The United States of America is the greatest nation: it provides and protects, nourishes and bonds its people - citizens... [MORE]

Dr. Raymond H. Hamden

Oct 19, 2007 21:02

Shunning is perhaps the most eloquent punishment to be meted out to those who dabble in evil, as the leadership... [MORE]

Don Carlson

Sep 24, 2007 19:14

This really is an example of the greatest thing about America. No where on earth can a perceived enemy of... [MORE]

PPK

Sep 24, 2007 18:05

Columbia has the right to free speech, and the rest of us have the right to decide we despise them... [MORE]

Julie

Sep 24, 2007 18:00

What material difference is there between someone imploring me to support the old white regime in South Africa, because they... [MORE]

lightfighter

Sep 24, 2007 17:40

that its sensibilities were of little rank to either t [MORE]

mary o'gwynn

Sep 24, 2007 16:57

Disgraceful ..... as a student it disgusts me to have a murderer given this attention by the administration .... our... [MORE]

J

Sep 24, 2007 16:53

I don't agree with Ahmedinijad(sp?), but I don't see a problem with letting him speak. What is everyone so afraid... [MORE]

Screeching monkey brigade

Sep 24, 2007 16:32

I think alumni should give serious consideration to whther or not Columbia is worthy of their continuing financial support. [MORE]

David Reiter

Sep 24, 2007 16:16

We should be looking into affairs at this College. Like does this College pay rent to the City? Like is there any... [MORE]

James

Sep 24, 2007 15:00

Try being a Christian Caucasian Conservative male and see how far you get with the "Diversity" Crowd at Columbia. Give... [MORE]

Louise

Sep 24, 2007 17:44

It is a scary say when a supposed, "First amendment" expert doesn't know that it applys to US citizens only... [MORE]

Norm

Sep 24, 2007 17:52

Yet another example of the current administration trying to control thought & free speech. [MORE]

t m

Sep 24, 2007 14:05

For those of you who believe the leader of Iran and consider the Bush Administration as being worse... You are... [MORE]

Timtan

Sep 24, 2007 18:41

I must wonder what Ahmadinejad's true motiviation is. Would it to incite pro-America demonstrators? Cause an international incident as a... [MORE]

Jason

Sep 24, 2007 13:58

I can't believe people are so insecure about their beliefs that they feel the need to resort to censoring Ahmedinejad.... [MORE]

Screeching Monkey Brigade

Sep 24, 2007 16:36

The leader of Iran is a criminal with a disgusting record of human rights violations. It seems that a liberal... [MORE]

Kevin

Sep 24, 2007 13:49

Israel with American-tax-payer-dollars committed more atrocities than any other nation. Its criminal and disgusting human rights violations against Palestinians are... [MORE]

Ziad Khoury

Dec 11, 2007 06:43

I thought that the U.S. Constitution protects the rights of Americans who live in this society, not foreign nationals who... [MORE]

Paul

Sep 24, 2007 13:45

What troubles me most about John Coatsworth's comments is the very clear, if perhaps not fully conscious, sensibility that any...

uomo simpatico

Sep 24, 2007 13:42

Does no one on this foreum wonder why anti-semitism grows exponentially all over the world, including certainly, America? NOW? ... [MORE]

Gerald

Sep 24, 2007 13:36

Set aside your biases for just a moment. Read the following quote from Iranian President Ahmadinejad's Speah Reported by Iranian... [MORE]

Miles

Sep 24, 2007 14:37

They're slow learners, or willfully ingorant. How many times do they need to hear the same vitriol before they understand it? There... [MORE]

Matt

Sep 24, 2007 13:32

As heard on talk radio. University of California's Board of Regents withdrew an invitation to Lawrence Summers (former President of... [MORE]

Ro Again

Sep 24, 2007 13:30

Both Coatsworth and Ahmadinejad. Both are real men with balls, something seriously lacking in this country. And for 2% of... [MORE]

SS

Sep 24, 2007 13:24

OPINION: FINDING THE CREAM OF THE CROP It is with great interest that I have read recently about President Lee Bollinger... [MORE]

Jordan Alexander Orosz, The Old Sailor

Sep 24, 2007 13:20

I had a lot of respect for Columbia University, but I can not fathom the reasoning behind allowing someone like... [MORE]

Theresa Chayes

Sep 24, 2007 13:07

He should be arrested for taking the hostages at the Embassy in 1979. Perhaps Jimmy Carter would forgive him?... [MORE]

Tehran escapee

Sep 24, 2007 13:07

columbia may have first amendments rights but psychos from other countries are not american citizens and have no rights under... [MORE]

mmama

Sep 24, 2007 13:04

Columbia's stance is they will ask hard questions. The session should begin with a Q&A regarding his holocaust/Israel comments. The... [MORE]

Ro

Sep 24, 2007 13:01

All that is necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do and say nothing. Remember Munich 1938?... [MORE]

Peter C. Appelbaum

Sep 24, 2007 13:00

Yeah, it sucks that the Iranian Prez. denied the Hollocaust, but truth of it all is...there are two sides to... [MORE]

Kelly

Sep 24, 2007 12:54

Vladimir Lenin used to call people like John Coatsworth (dean of the School of International and Public Affairs) and dean... [MORE]

Igor S.

