Columbia president slams Ahmadinejad

I found the president of the college statements refreshingly candid!

I found the president of the college statements refreshingly candid!

Candid, yes, but from what I saw and heard, he had firmly defended his school's decision to let the guy speak, then when he got the man on the stage, he ripped him. I am no fan of Ahmadinejad, but that was kind of poor form. It almost seemed like the college presidnet's introduction was meant to appease all the people who opposed Ahmadinejad being allowed to speak.

This event was going to be a train wreck no matter what. I wonder if Columbia regrets it's decision.

Well one other thing I thought about is that Columbia University has reasons for giving him a kodak moment. Alumni in captivity.

Well one other thing I thought about is that Columbia University has reasons for giving him a kodak moment. Alumni in captivity.

Hmm...well I guess my overall impression was that the university president (need to remember his name!) seemed to want it both ways.

Ha ha- just found it in the first post -- Presidnet Bollinger...

Of all of the Ivys my daughter was courted by, she was most interested in Columbia (NYC shopping, dining, theatre, etc. - c'est BJ et moi!). But they had such an attitude. They called Atlanta "in the country," and the student who did the campus tour actually asked us if we had an outhouse because that was his impression of The South. I told the dean that they could f themselves. We got treated with great respect at Yale, Princeton, and MIT.

Oh, yeah. And they have no homosexuals in Iran. Is that because they murder anyone who doesn't conform to their dogma?

Oh, yeah. And they have no homosexuals in Iran. Is that because they murder anyone who doesn't conform to their dogma?

Initially I was taken back by his comical comment regarding homosexuality as being non existent in Iran, but Farsi to American translation can be easily misunderstood. I think the point he was expressing was that in Iran there is no such thing as gay pride day or gay marriage as is the case in the States.

Bollingers shameful Bush-league prepared speech was an embarrassment to what this country principles were founded on like freedom of speech. I think it was totally inappropriate regardless of what ones' opinions are of Ahmadinejad.

Initially I was taken back by his comical comment regarding homosexuality as being non existent in Iran, but Farsi to American translation can be easily misunderstood. I think the point he was expressing was that in Iran there is no such thing as gay pride day or gay marriage as is the case in the States.

Bollingers shameful Bush-league prepared speech was an embarrassment to what this country principles were founded on like freedom of speech. I think it was totally inappropriate regardless of what one's opinions are of Ahmadinejad.

Well, you definitely can't have it both ways. Free speech, yet slamming the speaker.

Like I said, we were very unimpressed by the Columbia people (except for the faculty in ME -- they were very helpful).

Like I said, we were very unimpressed by the Columbia people (except for the faculty in ME -- they were very helpful).

Maybe they were helpful because they knew you were a Gator fan.

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Maybe they were helpful because they knew you were a Gator fan.

I think not. They would not be impressed by UF. Even in The South, most people think of UF as a party school. But the profs in ME were impressed by the fact that hubby (as a Ph.D. in ME from UF) knew more about the research topics they were showcasing than they did. He ended up giving the Fu School of Engineering an off-the-cuff seminar on their area of expertise.

The President of Columbia University behaved like a coward.

The President of Columbia University behaved like a coward.

Yep. It is kind of like admiting to smoking marijuana but saying you didn't inhale. Come on already. I bet it is interesting to read his mail-a good bit from PC types admonishing him for being so 'mean' and another pile from God fearing gun toters saying 'atta boy'.

Good point Dr. SkUnksterMiyster;-)

My thinking on this is two fold;

1) He questioned the official version of the Sept. 11 attacks
2) He defended the right to cast doubt on the Holocaust

Senator Dodd hit the nail on the head as for the request to visit Ground Zero;

Democratic candidate and Senator Chris Dodd also issued a statement, saying, ?It is a disgrace and an insult for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a man who has given both financial and material support to international terrorist organizations, and who offers rhetoric that spreads only hatred, to be anywhere near Ground Zero."

I totally Agree with Sen. Dodd on this

_______________________________________________________________

Yep. It is kind of like admiting to smoking marijuana but saying you didn't inhale. Come on already. I bet it is interesting to read his mail-a good bit from PC types admonishing him for being so 'mean' and another pile from God fearing gun toters saying 'atta boy'.

