Iran? No Sorry I Walked.

Yesterday I watched the much anticipated speech made by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at New York City's Ivy league school, Columbia University. There were many groups protesting his mere appearance at the school, some internal resistance, but most came from outside groups with no affiliation to the university. Many protesters criticized Columbian school president, Lee Bollinger for allowing Ahmadinejad, a known Holocaust denier to speak in front of the school's audience, a man who is the president of an country that is reportedly funneling weapons to Iraqi insurgence to use against American soldiers. A man who is the president of a country that is a State sponsor of Hezbolah, a known terrorist group. And among other things, a man who have said publicly in speeches that he believes that Israel should be wiped off the map, and when he said wiped off the map, he doesn't mean with the use of an eraser, and last but not least he also think that The United States of America is the "Devil" and would have us gone as well. So with all, one can understand the protest, but this is a country that values our right of free speech, so even a guy like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who some have gone as far to come to compared to Hitler, he has the right to speak his his case and his agenda just like any other invited guess. So with all that said Mahmoud Ahmadinejaddid not receive a warm welcome.

University president Lee Bollinger ( who feel under heavy criticism the day leading up) during his introduction speech instead of welcoming Ahmadinejad went on the offensive and attacked him. Bollinger confronted Ahmadinejad the truths and facts surrounding him. He asked Ahmadinejad, if he answer questions about denying the Holocaust, about supplying weapons that kill American solders, about sponsoring terrorism, and about wanting to destroy Israel. Like a true politician Ahmadinejad after making a response back to the University president stating how offended he was by the so-called welcome, went on to address the questions by, well not answering the questions. On the question if the Holocaust, he backed off on his claims of denying it to a more friendly response say that there need to be more research., comparing one of the most documented events in World history to physics research, in that there are always new things we learn that change what we once thought were true. On sponsoring terrorist, he claims that for 28 years the Iranian people have been victims of terrorism. Basically Ahmadinejad danced around every question, and maybe the highlight of the questioning came from a student. The question was about human rights violations committed against women and homosexuals. To that question Ahmadinejad said. that Iran does not have homosexuals as we do in the United States. That spurred laughter and boos from the crowd. But he selectively left out that in Iran homosexuals are executed, with sodomy being a crime punishable by death.

When I first learned that Ahmadinejad was going to speak at Columbia University, I first thought to myself why? Why did they even invite this guy. But after watching the speech that was covered live on CNN, I think it was the right thing to do. Here is a guy who we have only seen in short clips making outrageous claims translated into English. What Columbia University did was to confront and expose this guy to the entire country. Ultimately allowing Ahmadinejad to make the case against him very solid. Ahmadinejad, though television coverage and attention rose to from a figure head leader of a country who's real leaders are the religious leaders, to an international superstar. That same television coverage, at least in this country, has finally exposed Ahmadinejad for the man that he is.