Academia is Totally Whacked

Columbia cordially invites President Ahmadinejad of Iran to speak. Holocaust denier; leader of the student who stormed the US Embassy; and who has vowed to "wipe Israel off the face of the map."

Freedom of speech is important, no?

UC Davis UNinvites Larry Summers to speak at a Regents dinner. Award winning economist, Secretary of the Treasury, ex-President of Harvard. Protests and outrage ensued. What did he do that was worse the Mahmoud? He suggested that one factor that might explain why women don't excel in the sciences is the fact that men and women might think differently.

Freedom of speech is important? No.

You can espouse any hateful orthodoxy you want...just do not question the liberals.

UPDATE: Victor David Hanson has similar thoughts expressed much better.

UPDATE 2: More sarcasm from Brendan Loy: "In other news from the world of academia, it seems that while Larry Summers isn't welcome to be a dinner speaker at the University of California, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is an honored guest at Columbia. (Hat tip: Becky.) Well, that makes perfect sense to me. Ahmadinejad may be a murderous, oppressive tyrant bent on destroying Israel, dominating the Middle East, opposing America at every turn, and potentially hastening the apocalypse and the arrival of the 12th imam -- but hey, we should listen to what he has to say, right? Only closed-minded bigots and crazy right-wing warbloggers (but I repeat myself!) would say no to an "opportunity for faculty and students to engage the President of Iran." Free exchange of ideas, understanding the "other," and all that sort of thing. Summers, though -- Summers questioned feminist orthodoxy! Tolerance only goes so far, people. The free exchange of ideas extends to Holocaust denial, but it doesn't extend to suggesting the possibility that men and women might not be biologically identical. There are some things you just don't say!"

UPDATE 3: There is a method to the liberals' madness. To wit, if you don't want to look like a hating, half-crazed nutjob, you invite even more hateful, totally insane nuts. You look great in comparision!