For Soldiers, The Words And Actions Of This Man Have Real Consequences
War is not real in America. America is not at war, the troops are at war. Ahmadinejad is allowed to speak because academia shuns and trivilializes America’s soldiers.
NRO:
From a Soldier:
Yesterday, Columbia University was blessed by the presence of the Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, along with his host of denials (”there are no gays in Iran,” “the holocaust was fabricated, ” and “Iranian women are happy.”) And while Columbia’s president attempted to hit Ahmadinejad with tough questions, the loud applause from the audience, along with Ahmadinejad’s very presence were sufficient indication of the political environment at Columbia. Free speech above all else; unless, of course, we don’t agree with you. Ahmadinejad, while certainly a controversial figure at Columbia, has done enough Bush-bashing and America-cursing to earn him more respect than, say, anyone in the Bush administration.
I spent yesterday on a college campus as well. An hour outside of New York City at Princeton University, the setting was tranquil and subdued. As you would expect, students slowly walked to class, bearded professors led stoic discussions in beautiful classrooms, and community poster boards displayed the latest campus outrage (”Why are there no motion sensitive lights in the Graduate college!?!”).
And while I didn’t expect a fury of activity at Princeton, I was struck by its complete removal from the outside world. War and peace, while discussed from textbooks, are not felt here. And if they’re not felt here—where ROTC is allowed on campus—then I’m certain they are not felt at Columbia. Hence, inviting a man who sanctions the killing of American soldiers in Iraq is considered edgy and engaging, rather than shameful and disgusting.
I share the frustration of my fellow soldiers and Marines when they say, “The country is not at war, we’re at war.” They are, in most ways, correct. However, for the majority of Americans, the war doesn’t directly affect them so they don’t pay close attention. Daily life overwhelms developments on a distant battlefield. But in academia, places like Columbia and Princeton, war is supposed to be studied and discussed, by the brightest minds of the next generation.
But, alas, we all know that war is not studied at “elite” institutions today (neither is morality, but that’s another topic). It’s shunned and trivialized. And therefore, when a murderous dictator comes to campus and spews his international talking-points, everyone nods and congratulates each other for “mutual understanding.” But for the American soldier, the words and actions of this man have real consequences - and they’re taken the life of his comrades on the battlefield. This should be reason enough to deny a man like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a platform to speak.
- By Iraq War vet Pete Hegseth
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That university is an institution of treason and a tool of TERRORISM. Just imagine what kind of propaganda this can create back in Iran! The applause and cheers from the students will only boost the morale of Iranian terrorists. This whole thing is really just sad, and it’s a shame that Columbia would rather support terrorism than their own fellow Americans.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:28 amBRAVO!!
September 25th, 2007 at 9:29 amYou’re absolutely correct.
We’ll do everything we can to change that mindset.
There are definitely good points on both sides of this issue.
I think the question is:
Does Ahmahdinejad’s speech cause more Americans to dislike him than it causes Iranians to like him. I would wager that it does him more harm in the US than good in Iran.
But the troops are another facet to this, what does this say to them. They get killed by this man and we allow him to speak at a college. We should assasinate him at our first opportunity. I don’t think Bush would survive Iran were the roles reversed.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:29 amThe pointy-headed children at these schools need a healthy dose of reality. Compulsory national service for two years. Grow the fuck up a bit, then go to school.
September 25th, 2007 at 9:32 amCompulsory national service yes, compulsory military service no! Thank God for our proffesional military!
September 25th, 2007 at 9:48 am[…] Read and See More — […]
September 25th, 2007 at 9:52 amDMac - good point. A liitle foresight would have allowed Ahmanutjob to go to ground zero. So many windows looking down…Steady hand w/a scope…splatto..”You killed our leader”…Well, no. Somebody did but what the hell are you prepared to do about it?
September 25th, 2007 at 10:02 am[…] Read and See More — […]
September 25th, 2007 at 10:06 am[…] For Soldiers, The Words And Actions Of This Man Have Real Consequences — Pat Dollard […]
September 25th, 2007 at 10:34 amAnd I’m sure in a dramatic show of support for the troops, the open-minded freedom-loving universities everywhere will invite conservatives, vets, and analysts to speak about what we are really up against, and the students’ blinders will come off and they will no longer be sheep…NOT!!!
Being a fairly recent graduate of a fairly liberal university, I was definitely in the minority. College was not what I thought it would be. There is no intelligent debate or sharing of different ideas permitted. If you do not kowtow to the radical left and agree with everything they preach, your papers are down-graded and you become a loner when the sheep kick you out of their herd. baaah, baaah.
September 25th, 2007 at 10:47 amROTC was a breath of fresh air, but even there you had to deal with a “good old boy” system, which was just about as offensive to me as the hippies (but for different reasons)… especially when I came to understand why many enlisted people have a dislike for many of my fellow Jr Officers (couldn’t blame them, really). The college mentality sticks, and many wind up acting like asses towards the troops. Ah, memories… ;-P
God, I just don’t get why can’t both sides just agree to disagree-I love free speech, but it should apply to both sides.
September 25th, 2007 at 11:13 am“God, I just don’t get why can’t both sides just agree to disagree-I love free speech, but it should apply to both sides.”
It doesn’t work that way. In the deluded eyes of a lefty, we are bigger enemies (not necessarily more dangerous) than even the President of Iran. They’ll incessantly undermine and attack us because they know they won’t get killed.
We can’t just agree to disagree because their talk and actions undermine the security of this nation. They are getting people killed with their speech. At that point, it’s past free speech. They either need to shut up, go run their suck in another country, or face treason charges here.
September 25th, 2007 at 1:10 pmTo Mindy, the bottom line is we have a republican president. Mr Clinton sent troops to Serbia with the backing of republicans , we are still here. Clinton was impeached,the democrats will never let forget, so their revenge is to regain power at any cost, including treason.
The Democrats have not liked the Military since Kennedy, they were trashed during Vietnam, held in low esteem during the Carter years and only gained honor when Reagan came to office.His Starwar program and strengthened military was critized by the left, what happened, the end of the Soviet empire.The first Iraq war showed the World that we (USA) could kick ass and take names.
You may not like the war, but where is Al-Queda fighting with the greatest concentration?
Democrats are traitors if they allow this war to be cut off, because sooner or later we will be fighting them closer than you think.
September 25th, 2007 at 5:19 pm