Yep. It is kind of like admiting to smoking marijuana but saying you didn't inhale. Come on already. I bet it is interesting to read his mail-a good bit from PC types admonishing him for being so 'mean' and another pile from God fearing gun toters saying 'atta boy'.

No, I'm not talking about right/wrong issues. Iran boy is an egomaniac. It's the ambush thing. Very low.

Columbia got publicity, Ahmadinejad got a platform, and the world saw (once again) what happens when you give Ahmadinejad enough rope.

Win-win for everyone IMO.

No, I'm not talking about right/wrong issues. Iran boy is an egomaniac. It's the ambush thing. Very low.

Let me ask you to speculate on this: Do you think he expected to get a hero's welcome, a courteous recpetion or somewhat expected an attack?

Let me ask you to speculate on this: Do you think he expected to get a hero's welcome, a courteous recpetion or somewhat expected an attack?

I'm sure he expected an attack from the audience, but not from Bollinger, the guy who fought so hard to bring him in as a speaker.

Is it true what he said about our government helping finance Sadaam Hussein when he also terrorized and created a small(20k killed 60k injured)'holocaust' in their country? I was glad some kind of public dialogue was started. Don't we need to try and understand his POV? It's so wrong to lump all middle easterners together, not that any of us would do that. If he wasn't trying to extend a hand then why did he even accept the invitation to come here? I would imagine that would be kinda scary to even come here right now especially. He did try to be very polite.

well, is it true, is all I'm askin'?

He was in New York for an United Nations meeting, along with many other foreign leaders. His speaking at Columbia was an add-on, not the purpose of the trip.

Our involvement in the Middle East has been a cluster since the day we became a country.

Our record of arms sales in the region would not stand up to close scrutiny, but his statement that we are responsible for a "holocaust" of 20,000 when the lengthy Iraq/Iran war killed 675,000 to 1.5 million people is as accurrate as his other well known statements.

France and the Soviet Union were the main arms suppliers to Iraq - we supplied IRAN (the regime before his).

Let me ask you to speculate on this: Do you think he expected to get a hero's welcome, a courteous recpetion or somewhat expected an attack?

No, but just like in the aftermath of 9/11, there is a perfect opportunity to be civil and allow the vermin to expose themselves when they begin speaking. What the Columbia President did was get down on his level. We need to start showing the world who the alpha people are, not behave like our enemies. 9/11 gave us the perfect opportunity to quietly, with great precision and speed, kill Bin Laden. Instead, we made a bunch of revenge speeches, and attacked an unrelated party. It's embarassing, and Rudy keeps playing the fear and revenge card. I'm certain most New Yorkers are going to carry that weight another generation or two.

DITTO Scoots!

He was in New York for an United Nations meeting, along with many other foreign leaders. His speaking at Columbia was an add-on, not the purpose of the trip.

Our involvement in the Middle East has been a cluster since the day we became a country.

Our record of arms sales in the region would not stand up to close scrutiny, but his statement that we are responsible for a "holocaust" of 20,000 when the lengthy Iraq/Iran war killed 675,000 to 1.5 million people is as accurrate as his other well known statements.

France and the Soviet Union were the main arms suppliers to Iraq - we supplied IRAN (the regime before his).

Thanks scooterbug. and Bob.

No, but just like in the aftermath of 9/11, there is a perfect opportunity to be civil and allow the vermin to expose themselves when they begin speaking. What the Columbia President did was get down on his level. We need to start showing the world who the alpha people are, not behave like our enemies. 9/11 gave us the perfect opportunity to quietly, with great precision and speed, kill Bin Laden. Instead, we made a bunch of revenge speeches, and attacked an unrelated party. It's embarassing, and Rudy keeps playing the fear and revenge card. I'm certain most New Yorkers are going to carry that weight another generation or two.

The thing is, the vermin are already exposed to the sane among us. Even the French have harsh things to say about Gilligan (sorry, I call Akmadidi that because he looks like a weathered Bob Denver ). I don't think they should have let him into the country in the first place. The peanut farmer deported Iranian students back in his day;is it any less reasonable to deny entry to a head of state who plays an active role in harming our troops in Iraq?

see what I mean?