Lawmakers Now Looking To Penalize Columbia University Financially For Allowing Ahmadinejad To Speak

[RestoreGore]

Yes, lawmakers who really do not understand freedom of speech and just want to play to their base in an election year. Now they will seek to withhold financial support to this school for actually exemplifying what free speech and debate are all about? I may not be a fan of Ahmadinejad and his beliefs may actualy sicken me, but Columbia University has every right to ask him to speak at a World Leaders Forum and this penchant for penalizing free speech in this country is BS. I say kudos to this university for looking beyond the black and white and for sticking to their guns and allowing BOTH sides to have a forum. That is what America should stand for, not just appeasing your base.

http://www.nysun.com/article/63232

Sorry, excerpt won't paste for me.

This angers me and that is not in defense of anyone or anything other than what I believe as an American.

[BOSSHOG]

1. And to think

every time a conservative speaks their base is penalized with brain rot. We don't need no stinking first amendment.

[NC_Nurse]

2. We can't have people hear BOTH sides of any issue!

They might start THINKING, or even COMING TO THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS!
OMG!!!!!

[bluedog]

3. speech is free.only when one sides with the GOP n/t

[Totally Committed]

4. That's just not right!

I weep for what this country has become.

TC

[liberal N proud]

5. Remember this is no longer America - land of the free

Free Speech is gone, not permitted unless it is in favor of the regime or their wars.

[fenriswolf]

6. how dare they

seek to penalize an educational facility for wanted a public speaker who can articulate a sentance without strangling it. Is bush a little peeved that he wasn't invited. I think maybe bush has a problem with another leader of a country getting air time in which that leader is shown in a positive, intellectual light. Does the fact that Ahmadinejad can talk using multi syllable words without the need of a teleprompter strike terror in the heart of this administration? or maybe its the fact that the next countries leader on our shopping list of war mongering is trying to spread a message of peace and understanding all the meanwhile trying to show americans the truth of our international policies?

[cali]

7. That's from the NY Sun. I highly doubt

Columbia will suffer any repercussions over having Ahmadinejad speak there.

[Demit]

10. The Speaker of the State Assembly, NYC Council members, Columbia alumni are all quoted

The article outlines exactly the ways in which they all will seek to visit retribution on Columbia. That's not the paper itself speaking, this time.

[bluestateguy]

8. I'd rather Columbia be punished for using legacy admissions

I find that far more distasteful to democracy than allowing Akmawhateverhisnameis to speak.

[eppur_se_muova]

11. Go after the real offenders ... Yale and Harvard.

They're the ones who let Chimpy ride Daddy's coattails into college.

[babylonsister]

9. Again, instead of letting us hear the message, kill the messenger.

:grr: :grr:

[DBoon]

12. Because we should only hear what our government wants us to hear?

Because allowing Ahmadinejad to speak for himself is "off message"?

Because evaluating world leaders on the basis of what they actually say is no longer allowed?

[jojo54]

13. What are they going to claim? Defamation of country???

Sorry guys, you're a little late for that - like 6 years too late!!!

[eppur_se_muova]

14. Many colleges let Salman Rushdie speak, why not hear from the opposite extreme?

Is the notion of "balance" completely lost on these people? Oh, of course it is, why even ask.

[alfredo]

15. If Ahmadinejad makes a huge gaff in the Q&A will lawmakers

still penalize Columbia?

[BreweryYardRat]

16. Ahmadinejad's a stupid jackoff, but he does have the right to be invited to speak.

Unpleasant as his bullshit is. So long as he doesn't start advocating murder of (insert group here -- probably the poor Jews) up there on the stage, I'm fine with it.

Hell, if the idiots at my university can invite that bitch Ann Coulter to speak, I don't see why Columbia shouldn't invite Ahmadinejad. At least he's an important figure in world affairs, even if he is batshit insane.

And for the record, Coulter advocated killing abortion doctors within the first five minutes of her speech. I went there to protest with a bunch of other people -- and walked out before the main group was scheduled to. No reason I should listen to that shit -- and I'm pretty sure that advocating murder of entire groups isn't allowed under freedom of speech.

[uppityperson]

17. k&r for free speech.

[Bitwit1234]

18. Are the same people so scared of what someone is going to say

they want to deny them from saying it...that's exactly why bush exempted real Americans from his campaign stops. He didn't want people to hear what they had to say, and the reason, they might believe some of it was true.

If you don't allow people to hear all sides of the story than they are not getting the complete picture.

And to set the story straight. Are these people who are protesting this man's right to speak so stupid, so ignorant, so SCARED that they think intelligent, real patriotic Americans would change in a minute to become his followers.

I think by this man speaking, and if he gives his views which are so contrary to ours, it will only strengthen our beliefs.