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September 25, 2007
Columbia, declare your independence!
Ahmadinejad, leader of Iran and an intolerant and rage-full tyrant, spoke at Columbia yesterday. I'm sympathetic to those that hold that "he's a thug and a terrorist. I objected to his speaking because he has American blood on his hands. I objected to his speaking because while he was standing at the podium at Columbia, Iranian EFPs and rockets were aimed at American soldiers in Iraq.". But if the US is going to be home to the UN then people like that must be allowed in NYC. And if while they are there, Columbia wants to ask them hard questions and allow her students to the humiliation of tyrants, then that does seem to serve a pedagogical need.
By all accounts those educators were not disappointed. He came off as an evil, lying, fool.
But now the fallout of inviting such a controversial speaker. There are some who are suggesting that state funding be pulled from Columbia (Legislatures May Act on Columbia). And the federals are in on that too in Hunter threatens to pull fed funds from Columbia.
I have a strategy for Columbia if this refuses to go away. Pull a Grove City College move and tell the Federals to stuff it. Grove City College gave up all federal funding in 1988 after losing two of their three points in their Supreme Court case. If they lose their funding, or the pedagogical costs of compromise for Columbia to keep that funding are too high, then Columbia should just try to replace that funding on its own. Grove City manages to do this with an endowment of $38,920 per student, where as Columbia has $261,535. Sure Columbia gets a lot more research dollars and is in a more expensive location, but Grove city has far fewer advantages and was able to do tremendous
fund raising on the back of their court case, and Columbia, enjoying more fame and many more Alumni, would surely being able to do even greater.
Want to know more?
Volokh had a good discussion
To see how our enemies benefit from our openness, see Propaganda Courtesy of Columbia University.
Check out some choice quotes about Ahmadinejad over at Respectful Insolence.
Finally, how to pronounce Ahmadinejad.
NY Times coverage.
Posted by OneEyedMan at September 25, 2007 7:16 AM
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