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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Peter Dierks who wrote (244552)	10/10/2007 2:36:48 AM
From: Peter Dierks	Respond to of 281500

Where Dissent Really Is Dangerous "To chants of 'death to the dictator,' hundreds of Iranian students have mounted a vociferous protest against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad," London's Telegraph reports: The demonstration at Teheran University, where the president gave a speech opening the academic year, drove home the depth of his domestic unpopularity. . . . Protests against the president have taken place on Iran's university campuses before. Last December, some students burned his portrait in front of him. On that occasion, Mr Ahmadinejad defended their right to demonstrate, saying that it proved Iran's devotion to freedom. But many of the students were arrested later. Some are still believed to be in detention. The Los Angeles Times, which puts the number of anti-Ahmadinejad protesters at "about 50," notes that some of them cited his recent visit to New York: "You, Mr. Ahmadinejad, claimed at Columbia University that there is freedom of speech in Iran's universities," one student said over a megaphone. "Then why are three students still in jail?" This vindicates those of us who criticized Columbia president Lee Bollinger for allowing Ahmadinejad to be invited, at least if you assume that criticism spurred Bollinger to be tougher on Ahmadinejad than he otherwise would have been. The L.A. Times says pro-Ahmadinejad demonstrators matched the opponents' turnout--which is rather remarkable. After all, it takes no courage to take to the streets in favor of an authoritarian regime. It's a reminder, too, of just what phonies and blowhards our American "dissenters" are. They know it takes no courage to oppose a democratic government that holds freedom of speech sacrosanct. So they spin lurid fantasies of authoritarianism in order to convince themselves of their own bravery. opinionjournal.com