw, and he fuct up.
. If he broke any of our laws then he maybe should have been arrested. I don't think he did, but I could be wrong.
. The real Thomas Jefferson said that no law should abridge freedom of speach, only the court of public opinion should do that. Then, when he was elected president, he allowed the press to lie about him, without taking them to court, even though he could have under the tort laws, because he believed so strongly in freedom of speech.
. That's good enough for me.