Iran's Ahmadinejad to speak at US university

Originally posted by DeadFlagBlues
I also think public debate of world leaders helps secure a true and absolute form of checks and balances. You know, that weird word that we used to require when referencing war and all other political decisions....

Thats what the UN is for, not U.S. universities. You can hear him speak at the UN. Whats the problem?

reply to post by 4thDoctorWhoFan


how long have you been on abovetopsecert
read past topics and replies and you will see

Originally posted by bodrul
how long have you been on abovetopsecert

What does this have to do with the price of cheese?
Just because I have not been on ATS for long, does not mean I haven't been immersed into these topics before.

read past topics and replies and you will see

See what?

reply to post by 4thDoctorWhoFan


because its been talked about so much on ATS over the years
US and the people it sponsors
US and its invasions and so on.

Here is a few things from the Campus website.

The Department of Public Safety is working closely with both the New York Police Department and the Secret Service - as we do for all major events on campus - to ensure the safety and security of all members of the University community during this high profile event. Please take note of the following procedures we are putting in place to maintain a safe and secure campus environment on Monday:

UNIVERSITY ID CARD NEEDED TO ACCESS CAMPUS
114TH STREET GATES CLOSED
NOISE POLICY EXTENDED

Visit the url provided for further information.

Also:

On Monday, September 24th, 2007 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will speak
and participate in a question and answer session with university faculty and students at
Columbia University’s World Leaders Forum. His appearance is sponsored by
Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, which is initiating a year-long
series of lectures and events on thirty years of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The SIPA
lecture series will include academic experts as well as former officials and critics of the
Islamic Republic.

President Bollinger will introduce the event by challenging President Ahmadinejad on a
number of his controversial statements and his government’s policies, including his
denial of the Holocaust and his call for the destruction of the State of Israel. The US
government has accused Ahmadinejad’s government of supporting terrorism and
developing nuclear weapons capacity. Human rights groups have charged Iran with
suppressing dissent and women’s rights. Columbia students and faculty will themselves
have an opportunity to question Iran’s leader on these and other issues.
Dean Coatsworth stated that “Opportunities to hear, challenge, and learn from
controversial speakers of different views are central to the education and training of
students for citizenship in a shrinking and still dangerous world. This is especially true
for SIPA students, many of whose careers will require them to confront human rights and
security issues throughout the globe.”

so it appears 4thdoctorwho, jsobecky, and other critics, that if you would actually listen and study this event, you may recieve some of the answers to your concerns.

[edit on 9/22/2007 by DYepes]

[edit on 9/22/2007 by DYepes]

Originally posted by 4thDoctorWhoFan

Originally posted by DeadFlagBlues
I also think public debate of world leaders helps secure a true and absolute form of checks and balances. You know, that weird word that we used to require when referencing war and all other political decisions....

Thats what the UN is for, not U.S. universities. You can hear him speak at the UN. Whats the problem?

Poor point if you had taken into consideration the amount of litigation in the U.N. And also... It's not a real time source which can be more telling than any written speech.

reply to post by Majic

Originally posted by Majic
My copy of the United States Constitution doesn't prohibit me from hearing what President Ahmadinejad has to say.

Perhaps your copy originated in a different country?

And your copy of the Constitution doesn't prohibit you from communicating openly and freely with the citizens of Iran, either.

But you can't communicate with them, can you?

Ahmadinejad and the mullahs have prohibited them from communicating with you.

So why should Amhadinejad be afforded the same right that he denies others?

He should be punished by imposing the same penalty on him that he imposes on the Iranian people.

reply to post by jsobecky


Do you mean personal communication? I see pods out of Iran from western journalists all the time...

Current TV

Check that out for some pretty cool pods about Iran if they still have them up.

reply to post by DYepes

Originally posted by DYepes

so it appears 4thdoctorwho, jsobecky, and other critics, that if you would actually listen and study this event, you may recieve some of the answers to your concerns.

UH-huh. Here's how it is going to go, DYepes:

Bollinger: Mr. Amadinejad, there have been accusations that you have called for the destruction of Israel. Will you answer these outrageous zionist claims by these liars?

Ahmadinejad: Certainly my friend. They are false. I was talking about a, umm,, strip of sand or something. Not the Jewish people. Next question, please.

But you can't communicate with them, can you?

Actually, I was just on IRC not 5 minutes ago speaking with over a dozen people from Iran.

Iranians also have the right to leave their country, among many other rights that we have. They have a democratic government. Yes, they have a figurehead at the top, but he doesn't do much more than the Queen of England does as royalty.

The Iranian people are really not that much different from us.

It heard it's by far the most liberal country in the entire region.. Let's keep that on the hush-hush..

reply to post by 4thDoctorWhoFan


Nice attempt of turning away from the points I made. Don't debate, just turn it on me! Proves my point that you have nothing else to back your claims up... purely just a flawed 'oppinion'.

