By now, you’ve most likely heard the fuss over Iranian President Ahmadinejad having been invited to speak at Columbia University as part of his visit to New York to address the United Nations. For example, while channel-surfing over my breakfast yogurt this morning, I was treated to a rather livid individual on NBC’s Today show who was furious at Columbia’s granting a forum to such a prominent holocaust-denier.
Talk Left has a nice comment to rebut the fury of the gag-Ahmadinejad crowd:
It gives the public an opportunity to hear him and, if Columbia is doing its job, ask him questions that enables him to attempt to explain his nation’s supporting terror in Iraq and maybe elsewhere and why he denies the Holocaust. Indeed, if he attempts to answer questions, he will harm his own cause because he can’t rationally answer some questions.
I agree. Apparently attendees at Columbia’s shindig will have the opportunity to ask Ahmadinejad questions, and the entire event, including the Q&A session, will be carried live on the Voice of America, in addition to (presumably) other outlets.
While I’m in an office today, and I suspect that I won’t be able to catch the live broadcast, I presume that there will be replays either on C-SPAN or via YouTube this evening, and I will definitely try to track one down.
The idea that an unpopular view can not only be expressed, but also challenged in an equivalent public forum, is one of the most important manifestations of the freedom of speech. And, if the forum presents an opportunity for a few more folks to be swayed over to the side of thinking that Ahmadinejad is a nut…well, so much the better.