If Columbia President Lee Bollinger and Dean of Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs John Coatsworth are indicative of the entire Columbia University staff, is a degree in any kind from Columbia worth more than the paper useless words are printed upon?

Watching Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech followed by a brief Q&A today left me wondering what exactly constitutes being an academic. Ahmadinejad, as he stated on numerous occasions in order to put himself on par with those who would question him and above the audience filled with graduate and undergraduate students, is also an academic allegedly teaching one class per week in the area of ’science’ still to this day. Would you want an engineer teaching you biology?

What was most perplexing about today’s event was the sheer ignorance shared by both Bollinger and Coatsworth. Bollinger stated he hoped Ahmadinejad’s presumed mad words would alienate him inside Iran, which immediately told me Bollinger had never seen Ahmadinejad speak outside of Iran or realized there isn’t exactly a free press, freedom of speech or an actual voting democracy inside the country Bollinger wished would shun Ahmadinejad.

Coatsworth lobbed some probing questions, but his one follow-up question was simply batted away by Master of Deception. That term of endearment for Ahmadinejad is written in half jest, as the Iranian president speaks crystal clear within his own borders yet turns one question asked towards himself into upwards of twenty outside the comfy confines of whatever palace he calls home in Tehran.

Coatsworth asked Ahmadinejad if he supported the destruction of the state of Israel. Ahmadinejad, squinting and half-smiling as he coyly answers, “we love all nations.” We know that not to be the case and he routinely stands in front of crowds chanting “death to America,” “death to Israel” and “death to England.”

But the devil is in the details of his response, details Coatsworth and the rather dimwitted crowd present never seemed to grasp. Ahmadinejad never actually says the word ‘Israel,’ for he believes there is no such state known as Israel. He repeatedly refers to the land as Palestine, stating he wants to open up the entire populace living in both Israel and the Palestinian Territories to a vote which receives a round of applause from the audience.

Did those in attendance not understand what just was pulled over their eyes? Surely the same institution which prided itself in being a beacon of free speech actually knows the difference between a debate and a whitewash, no?

Coatsworth also asked Ahmadinejad if Iran supported terrorist groups, which in itself was a question anyone with any knowledge of the Iranian state’s actions knows the answer to and anyone with any knowledge of Ahmadinejad knows how he will answer said question.

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THE BIRTH OF “HAMASTAN”, BY: FERN SIDMAN (posted at Right Truth at Ms. Sidman’s request)

June 14 - According to breaking new reports from Gaza, the escalation of infighting between Hamas and Fatah forces has reached a zenith, with Hamas claiming victory after conducting a series of execution style killings of Fatah members. Over 80 Palestinian terrorists have been killed in Hamas-Fatah factional fighting since Sunday. Hamas declared that it had taken control of the town of Rafiah in southern Gaza after blowing up the Fatah headquarters there. All of northern Gaza is already under Hamas control. According to an Arutz Sheva report of 6/14/07, “Fatah was beaten so badly that Egyptian reports said 40 PA officers broke through the Gaza-Egypt border fence and fled to Sinai for safety. The Hamas-affiliated Popular Resistance Committee announced Thursday that it had taken control of the border to prevent weapons smuggling (to Fatah) and mass emigration by local Gazans.”

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Contrary to popular belief, many Palestinians wish for the days when Israel was in charge. They long for the days when things were more peaceful than they are today. Some in Gaza stated that they approved when Israel started launching missiles and attacks, … because the thugs on the streets went into hiding. (via Fox News Channel) Shouldn’t this tell us all something? When Hamas and Fatah were brought into power, no one had any idea what the future would look like. No long-term planning took place then, and no long-term planning is taking place now.

In the short-term, all sides are re-arming and preparing for a confrontation that could start as early as July. Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah, are all acquiring weapons. Many of those weapons are coming from Russia, bought and paid for by Iran, who in turn gets some missiles of their own.

Russia and Iran are conducting proxy wars against the United States and Israel by funding, equipping and by providing strategy to terrorists who ultimately fight in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Israel. Russia is complicit in the proxy wars because Iran is by far and away one of the largest arms customers of Russia, which booked an estimated $18 billion dollars in arms contracts in 2005, Iran accounting for $4 billion of that amount, Syria another $2 billion, and Sudan $400 million, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2006, Russia actually exported $8 billion in weapons worldwide, much of it going to Iran, Syria, and Venezuela.

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Sphere It

As I read the news this morning, I am reminded how complicated this war against terrorism really is. The diverse countries, nationalities, religions, tribes who are all involved in some way, make it seem an almost impossible mission. But it’s not impossible. It is absolutely necessary that we achieve victory. Some folks don’t realize that not only is Iran a threat to Israel, Iran has been sheltering members of al-Qaeda.

Putting those words in print I know the anti-war crowd will respond with “here we go again from the neo-cons.” But facts are facts.

