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Ahmadinejad deserves to be heard

Monday, October 29 at 10:19 AM

A.J. Hill of Nederland writes:

Victor Davis Hanson joins other right-wing extremists in condemning Columbia University for allowing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to speak because he’s a “bad” person and shouldn’t be rewarded with a prestigious platform (“Madness on campus,” Sept. 29). In doing so, Hanson demonstrates his abysmal ignorance of the First Amendment.
When the Founders devoted the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights to the protection of speech, they hadn’t the slightest intention of rewarding or punishing anyone’s ideology. They subscribed to the Enlightenment principle that open and unrestricted expression of all ideas, good and bad, is the surest approach to truth. That is, they believed in the wisdom of a fully informed public.
Hanson and others like him don’t share this conviction. Instead they believe that Americans must be protected from meretricious ideologies by ... well, by people like himself, who know which ideas can be entrusted to us.
Ahmadinejad earned occasional applause from the Columbia audience, which demonstrates merely that he can express admirable ideas, whether he believes them or not; but his assertion that Iran “does not have” homosexuals earned derisive jeers and laughter. This is the way democracy works — and works best — when we see and hear every side of an argument.

This letter has not been edited.

READER COMMENTS

A J,

Does that Constitution (1st Amendment) you talked about include the minutemen;s freedom of speech or does it just apply to any America hater?

Posted by jgd777 on October 29, 2007 04:14 PM

Right on AJ!

Great idea...extend First Amendment rights to terrorists who wont extend the same rights to their own people. The guy's the president of the world's biggest state sponsor of terrorism with the blood of thousands of innocent men women and children on their hands and they want more. Let's not forget we have technically been at war with Iran since they invaded our embassy in 1979 and then proceeded to murder our troops on a peace keeping mission in Lebanon in 1982.

Posted by mmw303 on October 29, 2007 04:18 PM

since when does the first amendment apply to a dictator from a terrorist country?
the only giddy happy moments aj refers to is when other america haters got their rocks off. please aj invite him over for dinner some time and have your wife show off her new outfit of cloth head to toe so as to not make him upset by seeing skin

Posted by on October 29, 2007 04:19 PM

By all means let the mentally ill, beady eyed rat speak.... so young people can listen to a ruthless dictator and shake their heads at the warped, vicious, messages he spews like sulphuric acid.

"Rewarding or punishing Ideology" be damned ..I would make a bet our forefathers would not allow this man to speak anywhere in America!!!

Will you be moving to Iran soon Mr. Hill for more enlightenment?

Posted by A on October 29, 2007 05:17 PM

AJ: You are absolutely correct that he did and does have the right (whether through the US Constitution, however, remains doubtful) to speak his mind. You are probably also correct in saying that the founding fathers would have welcomed him... whether they agreed with him or not. Enlightened people are ALWAYS going to allow others to voice their opinions and ideas. (might I add that they seldom would they berate those with whom they disagree).

One of the last truly 'enlightened' Americans was Adlai Stevenson. He believed that to investigate and castigate people with whom you disagree will only cause them to go further underground and, let's face it, when something is underground, it may be unseen, but it still exists.

KISSES!!!

Posted by Sheila on October 29, 2007 05:30 PM

Hugo was right. I too smell GOP sulfur. Iran's President I'm a-nut-job's bodybags, pale in comparison to of those Bush. Bush has "vaporized" (80K) in Iraq-NAM, not including our nearly 4,000 dead kids.

Posted by 40acresandmymuleandNAMvetbennies on October 29, 2007 06:03 PM

sheila,What in the hell are you babbleing about.Our founding fathers would of have that scum bag hanging from the gallows.This is a guy giving money and weapons to terrorist to kill American troops in Iraq.Oh now I get it,your a liberal and we know liberals support the terrorist against our troops.

Posted by Keith on October 29, 2007 10:04 PM

A.J.,
A-jad is not a U.S. citizen and is not accorded any first amendment rights, and his presentation at Columbia was at best laughable. Columbia's invitation to A-jad, even solely on the merits of intellectual discourse, was highly dubious and the university deserves the criticism.

Keith: "You're a liberal and we know liberals support the terrorists against our troops."

