Glen Greenwald: Columbia to be punished for hosting the new Hitler enemy

[babylonsister]

Columbia to be punished for hosting the new Hitler enemy

All of the hysteria over Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speaking at Columbia University is so tiresome for so many reasons, beginning with the fact that it is all rather transparently motivated by exactly what Juan Cole says: "The real reason his visit is controversial is that the American right has decided the United States needs to go to war against Iran. Ahmadinejad is therefore being configured as an enemy head of state."

In their minds, we are at war with Iran -- even though, in reality, i.e., according to our Constitution, we are not -- and all of the ensuing hysteria is rooted in the fantasy world they occupy in which Iran is our Enemy at War. By their nature, such fantasies cannot be reasoned with.

This desire to prevent people from speaking when they express views that one finds offensive is just always baffling. That is true in general, and includes even pettier though still inane suppression efforts such as this one, which recently resulted in the recission of an invitation to Larry Summers to speak at an event for the University of California regents. Other than converting the individual into a martyr and dramatically elevating their importance, what do people think is accomplished when a person with a certain viewpoint is denied a forum?

In any event, there is not much new worth saying about the "debate" over whether Columbia should have invited Ahmadinejad to speak. People either believe in the value of having academic institutions be a venue for airing all viewpoints or they do not.

Exactly as is true for the First Amendment, it is so often the case that those who claim to believe in this principle when it comes to ideas they like suddenly find all sorts of reasons why the "principle" does not apply when it comes to ideas they hate most. And -- as is true for Osama bin Laden -- nobody has done more to inflate the importance and power of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (who, just by the way, is not even the leader of Iran, let alone the WorldWide Evil Axis of Hitlerian Dictators) than those who have focused on him obsessively.

But what is new, and what most certainly is worth commenting upon, is this extremely disturbing report from The New York Sun regarding the threats made by Democratic State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to use state power to punish Columbia for inviting a speaker whom Silver dislikes. Silver -- who, among other things, has long been a leader in efforts to free convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard from prison -- did not even bother to disguise the threats he was making:

more...

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/09/24/ahmadinejad/index.html?source=rss

[Solly Mack]

1. ...

...

[bryant69]

2. Glenn Greenwald is a national treasure

In my opinion.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Rob H.]

8. Seconding that

I just finished his book A Tragic Legacy: How a Good vs. Evil Mentality Destroyed the Bush Presidency last week and it was excellent. (In truth, I'd like to sit down and read parts of it again but I let a friend borrow it.)

[BlooInBloo]

19. Yup. He's great. It's a pity more DUers don't read him....

... He furnishes an excellent example of what dispassionate research and intellect looks like.

[Cha]

3. Wish we could "punish" the politicians

who act like fucking fascists under the guise of dems.

[Double T]

4. Sheldon Silver is a complete ASS! This guy should be the poster child........

for having term limits! How can we EVER resolve problems if we are NOT willing to listen to the other side and have a dialog. No wonder everything in the ME is 'solved' by military attacks and war. IDIOTS!!

[PM Martin]

5. Here we go again. A Democrat want censureship, yet again.

:eyes:

Sheldon Silver needs to be ousted!

[Rex]

6. This was made so apparent to me when we sat down with our

old time friend/enemy (now dead) Iraqi dictator Saddam and popped up that bag of popcorn to see the spectacle.

Iranian George? So what if he blabs at an American college!? That still doesn't rank worse than Janet Jacksons 'wardrobe malfunction' or OJ Simpson resurrected!

2 week headliner, yawn and forgotten.

[Clark2008]

7. Looks like we need to write Silver.

BTW, my last name - it's Jewish - that actually might make a point.

[John Kerry VonErich]

9. Silver is the least of the worries

Duncun Hunter is gonna introduce legestlation to defund Columbia entirely. That maybe much more worrisome.

[Zandor]

10. Columbia should be punished

Kudos to those doing it.

They have the right to host it - and the responsibility to pay the price for it.

[chimpymustgo]

11. Why should they be punished? I felt very fortunate to be able to hear from MA.

We have to keep our minds open.

[babylonsister]

16. The poster is a one trick pony; no amount of persuasion will

shake him/her loose from that viewpoint. I've seen it all afternoon.

[Zandor]

17. Strong on this issue, not a one trick pony n/t

[Zandor]

18. Fortunate?

He's a Holocaust denying, terrorist supporting, gay executing asshole.

They are free to host his propaganda, others free to make them pay for it. They call that America.

[Raster]

12. Why should Columbia be punished?

[DearAbby]

13. Are we at war with Iran?

What is wrong with open dialog? Why should the university be punished for this? What wrong did they do?

[Jazzgirl]

14. You are wrong.

Columbia was at least big enough to want to hear what he had to say and challenge what he has said. It is a sad day when American's decide it's okay to punish those that want to create a dialogue with people that don't think like we do.

[uppityperson]

21. Guess you don't believe in hearing opposing viewpoints, want them to be punished

for daring have this jerk come speak. I'm watching you.

[pingzing58]

15. Ahmadinejad holds the viewpoint as does the U.S., the Vatican and others that there should be

a Palestinian nation-state. If Israel declares that the Palestinian people have no right to a homeland or nation then MA says there should be no Israeli nation-state. If the U.S. along with the Israelies have already begun to bomb Syrian nuclear development sites and the Iranians know they are next why should he not say Death to America? Bush claims us for fools. Is it going to take a Palestinian genocide (that many say has been happening since 1944) for the world to feel sorry for them and carve out a nation for them like the world did for the Isralies? We have not condemned the atrocities committed by the Israelies on the Palestinians with enough political and vocal force. The plight of the Palestinians must be presented to the American public in order to balance the controlling viewpoint of Israelies, American Israelies and Christian Zionists.

[Joanne98]

20. Sheldon Silver takes an oath to defend the Constitution...

If he finds himself unable to do that for personal reasons, he should resign!