As for comparing me with yourself -- I actually do have evidence & am willing to go find it, let me know what you want. I havent had the need to present it, because noone has accepted my challenge... if you see in my first posts I offered the 'challenge' to someone there who also made baseless accusations with nothing to back himself up. I'm not the one making outlandish claims -- you are. Therefore it's on you to provide the proof -- Than I'll counter. But of course all you have is media reports, eh? I truly feel sorry for you if thats what your using to judge someone you know absolutely nothing about.



Have a nice day.

[edit on 22/9/07 by Navieko]

[edit on 22/9/07 by Navieko]

reply to post by johnsky

Originally posted by johnsky

But you can't communicate with them, can you?

Actually, I was just on IRC not 5 minutes ago speaking with over a dozen people from Iran.

Iranians also have the right to leave their country, among many other rights that we have. They have a democratic government. Yes, they have a figurehead at the top, but he doesn't do much more than the Queen of England does as royalty.

The Iranian people are really not that much different from us.

IRC?

The people are not different. I have no issue with the Iranian people.

Iran is an Islamic Theocracy. They have an official religion. Their "elections" are a sham (and please, don't even try the old Diebold argument). Travel into and out of Iran is not unrestricted. They hang 16 year old girls for having a "harsh tongue". Political prisoners are common.

Ahmadinejad has no real power, so you are incorrect there, also. The true ruler of Iran is Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamanei and his band of merry mullahs.

reply to post by DeadFlagBlues

Originally posted by DeadFlagBlues
It heard it's by far the most liberal country in the entire region.. Let's keep that on the hush-hush..

Yeah, they are liberal alright..

Iran in July also said that a convicted adulterer had been stoned to death in a village in the northwestern province of Qazvin, the first such confirmed such execution in five years.

Capital offences in Iran include murder, rape, armed robbery, apostasy, blasphemy, serious drug trafficking, pederasty, adultery or prostitution, treason and espionage.

www.politicalgateway.com...

Originally posted by Navieko
Nice attempt of turning away from the points I made.

I was doing nothing of the sort because you made NO points!

Don't debate, just turn it on me! Proves my point that you have nothing else to back your claims up... purely just a flawed 'oppinion'.

Again.....you have made no point or claims to debate. All you offer is your opinion which is fine but don't act like its fact. However, when I offer my opinion backed up with fact you have a problem. Go figure.

As for comparing me with yourself

Sorry, but I did no such thing.

I havent had the need to present it

Thanks for admitting you have offered no facts or proof. Thats what I have been saying. Thanks for proving my point.

NEXT.......

[edit on 22-9-2007 by 4thDoctorWhoFan]

Originally posted by johnsky
The Iranian people are really not that much different from us.

See, we finally agree on something. The Iranian people really are not that different from us. In fact, they are very 'westernized'. Unfortunately for them, they are being run and controlled by lunatics.

Originally posted by DYepes
so it appears 4thdoctorwho, jsobecky, and other critics, that if you would actually listen and study this event, you may recieve some of the answers to your concerns.

I am not concerned.
I just have no interest in listening to a tyrant spew his propaganda. He is only going to say what he feels the American people want to hear. It will not be the truth or what he really feels and if you think otherwise then you are exactly the type of person his speech is aimed towards.

Point, Ahmadingdong should be arrested as soon as he lands. He is the head of a terrorist state. He advocates genocid. The UN treaty does NOT cover such animals. He has no "right" to come to the UN whatsoever.

Arrest him, try him at Gitmo, execute him with bullits smeared in pigfat........

Originally posted by astmonster
Point, Ahmadingdong should be arrested as soon as he lands. He is the head of a terrorist state. He advocates genocid. The UN treaty does NOT cover such animals. He has no "right" to come to the UN whatsoever.

Arrest him, try him at Gitmo, execute him with bullits smeared in pigfat........

Arrested for what exactly? You all keep saying he supports terror, but only cite like two groups fighting Israel. He is not an illegal dictator, he was voted into power. That is a known fact. He has not much blood on his hands at all. Nowhere near as much blood as his American counterparts I must say.

America has funded dozens if not hundreds of terrorist groups across the planet for the last half century+, why do you all continue to think that is not as guilty as only supporting two independance movements? Hezbollah exists only because of Israeli agression. That leaves Hamas, which definetly is not a field of flowers, but nowhere nearly comes close to the level of terror the West instigates internationally.

If anyone of you facist, extremist critics (of which the previous two posters have shown themselves to be) could suffer one single day in a single neighborhood in any number of the countries the West intentionally and systematically keeps opressed and destabalized, your thinking would be completely opposite.


[edit on 9/22/2007 by DYepes]