Unless you have been under a rock somewhere you have probably heard that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in New York City today. The President of Iran is here to address the United Nations and, as per his usual M.O., he has stirred up quite a stink.
The diminutive populist leader of the largest terrorist sponsoring state in the world had the gall to request a police escort and taxpayer sponsored protection for a photo op of him laying a wreath at the former site of the now fallen World Trade Center's Twin Towers. The first report was that Mayor Bloomberg was going to allow it, but I was thrilled when I saw NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelley say, "No." That was not going to happen. The sawed off Islam-o-fascist former Mayor of Tehran was offended by the decision to keep him away from that hallowed ground. Can you imagine that? In this writer's humble opinion this character is not worthy to even step foot on American soil.
After all, some of his stated goals are to rid the world of the influence of "The Great Satan", (the USA) and to "wipe Israel from the map". He jails dissidents and critical members of the press in his own country. His country is pouring millions of dollars of arms into Iraq which are being used by insurgents to send our men and women home in body bags. He is pursuing a nuclear program which has an unsettling effect on that troubled region, and the whole world! Many western intelligence sources believe that Ahmadinejad, who denies the historic accounts of the Holocaust, is planning one of his own. What a guy! Hitler would be proud.
Even though Ahmadinejad's trip to ground zero was short circuited by common sense, Columbia University, in an act of unbelievable disregard for the memory of the dead of 9/11 and the sensibilities of our Jewish citizens and our Israeli allies, has extended him an invitation to speak at that great university.
Now don't get me wrong. I am all about free speech. I thank God for our Bill of Rights which allows me to speak freely on any subject, popular or not. While on American soil, the Iranian president (while he jails students and political opponents in Iran) has the right to be wrong. Furthermore, he has the right to express that wrong opinion. That being said, however, why should Columbia University offer him a forum for spewing his hate, or issuing false propaganda? Why dignify this low life with such a "bully pulpit"? Why insult our allies and our fighting men and women by giving him a single photo op - much less an open microphone? Free speech? Sure. Common sense? Far from it!
How ironic that the Holocaust denier be allowed to speak at Columbia. The thirteenth President of Columbia University was none other than Dwight D. Eisenhower, who as a five star General, was the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II. After Germany's unconditional surrender on May 8, 1945 the country was divided up into four occupation zones governed by the US, Great Britain, France, and The Soviet Union. Eisenhower was made Military Governor of the US Occupation Zone. It was under Eisenhower's watch at Frankfurt that the full revelations about Hitler's death camps began to come to light. As Military Governor, General Eisenhower ordered camera crews to document the full extent of the atrocities and the horrors of the Holocaust, lest anyone (including this madman from Iran) should ever try to deny it's existence.
The very thought of Ahmadinejad being invited to speak at Columbia, where Eisenhower presided from 1948 to 1953, is enough to make poor old Ike turn over in his grave at Gettysburg!
Dr. Lee Bollinger, Columbia's President who issued the invitation should be ashamed.
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