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Brett Hetherington of Aurora writes:

I was incredulous at Victor David Hanson’s illogical attempt to validate his view that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should have been censored with other examples of censorship! While “free speech comes out one side of his mouth, he advocates censorship with the other!
Incredulity turned to deep discomfort when his bio disclosed that he is apparently an instructor at one of America’s premier Universities.
Hanson starts by railing against Ahmadinejad’s railings, letting us know loud and clear what his opinion is of letting a “petty bigot” address an audience of American citizens. He manages to drag Hitler into the conversation, then promptly begins to list other people who were suppressed because their views didn’t agree with someone besides Hanson.
OK Victor. Since you didn’t get a cookie, nobody else should either. Wow, playground politics.
Three glaring errors completely destroy Hanson’s credibility as a rational person.
Free speech is free. Everybody gets to speak or it’s not free speech. Boolean in its simplicity, Hanson doesn’t get it.
Ahmadinejad stood up in front of a large audience of Americans and proved Hanson’s point that he’s a nut job. Hanson should be happy, instead he espouses his third logical error.
Ahmadinejad’s audience was what we hope are the future leaders of America and their teachers. Hanson arrogantly implies that the audience is too stupid to realize it is being addressed by a fool. He completely misses the point, that is precisely why Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Hitler too, for that matter, should have been allowed to speak to a free audience in a free country. There’s no fool like the one you meet face to face.
I wonder if Hanson knows that, as a history teacher, his illogic is much more dangerous to young minds than the raving of a third world tough guy.

This letter has not been edited.

READER COMMENTS

so brett when is hugo coming to dinner?

Victor Davis (it is "Davis," dear letter writer) Hanson is probably the most logical Democrat around today. You see, he knows where our freedoms come from. He understands history, and knows freedoms must be defended, constantly and dilignltly. He understands the constraints of free speech. He understands it is illogical to hand a sword to your enemy when he is trying to kill you.

Hey Brett,
What an open mind you have, being filled by the best of all the stuff the world has to offer. Be sure not to miss any of the open lectures being given by Ward Churchill at C.U. They'll add to the pile you've already accumulated.

Brett,

"Ahmadinejad stood up in front of a large audience of Americans and proved Hanson’s point that he’s a nut job."

And this "nut job" was given a standing ovation from the students of Columbia. The real "nut jobs" were the ones in the audience and the ones who invited him to speak in the first place.

Gene, when did Iran become the enemy? When the neocons decided it's time to invade it? When did Iran try to kill the US? Here we are threatening all sorts of attacks, including nuclear attacks, on yet anohter country that hasn't harmed us. That seems barbaric to me.

Columbia University president Bollinger disgraced himself when he insulted Ahmedinejad, and he showed his ignorance by talking about him as though he is a tyrant when in fact he has very little actual power. He's not at all like our own president,
who can round up people in foreign countries, toss them in Guantanamo, and throw away the key, where they rot in prison without being charged or tried, let along convicted.

The warmongerers ALWAYs drag Hitler into the picture. That's supposed to scare us so that we approve the invasion of the next country.

Dear Brave Anonymous at 6:56 AM,
I would like to see you go to Iran and tell their no-power non-tyrant leader you disagree with him. Wait, you don’t. And I am sure there are no bad prisons there. Would you like to guess how many of our solders they have killed with the improvised explosive cowardly bombs? Would you be in favor of giving them a nuke, just so they would not feel left out?

Gene, your "arguments" are illogical. For one thing, I don't really know, and I am sure you don't either, that dissent in Iran has the kind of ominous consequences that you allude to. There is plenty of dissent in Iran (and domestic opposition to
Ahmedinejad), from what I've heard. (Incidentally, you can get arrested in this country for wearing a T-shirt with a peace slogan or symbol.) And anyway, whether there are or are not bad prisons in Iran, how is that relevant? Is Iran your frame of reference? It's not mine. I just don't see the point in demonizing it.

I don't know how many US soldiers have been killed by their "cowardly" bombs. I hate to think about how many Iraqi civilians have been killed by our "brave" bombs.

And I don't think anyone should have nuclear weapons. But from what I have read, Iran is acting within the limits of the law. (Israel, which has nuclear weapons, refuses to permit inspection of its facilities. Why haven't we demanded compliance by our client state?) We break laws right and left.

6:56 AM

"Columbia University president Bollinger disgraced himself when he insulted Ahmedinejad, and he showed his ignorance by talking about him as though he is a tyrant when in fact he has very little actual power. "

Please go live in Iran. Can't wait to be rid of you.

06:56

"He's not at all like our own president, who can round up people in foreign countries, toss them in Guantanamo, and throw away the key, where they rot in prison without being charged or tried, let along convicted."

You're right - he simply has them hung, or either personally or through a subordinate, places a speeding bullet in the back of their head.

Much more efficient and economical to be sure.

Brett,

He is Victor Davis Hanson.

Since you don't know the man's name I wonder how much more you don't know about him.

Thing is, we were a democracy that's tenet was habeas corpus before Boosh took office. Before you claim no american citizens, Jose Padilla destroys your argument.

As to VDH sycophants, I guess you've never read the classics like Lysistrata...VDH claims to be classically trained, but depends on utter buffoonery to get his point across. Like his last article..."maybe China and India will adopt radical conservation measures (Oil Hydra)".

Maybe VDH spews crap out both ends, doncha think?

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