Sep 24, 2007 12:47

Let the man have his day and his say at Columbia. We know what he's all about. He's made things... [MORE]

dadpasadena

Sep 24, 2007 12:37

Why doesn't Columbia University invite a pedophile, a wife beater, or someone from the Ku Klux Klan to speak? It's... [MORE]

Jeff

Sep 24, 2007 12:31

This man arms the enemy who is killing our soldiers. His active duty military has been captured giving aid to... [MORE]

Rob Levi

Sep 24, 2007 12:11

I will not send my donation this year or any gifts in the future to the school. I would hope... [MORE]

Steve

Sep 24, 2007 12:03

Free speech is American...not Iranian. [MORE]

Patrick Hurley

Sep 24, 2007 11:52

I wonder if the students will be as critical as the were to Jim Gilchrist. [MORE]

Bryan

Sep 24, 2007 12:06

You're right about that. [MORE]

Ry

Sep 24, 2007 18:41

I believe that as a condition of his speaking at Columbia today, Mr. Ahmadinejad should invite Mr. Bush (or Mrs.... [MORE]

Mark

Sep 24, 2007 11:36

First you would need to figure out what Bush said in English. So that is very hypothetical. [MORE]

TMac

Sep 24, 2007 12:59

Do he and Edwards use the same barber? I'm afraid they won't be able to find anyone to translate for... [MORE]

Ken Gage

Sep 24, 2007 13:28

All the fuss over this man speaking generates a lot of publicity, but in all fairness as long as the... [MORE]

Parity

Sep 24, 2007 11:31

It is ironic that the president of Iran is speaking at a so called institution of "Higher Education" in America... [MORE]

Mark Ballard

Sep 24, 2007 11:26

The Chicago Council of Global Affairs canceled a discussion of a book by Walt and Mearsheimer because they wanted to... [MORE]

Vegan

Sep 24, 2007 11:25

You were right there supporting Imus, correct, in the previous head-line winning free-speach debate? Please tell me yes, you defended Imus... [MORE]

Matt

Sep 24, 2007 13:40

-- Columbia "does not ask what a man's opinions may be but only whether he is intelligent, honest, and well-mannered... [MORE]

thomas vaichus

Sep 24, 2007 10:56

I write this a couple of hours before Columbia's invitation to son of Hitler is about to take place. The... [MORE]

Eva Ryten

Sep 24, 2007 10:55

The man knows what is he talking about. All iran - American tension are games of bush administration to cover... [MORE]

Martin

Sep 24, 2007 13:00

I am not sure which I find more threatening, a deranged and fanatical leader of Iran who vows to wipe... [MORE]

Leif Jensen

Sep 24, 2007 10:31

The Iranian government is a terrorist regime providing military resources to our enemies in Iraq and around the world. This... [MORE]

Ben Vance

Sep 24, 2007 10:18

The ludicrous thing is they made the statement they would not invite anyone "indicted." The opinion of a genocidal maniac is... [MORE]

Support Pres Bush

Sep 24, 2007 10:13

Ahmadinjead does not need to stand on stage at Columbia to tell us his views. If his words and actions... [MORE]

G-Betty

Sep 24, 2007 10:09

All comments herein echo what we have been hearing in the American media these days on this subject. I... [MORE]

Mario H. de la Plata

Sep 25, 2007 17:22

I think is good to try to listen to this man, we can refute him in front of all the... [MORE]

Rudy

Sep 24, 2007 09:57

Yes, President Bollinger. Yes, it IS Columbia's right to provide President Achmadinejad a forum IS protected by the First Amendment.... [MORE]

Reginald Thornton

Sep 24, 2007 09:20

Columbia may finally have bitten off more than it can chew. The honorable Mr. Silver may yet decide to teach... [MORE]

Aryeh

Sep 24, 2007 09:11

If this is a free speech issue then the loss of all government funding would be an acceptable sacrifice to... [MORE]

Bruce Young

Sep 24, 2007 09:02

Where is Columbia's moral Compass? [MORE]

BOB C

Sep 24, 2007 08:57

Undoubtedly, John Coatsworth has not heard about the "Big Lie" strategy. (If the lie is big enough nobody will doubt... [MORE]

sam

Sep 24, 2007 08:51

The students at Columbia are not bothered by any criticism, for you see, they are superior in intellect to the... [MORE]

Tony Anthony

Sep 24, 2007 08:48

What a great time to be alive, to have the chance in a free country with free speech to hear... [MORE]

