So, I was at work all the while, but none the less, roomate Kate was taking fast and furious notes for me on the Ahmadinejad spectacle at Columbia today. The whole area was filled with protest and counter-protest.
Here is the inside skinny:
What we couldn't see on tv was that the whole space was arm to arm covered in Iranian gun toting security and secret service. Kate pointed out that the demographic in the room was largely International Studies Grad students, who are a very international group. So, there were some really conflicting reactions going around. Many thought that Bollinger was grand-standing to appease his critics (and Jewish philanthropic alumni) and thought slamming Ahmadinejad was out of line, others were sickened to the point of walking out because they didn't feel he was treated harshly enough.
I have to say that I am pretty proud of the position that Columbia president, Bollinger took in standing up to Ahmadinejad..I mean, nobody else is doing it. He didn't only take him to task, but he gave him challenges to meet, such as allowing a discussion of this nature at the Univerity system in Iran, with Bollinger, himself as the uncensored speaker.
At the end of Ahmadinejad's philosophic ramblings about angels, education and intellectual curiousity for 'researching' the holocaust, he ended by inviting Columbia and Bollinger to Iran saying you could come to any Univervisity and speak...I'll send you a list of acceptable Universities. ....wait a minute.....sneaky mo fo.
The rest of the week is going to be crazy and my commute to work doubled in length b/c of all the street closings/ congestion from the UN General assembly. Did you know, by the way, that you can still smoke in the UN General Assembly? It's not prohibited, but 'discouraged'. I know mother Mary knows this bit of trivia.
3 comments:
I agree with you. I think that debate was powerful and beneficial. He's obviously not used to having his views challenged and it interested me to see how quickly he folded on the Holocaust. I am, of course, speaking of Bollinger. No, no, no - the other one!
But uh, free discourse is what it's all about over here in the great U.S. of A.- or at least it used to be.
Now I'm hoping Bollinger will host a Presidential debate.
if you look at my other blog (I feel like a total dork saying that) , my roomate wrote much more and more elequantly than I on this whole shin-dig.
That Bollinger really faced a bully. I think we should sick him on suprized eyes Michelle now.
LOL!
How is old rotten tooth?
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