AmericanPapist Comments
In a related matter, I thought you might be interested in this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o...h?
v=osRDemXv0_I
which I saw on Dawn Eden's web site http://www.dawneden.com/blogger.html
Great video, John. I think it deserves its own post.
My favorite quote regarding this has to be from Yonni on the Hugh Hewitt show (talk radio). When Hugh brought up Columbia's assertion that they would ask Ahmedinijad (sp ... whatever) "tough questions" Yonni responded:
"A tough question should be to shoot him in the kneecap and ask if it hurts."
Columbia Univeristy has become a parody of itself. Harvard is not far behind. Not that either will ever feel it. I understand that their endowments dwarf those of the 20 largest Catholic universities in America combined. So, like the rich everywhere, their administrators will be spared experiencing the consequences of their decisions in this life.
I'm of the opinion that Columbia rightfully invited the Iranian president. Universities are a place for a free exchange of ideas, even Catholic ones. The beauty is that you get an opportunity to argue against the ideas you disagree with. He made, to be quite generous, several gaffes in his talk, and because of the coverage it received on the news, many more Americans now know this leader is a different, possibly imbalanced cat, and now we can formulate rebuttals against him. Again, the free exchange of ideas to advance knowledge is the purpose (or should be) of universities.
Nathan, you sound well meaning, but naive. Iran's chief thug gained a tremendous propoganda victory by appearing at Columbia notwithstanding President Bollinger's weak attempt to dress him down. I doubt Bollinger's comments will be reported in Iran or in any other Islamic countries. I don't believe all ideas are created equal and some are not deserving of a public forum: Holocaust deniers anyone? The Earth is flat anyone? I find it particularly ironic Columbia would invite this loon but preclude the ROTC from being on the Columbia campus because of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Invite a man who would execute every homosexual on site but keep out the military who ultimately
would be called upon to defend Columbia's misguided efforts at "intellectual inquiry." God cannot resolve a contradiciton but apparently Columbia can.Tom
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