… a recent report by counterterrorism experts at West Point suggests that, between 2001 and 2005, Iran harbored Al Qaeda’s third-ranking official and director of military operations, and that he could still be operating there today.The disclosures in last month’s report, ” Al Qaeda’s (mis)Adventures in the Horn of Africa,” from the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, are the first official government documents to acknowledge that Saif al-Adel, who is one of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists, was inside Iran. Based in part on captured documents that were funneled to the government’s Harmony Database, the new disclosures suggest that Iran was more complicit with Al Qaeda than the Bush administration has previously suggested. (more at NY Sun)

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Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad never fails to take opportunities to speak out against Israel. In the latest spew, he gives credit to Lebanon and the Palestinians: “Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated yesterday that Lebanon and Palestine had pressed a “countdown button” to bring about the demise of Israel.”

“With God’s help, the countdown button for the destruction of the Zionist regime has been pushed by the hands of the children of Lebanon and Palestine,” Ahmadinejad said in a speech.”By God’s will, we will witness the destruction of this regime in the near future”. No further elaborations were offered by the President.

These remarks reiterate past statements made by Iranian head of state who two years ago triggered outrage in the West by declaring Israel should be “wiped off the map”. While Ahmadinejad has often referred to the destruction of the Jewish state he continues to claim Iran does not pose a threat to the nation. (ToTheCenter.com)

Is Ahmadinejad willing to let those associated with the Palestinians bring Israel down and take the credit? We all know that Iran is assisting these groups with money, arms, men, and training. Perhaps he is willing to sit back and let others do his bidding.

Iran’s hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday the world would witness the destruction of Israel soon, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. (NY Daily News)

Ahmadinejad’s aspirations are lofty, but in reality he is a short, under-dressed, arrogant little man who has much less power than he would like. He’s frustrated. He’s like a child that wants another child’s toy and can’t seem to get his hands on it. He puts grandmothers, women and old men in prison and charges them with crimes of espionage. He’s dangerous. If the US is conducting black-ops in Iran, good for us and good for the Iranian people. The sooner Ahmadinejad is gone, the better.

Originally Posted at Right Truth 

Iran is drawing up plans to attack European sites including nuclear power plants according to an address in the British parliament yesterday the Associated Press reports.

Claude Moniquet, president of the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center, a private think-tank in Brussels, said his organization also had evidence Tehran has increased numbers of intelligence agents across Europe.

“We have serious signals that something is under preparation in Europe,” Moniquet said. “Iranian intelligence is working extremely hard to prepare its people and to prepare actions.”

The center, which he said deals directly with European intelligence agencies, believes Iranian operatives have carried out “reconnaissance of targets in European cities, including nuclear power stations,” Moniquet said. He mentioned no other specific targets.

Iran appeared to be preparing to target “British citizens on the streets of London,” Moniquet said. “Just as they kill British soldiers in the south of Iraq.”

I really wish the European Strategic Intelligence and Security Center would quit trying to escalate tensions with Iran.

On the Iranian nuclear front, according to the IAEA Iran is 3-8 years away from being able to produce a nuclear bomb.

According to an IAEA report, Iran has not only ignored IAEA requests but the nation has also expanded its nuclear program.

“Iran has not suspended its enrichment-related activities. Iran has continued with the operation of their pilot fuel enrichment plant and with construction of their (planned industrial underground) enrichment plant,” the U.N. nuclear watchdog said in its report.

“It has started feeding cascades with UF6 (uranium gas). Iran has also continued with its heavy water-related projects.”

But it said the amount of uranium gas fed into the cascade was far below the 80-90 percent suitable to detonate an atom bomb.

Of course Iran hasn’t complied.  The nation has no intent to do so.  It’s time the IAEA and the UN Security Council realizes that and proceeds how they see fit.

What is the CIA doing in Iran?  Before we could hypothesize on any and all activities taking place, but now thanks to ABC News, we know what they are doing.

The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert “black” operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a “nonlethal presidential finding” that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran’s currency and international financial transactions . . .

“I think everybody in the region knows that there is a proxy war already afoot with the United States supporting anti-Iranian elements in the region as well as opposition groups within Iran,” said Vali Nasr, adjunct senior fellow for Mideast studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

“And this covert action is now being escalated by the new U.S. directive, and that can very quickly lead to Iranian retaliation and a cycle of escalation can follow,” Nasr said.

Let me get this straight.  Iran is arming the Mahdi Army in Iraq to target Coalition soldiers and they are arming Al Qaida in Iraq.  Iran has moved on with the nation’s nuclear program without complying with the IAEA.  Iran is arming and training the Taliban.  Iran’s fingers are deeply entrenched in the instability in Lebanon.  Iran is involved in Somalia.  Iranian leadership continues to lead circle jerks where the crowd yells out ‘Death to America.’  All of this, and it’s the United States that is escalating anything?  Maybe, Mr. Nasr, the U.S. is finally just trying to respond.

