One of the world's greatest analytical minds is scheduled to visit the United States Sunday to address the United Nations General Assembly. He is Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and he is the "Socrates of the third millenium:"TEHRAN - A research centre run by the office of the president of Iran has released a 15-page document in which they define President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the "Socrates of the Third Millenium".
In the document, various speeches and letters written by the Iranian president are analysed and it concludes that "Ahmadinejad reasons and discusses exactly as Socrates did in ancient Greece, by disarming other speakers and through his sharp reasoning."
While Americans should feel lucky that we are being graced with one of the world's brilliant thinkers, the U.S. government has taken irresponsible steps to deny Ahmadinejad a visit to Ground Zero:
A remark by Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly that the Police Department was considering a request by Iran that its president visit ground zero set off complaints yesterday before the department corrected itself.
Late in the day, it said, the request had already been turned down.
Good thing he has the courage to overcome the biased rejection and go anyway. What's even worse than being denied the visit is the amount of unfounded criticism being levied at the master of reasoning:
Face it, Mr. "I'm-a-Jihad" just wants to tick you off, and rub your nose in his taunts. I don't have to go through the list of his offenses, do I?
Even if you set aside the Holocaust denials and his wishes to wipe Israel off the map, there is the little matter of his nation's efforts to kill and maim Americans in Iraq, and his recent statement that when the American troops pull out he might send Iranians troops into Iraq. But none of his offenses could compare to his desire to come to Ground Zero to survey the destruction.
What blatant disregard for such an exalted figure! What utter disrespect! Is there anyone in this country that will show this forward-thinking, peaceful, civil and human rights championing world leader compassion and give him a forum to share his enlightened ideas? Yes – our American institutes of higher education will:
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accepted an offer to speak next week at Columbia’s World Leaders Forum, the University announced Wednesday.
The appearance of Ahmadinejad—widely criticized for espousing anti-Semitic views and condemned for apparent human rights abuses—will mark the head of state’s first-ever public engagement at a U.S. university and seems certain to fuel heated protest on and beyond Columbia’s campus.
And if the speech at Colombia isn't a large enough crowd to spread a message of hope, the intellectual minds of Hollywood can help:
Iran has invited American director Oliver Stone to visit the country to discuss production of his documentary about President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after initially rejecting the project.
U.S. citizens should be thankful that we live in a country where our universities aren't afraid to help spread the wisdom of other world views. More universities should take steps to reserve speeches by progressive thinkers of today. Central Connecticut State University could lead the way, as it seems one lucky student has found wisdom through Osama bin Laden:
As of late, if you were to bring up the president in a discussion you would find that many Americans disapprove of the decisions he has made. At the same time, Osama bin Laden presents many good arguments against the president and many of his reasons for disapproving of Bush are similar to those of anti-Bush Americans. Would it be wrong to assume that there is some kind of connection between feelings of the American people and those of Osama bin Laden?
Hopefully, the rest of America can follow their tolerant example and we all can move forward – America, Ahmadinejad and bin Laden – hand-in-hand, toward a new, open-minded world.
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