Jim

Sep 24, 2007 08:16

Amazing is the ignorance of intellectuals so seperated from reality, and those to whom they owe allegiance (namely the system... [MORE]

robert

Sep 24, 2007 08:04

How can a nation allow an individual who plots to destroy it have any rights within its own borders He... [MORE]

Augustus

Sep 24, 2007 08:03

It's nice to know that the next time Columbia needs a jackass to speak they have to look no further... [MORE]

Steve

Sep 24, 2007 07:54

I probably would not have commented at to this, especially given the tendency for so-called institutions of higher learning to... [MORE]

James Miller

Sep 24, 2007 07:49

Perhaps Mr A ought to experience that most American of responses, the descent of thousands of protestors to Columbia in... [MORE]

Terry M

Sep 24, 2007 07:47

This really may be a remarkable opportunity to challenge his Ideologies on a level platform the holocaust never happened .. please... [MORE]

xplicitman

Sep 24, 2007 12:34

In response, President Butler harrumphed something about how Columbia "does not ask what a man's opinions may be but only... [MORE]

dc

Sep 24, 2007 07:45

It's not freedom of speech if only approved speech is allowed. That being said, My sincere home hope is the... [MORE]

eneri

Sep 24, 2007 07:38

It appears that our centers of higher education are increasingly aligning themselves with those that would jail and execute them... [MORE]

Mike

Sep 24, 2007 07:35

The enemy of my enemy. This is the reason people like Ahmadinajead and Chavez are revered by the Left .... [MORE]

Dennis D

Sep 24, 2007 07:32

>>>Could he be oblivious to the impact his words were going to have in a Jewish community already on notice... [MORE]

Mary O'Gwynn

Sep 24, 2007 07:07

No one doubts that the president of Iran is fraudulent, self-serving, and something of a crackpot. Why, then, should New... [MORE]

Bob Knowlton

Sep 24, 2007 07:06

I was happy to read such an excellent commentary , and I thank you for it. Perhaps the most intriguing... [MORE]

susan gill

Sep 24, 2007 07:01

no one guaranteed that attending school would give a student common sense. no one guaranteed that those working at "institutions... [MORE]

anne

Sep 24, 2007 06:47

To borrow from Abigail Thernstrom: Columbia is an "island of oppression in a sea of freedom." If they won't let ROTC on... [MORE]

Arnold Mechanic

Sep 24, 2007 06:38

Yes, President Bollinger. Yes, it IS Columbia's right to provide President Achmadinejad a forum IS protected by the First Amendment.... [MORE]

Reginald Thornton

Sep 24, 2007 09:18

How is banning a military recruitment tool "an island of oppression"? How does that oppress anyone? Why is joining a... [MORE]

beverins

Sep 24, 2007 09:30

Interestingly, there is extremely limited freedom of speech in Iran. But even more importantly, there is no such thing as... [MORE]

Howard

Sep 24, 2007 10:58

If I'm not mistaken, the great bastion of free speech, sometimes known as Columbia University, recently prevented a conservative American,... [MORE]

Dennis Lesko

Sep 24, 2007 11:40

Dennis - Strange and sad news from you. I agree that every side should be heard in a University setting.... [MORE]

PPK

Sep 24, 2007 18:12

The University's boss is irresponsible and may be risking to lose a lot of money for his school. I am... [MORE]

Peter Tomov

Sep 24, 2007 06:19

Why should anyone be shocked that Columbia University would give a forum and respectability to a purveryor of hate ?... [MORE]

Rick Jones

Sep 24, 2007 04:56

Columbia's little-noticed admission last week that the university did not initiate the invitation to Mr. Ahmadinejad but that the invitation... [MORE]

Verballistic

Sep 24, 2007 04:38

Stop this nonsense. [MORE]

mike1818

Sep 24, 2007 04:10

Excellent article. Speaking of forums - is there one in which a U.S. citizen not living in NY can express... [MORE]

Frank, Atlanta GA/USA

Sep 24, 2007 04:08

Why does this country allow scum like Achmadinajad to set foot here. He should be taken into custody before his... [MORE]

Alanh

Sep 24, 2007 04:05

i have no problem with this man coming to our country. i have no problem having him speak. but, this... [MORE]

phil

Sep 24, 2007 03:20

I"m a Master's student at Columbia and I personally am mad as hell not only of the stupidity and lack... [MORE]

Alan L.

Sep 24, 2007 02:35

Contrary to what many believe, the anti american crusader of Iran is probably not America's worst enemy, neither is the... [MORE]

Angelo Z

Sep 24, 2007 02:20

I'm glad to read such a sensible analysis of what is wrong with Coatsworth, Columbia, and academia in general, these... [MORE]

kendra

Sep 24, 2007 02:01

SHAME on the university's reputation. [MORE]

ira jaffe

Sep 24, 2007 01:58