Ahmadinejad at Columbia University Part 2 There are No Homosexuals in Iran?!

"In Iran, we don't have homosexuals, like in your country." That's the first mistake I caught in Ahmadinejad's remarks. He actually got howls at that. It's a serious gaffe, in my opinion, considering how well www365gay.com defended his country's executions of homosexuals.

Also, women are respected in Iran.

Thanks to an electrical storm, and what I had to do to deal with its effects on my equipment, I missed a few of the Iranian president's remarks.

America has nuclear weapons, so Iran should have nucelar weapons, seems to be Ahmadinejad's position. Which is why Iran should have a civilian nuclear program which isn't for making nuclear weapons, which Iran wants.

'Iran is a civilized nation, a cultured nation,' is a recurring phrase in Ahmadinejad's speech: with variations, of course.

The man is a good public speaker. Quite good. I'm making the assumption, of course, that the translation is moderately accurate. The translation, and his expressions, gestures, postures, and vocal qualities, are effective.

I don't agree with him, but from a technical perspective: he's good.

Back to 'Iran is a civilized nation, a cultured nation,' Ahmadinejad says he is ready to engage in debate with Bush.

One of the points seems to be that, just as the (Post-Saddam) Iraqi government is now friendlly towards America (an oversimplification), so the people will welcome Americans.

If the translation was accurate, Ahmadinejad did a wonderful bit of trickry there. He started talking about the Iraqi government's attitude toward America, transitioned to Iran, and then asserted that the Iranian people would welcome America.

I wish I had a transcript, or could replay that, so I could be sure. But it sounded like the structure of a certain sort of whopper: where each piece is true, but where the pieces, as presented, are profoundly not true.

Well, Ahmadinejad thanked the throng, and Ahmadinejad's appearance at Columbia University's World Leaders Forum is over.

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