A Blog For All: Recapping Ahmadinejad's Columbia Lecture:
"Let me recap Ahmadinejad's adventure at Columbia University yesterday.
Bollinger's introduction was certainly not the kind of experience that
Ahmadinejad was used to. Ahmadinejad isn't comfortable in a room unless he knows
full well that his thugs can take anyone who looks at him crosseyes and deal
with them accordingly - preferably never to be seen again. This event was billed
as dialog, but it was nothing of the sort. It was a lecture - a painful one at
that. Ahmadinejad claims to be a professor and lecturer, and yet it was painful
to listen to - notwithstanding the awful translator used. When pressed to answer
direct questions, he refused to do so because the answer would expose Iran's
true intentions, even though he's repeatedly made similar statements in the
media."
This is the magic of freedom of speech. If there is a fool in the town, and no one will let him speak, maybe people will start to wonder what the fool has to say. They will have short secret talks with him, and pass around rumors about his ideas. He will say that the town leaders are afraid, or they would allow him to speak. However, you let the fool stand in the public square, and speak his mind, and everyone in town will see and understand what a fool he is. The town leaders will have allowed him to show himself a fool, and nothing that should be feared.
