You prove all of this with letters to the editor:
"Ahmadinejad at Columbia
"Editor--The U.S. does not exist in an impenetrable bubble, nor are our government's opinions shared by the entire world."
So far so good. 9-11 proved this already. As 7-7 did for England and 3-11 did for Spain. Some cultures have a problem with different opinions.
"With this in mind, I applaud Columbia University for granting President Ahmadinejad a platform on which to share with us a world view that is very different than the majority of the U.S., but is not unusual in other parts of the world."
Parts of the world where corrupt regimes lord over billions of oil dollars, yet for some reason are unable to provide economic and educational opportunities for their own people? Parts of the world where globalized victimhood is a national identity? You mention "us"; are you saying that you've never experienced this world view before? Or have you always distrusted Western motives and were just waiting for a Holocaust-denying and homosexual-murdering regime to validate your postmodern liberalism?
"Although I do not agree with most of the views he shared, it is important to hear and acknowledge them nonetheless."
Which views are important to hear and acknowledge? Be specific in trying to distance yourself from real tyranny. Are you referring to the view that there are no homosexuals in Iran? That the validity of the Holocaust needs to be re-examined? That he should be allowed to have a nuclear weapon just because we have nuclear weapons? Or is it just because he also thinks that 9-11 might have been an inside job?
"Neither the U.S. nor Israel--"
First mention of Israel. I was waiting for it. You had me worried you were sleeping on the job.
"--is loved internationally, as Ahmadinejad made clear many times, and understanding this is the first step toward peaceful diplomacy in the Middle East and beyond."
Well, there's a lot of people in America and Israel that don't care for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Maybe if Ahmadinejad understood this, we could work towards peaceful diplomacy. However, the ball is in our court because Ahmadinejad has darker skin and speaks Arabic.
"I thought that I was going to hear some shocking remarks from the Iranian President's speech at Columbia University."
Without a spine, you can't feel shock. Had you one, you would have heard denials of homosexual rights, the Holocaust, 9-11, and tolerance of Western liberalism. This isn't religious morality I'm espousing. You don't need to believe in God. You just need to believe in your own eyes and ears.
"Instead, my shock and anger came from listening to Columbia's President Lee Bollinger. His rude and inappropriate speech made America look crude and base. That is not how guests are treated, no matter their personal views."
Well, I would have volunteered to suck his cock, but you can get killed that way:
Now that's what I call rude and inappropriate.Tsk! Tsk!
"The Columbia 'ambush' of Mr. Ahmadinejad will create sympathy for the Iranian president throughout the world. . ."
Especially sympathetic will be cowards like yourself who wish to avoid "rudeness" and "inappropriateness" at any price.
"Despite the abhorrent behavior of Bollinger, there was some good that came out of the event. Ahmadinejad's speech was well received by most of the young audience."
Yes, this gives me great hope for our future as a civilization. Did it ever occur to you that today's young audiences might very well be stupid?
"And in spite of all the propaganda spewed by Bollinger--"
Here's some of Bollinger's "propaganda"(which he cleverly disguised as legitimate questions in an open-debate forum): "We at this university have not been shy to challenge the failures of our own government to live by our values, and we won't be shy about criticizing yours. Let's then be clear at the beginning. Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator. And so I ask you, why have women, members of the Baha'i faith, homosexuals and so many of our academic colleagues become targets of persecution in your country?"
"--the audience and the Iranian president actually connected on an intellectual level."
Is it ever possible for a speaker and an audience to connect on the level of shared stupidity? If an entire German nation threw their lot in with Hitler, would those numbers reflect intellectualism or baseness?
"The applause by the students given to Ahmadinejad shows some people were actually willing to listen and learn from the exchange."
Are you saying that every time somebody gets applause, they must have had something valid to say? Well, well. . .
