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- 5. September 2008: Off to the races
- 11. April 2008: Um, say again?!?
- 21. March 2008: Hypocritical Embarassment
- 7. January 2008: Nothing worth writing
- 9. October 2007: A wider stance
- 5. October 2007: You Coward
- 29. September 2007: Don't Get Me Started
- 25. September 2007: Everyone is wrong about him
- 21. September 2007: What are they protesting?
- 18. September 2007: I'm baaaack!
Everyone is wrong about him
The “him” I refer to is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. And the stories over the past few days have come fast and furious. From the initial outcry over Columbia University’s hosting him to the comments he made at the United Nations, Americans really haven’t followed the true meaning behind these events.
The fact is that his participation in the event at Columbia University was necessary to prove the true power of democracy. I was astounded and gratefully amazed at the University President’s comments which challenged President Ahmadinejad views. And Ahmadinejad’s reaction and subsequent fall was the most perfect example of why this effort had significant value. The derision he was met with when he stated that there were no gays in Iran is not something he is used to. But he, and the world, need to see that true democracy allows idiots to spout their lies and fallacies but to also be challenged for them. He couldn’t defend his views and so he lost, a true victory.
Unfortunately, those people who protested his appearance, while they have the full right to do so, obviously didn’t get it. They didn’t want him to have the right to speak his piece in a forum where people could choose to be…or not. If he had been barred from participating, then, remarkably enough, his views would have been validated because we would not be living in a democracy. If the protesters had been there to challenge his views, then I feel they would have been valid. But to seek to deny him the opportunity to speak? I suggest you read the Constitution of the United States again. And thank your lucky stars that we have not (yet) fallen from that ideal.