[Marxism] NYT assures critics of Columbia invite: Lie machine will continue as though he had never spoken

["Fred Feldman" <ffeldman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The first sentence embodies two basc falsifications of the anti-Iran
campaign, which is a war drive, in this country.

Despite the Times' reassurances, I think Ahmadinejad's appearance was
problem for the drive to bnmb Iran -- though not a fatal blow. The fact is
he was bound to deviate from imperialist script, because those are not his
positions.  

As tor the effort to pass off war on Iran as an imperialist battle for gay
rights, let's just remind ourselves that the situation of gays (if they are
not very rich) in Saudi Aragia and Pakistan is a lot worse, with no word of
protest from the Times or the US government.  Did I miss where Kuwait
allowed gay marriage or "civil unions"?

Not a credible casus belli, so the New York Times has to go with the old
US-created lies, as though Ahmadinejad had not said the opposite in his
speeches.

And I am sure the Post and Daily News have had no trouble proclaiming
"Madman raves..." as they would have done if he had never spoken here.

But still the visit works against the crude Hitlerization which is now de
rigeuer for any opponent of US policies. People may now forget when 
Castro was clearly a "madman" and a "Hitler".

Though I see this as a setback for Washington -- Bolinger's war cry cannot
undo the damage done to the war drive by the invitation from the university
community -- I continue to be struck by the lack of opposition in ruling
class circles to attacking Iran. And the main expression of the broader
imperialist discontent seems to be the resistance of the International 
Atomic Energy Association and its nervy chairman.
Fred Feldman






September 25, 2007
Editorial
Mr. Ahmadinejad Speaks 
There are many reasons why we find Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's
policies and pronouncements loathsome. High on that list are his denial of
the Holocaust, his call to wipe Israel off the map and his country's
sponsorship of terrorism. Equally loathsome is Iran's denial of basic civil
rights to its citizens, including the right of free speech. 

So we are dismayed by the behavior of some of New York's democratically
elected representatives who denounced and threatened Columbia University for
inviting the Iranian leader to speak there yesterday. We can imagine no
better way to give hope to opponents of Iran's repressive state than by
showcasing America's democracy and commitment to free speech. And we can
imagine no better way to lay bare the bankruptcy of Mr. Ahmadinejad's views
than to have him speak, and be questioned, at a university forum. 

Columbia's president, Lee Bollinger, defended the event as in the best
tradition of America's free speech, then freely told Mr. Ahmadinejad: "You
exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator." Mr. Ahmadinejad said
he would not be "affected by this unfriendly treatment" and did a lot of
bobbing and weaving. He showed his colors when, asked about Iran's
repression of homosexuals, he declared: "We don't have homosexuals like in
your country" - setting off hoots and derisive laughter. 

Unlike Iran's citizens, Americans have the right to laugh at leaders, as
well as protest Mr. Ahmadinejad's visit and Columbia's decision to schedule
his speech. The threats of possible sanctions against Columbia were an
insult to that freedom. In an interview with The New York Sun, the speaker
of New York's Assembly, Sheldon Silver, warned that legislators might now
"take a different view" of capital support provided to Columbia. 

We hope cooler heads prevail once Mr. Ahmadinejad leaves town. And we hope
that what Americans and Iranians will remember is that image of professors
and students, in a true democratic forum, challenging the Iranian president
for his Holocaust denial, his threats against Israel and the repression of
Iran's citizens. 





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