Keith, that comment was as stupid as A-jad's whole speech at Columbia. As of now, 75% of the American public is against the Iraq occupation. So are you saying that 75% of America is against the troops? You're no better than A-jad.

Posted by Dan on October 29, 2007 10:25 PM

Dan,

I think Keith was just refering to the liberals who are actually hoping we lose the war for political reasons. The other 60% of the people just want the war to end, for the sake of the country and have our men and women back home.

Posted by on October 30, 2007 12:16 AM

mmw303,

You really need to look up your history, not the history right wing radio offers, but look farther back.

Ok, I'll help a bit.

Kermit Roosevelt singlehandedly did what the Brits entire intelligence organization could not do, overthrow the Iranian President in 1953.

Thanks to our CIA, and Roosevelt, the duly elected president was overthrown and the craven Shah was installed as dictator. It took 26 years to reverse the damage, but seizing the US embassy was crucial to do so, why? Because Roosevelt used the embassy as a base in which to hire thugs and plot his moves to depose Mohammad Mosaddeq.

In 1979 the Shah and his corrupt regime crumbled, Carter foolishly remained a Shah supporter, rather than mend fences and letting the Iranians arrest and try/execute the Shah, he forced the Iranian hand. The resulting hostage situation forever changed the way of Islamic American perceptions.

Posted by Holy Reality on October 30, 2007 09:33 AM

Actually, Dan and Anonymous: Keith was trying to make a connection between apples and paper in the printer tray.

I am not a liberal, I am not a conservative. I am, however, a thinking, intelligent, well-travelled individual who knows how to look at all sides of an argument and decide my opinion of an issue. I don't rely on political affiliation to make my mind up for me.

KISSES!!!

Posted by Sheila on October 30, 2007 09:37 AM

Dan and 4:19,

Rights are inalienable, All have the right to speak.

Defending free speech is defending speech of what one disagrees to hear.

Posted by Holy Reality on October 30, 2007 09:39 AM

Holy Reality,

"Rights are inalienable, All have the right to speak".

"Defending free speech is defending speech of what one disagrees to hear."

Why then did the same students at Columbia shout down and refuse to allow the Minutemen to speak?

Does "freedom of speech" only pertain to the anti-America group? And how about our own Democrat senators trying to silence the radio and TV talk show hosts, is this your idea of "freedom of speech"?

Posted by jgd777 on October 30, 2007 12:38 PM

Ending a post with the word KISSES is absolutely nauseating!

Try and grow up Sheila. Some people will not find your opinions credible, when you offer sicky sweet nonsense at the conclusion of your posts. Too much sugar isn't good for anyone!

Posted by T on October 30, 2007 12:45 PM

A.J. Hill from Nederland writes................

Isn't Nederland just a few miles west of Boulder? That should explain it all bwahahaha!!

Posted by on October 30, 2007 12:57 PM

Holy Reality, how bout answering jgd777's question concerning the Columbia students shouting down the Minutemen but inviting the dictatorial mental midget, Amadinejad to speak.

What happened to the AMERICAN Minutemens right of free speech???

An answer would be appreciated.

Posted by A on October 30, 2007 01:10 PM

Yeah....we're waiting......

Looks like YOUR version of free speech only applies to those you agree with, like anti-semite rulers.

Posted by RickyLee on October 30, 2007 05:43 PM

Ricky Lee,

You could wait until the cows come home, because I have never had any far left liberal answer that question.

Posted by jgd777 on October 30, 2007 06:35 PM

Ahmadinejad deserves to be hung!!

Posted by on October 30, 2007 08:45 PM

T: This one's for you:

KISSES!!! :-)

(Being grumpy isn't all that attractive, by the way)

Kisses!!!

Posted by Sheila on October 30, 2007 11:34 PM

Sheila, acting like a 14 year old school girl signing a friends yearbook, isn't attractive either!

Does your mother know you're on the computer trying to play adult?

Posted by T on October 31, 2007 01:27 PM

Ah, T, honey, what's the matter?

i have heard that my posts are too honest for some people, but i thought you would look past the oh-goddess-forbid-KINDNESS and read to the 'heart' of the matter (is mention of the word 'heart' too much, too?)

KSSES!!!

Posted by Sheila on October 31, 2007 01:35 PM