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Monday, September 24, 2007

Speaking Truth to Power



Anyone who thinks academic administrators lack balls should listen to what Columbia University President Lee Bollinger just said to Ahmadinejad.

I don't think the speech is online yet; I just listened to it on a live broadcast. Go get hold of it. An absolutely uncompromising, insulting thing of beauty. I'm proud to be an American. Proud to be an academic.


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Andrew Sullivan must be having a blast! Ahmadinejad just said "We don't have homosexuality in Iran. We do not have that phenomenon in our country."

The entire auditorium erupted in loud, derisive laughter.

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From the blog The Full Circle:


Must watch, must read

Lee Bollinger, the president of Columbia University, slammed Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before Ahmadinejad delivered his address to Columbia. Find it, read it, watch it. Now.

Bollinger calmly and intellectually attacked the Iranian leader, addressing every grievance, verbally assaulting him on every issue, and he did it all right in front of his face. He exemplified the greatest element of the First Amendment -- that you can say whatever you want, as long as I can say whatever I want.


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Video here.
Posted at: 9/24/2007 02:05:00 PM