But the larger news here is why does ABC News feel this type of information should be brought to the forefront?  The Blotter notes that Vice President Dick Cheney favored a military strike but President Bush signed off on the formerly covert plan, so does this news hitting the presses alter that any?

Iran is actively seeking to pacify the Middle East, or at least that is the line the Iranian government repeatedly trots out when accused of aiding the insurgency in Iraq. But two reports out now question the Iranian talking points.

First in Iraq, where it has long been known Iran is contributing to both Shia and Sunni groups to make life difficult for the Iraqi government and Coalition soldiers. The Guardian reports Iran already has a plan to ramp up the violence in time for U.S. General Petraeus’ report to Congress this fall.

The official said US commanders were bracing for a nationwide, Iranian-orchestrated summer offensive, linking al-Qaida and Sunni insurgents to Tehran’s Shia militia allies, that Iran hoped would trigger a political mutiny in Washington and a US retreat. “We expect that al-Qaida and Iran will both attempt to increase the propaganda and increase the violence prior to Petraeus’s report in September [when the US commander General David Petraeus will report to Congress on President George Bush’s controversial, six-month security “surge” of 30,000 troop reinforcements],” the official said.

“Certainly it [the violence] is going to pick up from their side. There is significant latent capability in Iraq, especially Iranian-sponsored capability. They can turn it up whenever they want. You can see that from the pre-positioning that’s been going on and the huge stockpiles of Iranian weapons that we’ve turned up in the last couple of months. The relationships between Iran and groups like al-Qaida are very fluid,” the official said.

The expected uptick in violence is being orchestrated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps who answers only to the Ayatollah, according to the U.S. official quoted by the Guardian. None of this is exactly surprising to anyone who has followed Iran’s involvement in Iraq.

Now to Afghanistan where the Telegraph reports Iran has armed and trained the Taliban to fight Coalition and specifically British forces. Why would Iran support the Taliban when they were opposed to the Taliban during the group’s rise? It’s a matter of convenience and shared short-term objectives of course.

Officers in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard are supplying hundreds of weapons, including the missiles, to Taliban insurgents, it is believed.

Most worrying is the news that SA7 Strella anti-aircraft missiles have been supplied to the Taliban . . .

Other weapons being smuggled in include plastic explosives, anti-tank mines, AK47s, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns.

“There is reporting that leads us to believe a number of agencies, that possibly include Iranian organisations, are significantly supporting the Taliban,” a military intelligence source told The Daily Telegraph.

There is no evidence that the technology behind the advanced roadside bombs that have penetrated at least four British armoured vehicles in southern Iraq has arrived in Afghanistan. But Iran is thought to have showed the Taliban how to make basic roadside bombs from old land-mines.

Just remember that in the greater context of the war in both theaters, forget all mention of Iran and focus like a laser beam on soldier deaths that just might encourage certain NATO nations to retreat after losing three while said nation has tried in earnest to keep as far away from the Taliban as they could.

I’m all for exploring ways to reduce or punish women for their poisonous ways in which they force men to turn into sex-starved zombies.  I mean it’s about time, right?  In this case, Iran has it right.

First Iran has decided to segregate Internet cafes, and who can blame them?  It’s damn hard to catch up on the latest sports gossip when women wearing those super sexy burqas are in there doing whatever it is they do.

Owners of trendy internet cafes, as well as bars and restaurants popular with young Iranians have received a letter signed by national police authorities in which new measures are announced to enforce “the country’s moral health.” “Public places will not be allowed to use dark windows anymore or curtains which make it impossible to view from the outside what is going on inside,” said the letter, which states in particular that men and women must not be allowed inside internet cafes together but in separate days or schedules “to avoid unpleasant promiscuity.”

Kudos to Iran for finally trying to solve the issue.

The second measure taken by Iran is pure genious.  It’s one thing to know that your favorite Internet cafe won’t be infested with women trying to tempt men, but what about on your way to the Internet cafe on ‘Man’s Day’?  Thankfully, there’s also a solution.

Iran is to start manufacturing “Islamic bicycles” for women that conceals their figure, the government newspaper Iran reported on Thursday.

“This bike has a cabin which conceals half of the cyclist’s body,” the newspaper said. Elaheh Sofali, an architect of the project, told Iran it would encourage women’s sports in the Islamic republic.

Isn’t that what a burqa does?  If it doesn’t, what exactly is the purpose of forcing Iranian women to wear ‘Islamic dress’ in public?

Obviously my tone above is in jest, but it is ironic that in Iraq there seems to be concern over the female seductress by curbing their attire, behavior, transport and even when they can visit a certain business while the Iranian regime has essentially said women are a sub-species of mankind.  Doesn’t doing everything to curb women scream out that men are the weaker sex of the two?