I’ve got my camcorder and am ready to go. We’ll see how well this goes, but for now, it looks pretty civil. I’m proud of the Madison student body so far – we haven’t turned this into a sideshow yet. However, when Horowitz comes, we may not be so lucky.
Kevin Barrett is in attendence. Any surprise?
Chris Dols has told us he is trying his best to restrain himself from heckling Horowitz, but he can’t promise anything. Fingers crossed!
7:33 – Mike Hahn is here! OMG. rise for the pledge of allegiance? Wow. It feels like high school again.
The heckling has started again. CAN laughing at calling Horowitz distinguished and people openly yelling.
Uh-oh.
7:38: Here comes horowitz. He’s flanked by CR’s holding Islamo-Fascist awareness signs. Give me a break.
7:44 – He has started by talking about the inhumane treatment of Muslim women in Iran and elsewhere. No heckling now. Very serious mood.
7:45 – So far there is nothing that controversial about what he’s saying yet. This is a man whose points are often obscured by a few overstated and controversial remarks or statements. He’s doing a good job of avoiding that right now. Disagree with him, yes, but at least he’s not being insenitive – yet.
7:46 – “We use the term Italian Fascist, despite the fact that not all Italians are racist.” He’s making the point that this doesn’t describe all Muslims and he’s right. However, when he remarks, “We use the term white racists pretty frequently, does that mean that all white people are racist?” Someone in the very back sheepishly answered: “Yes.”
7:49 = “The attacks on this week are…well..quite stupid.” “There are lots of crazy people who take this stuff quite seriously.” Laughter “Well, if you had a target on your back, you wouldn’t be laughing.” Laughter. “Ok, well, maybe you would.
7:55 – Kevin Barrett nearly disrupted this whole thing by trying to ask a range of 9/11 questions. Ok, so he really just ranted. Everyone shot him down. Even CAN.
So, he and his 9/11 Inside Job accomplice – out of here. Whoops.
7:56 – Horowitz says most of the ignorance surrounding this issue comes from the White House and their “War on Terror” which is, “just a tactic. It confuses the public.”
He’s saying that we must not confuse Islam with these “Islamo-Fascists.” No shouts yet.
8:01 – “The Jew hatred in parts of the Muslim community, stems directly with it’s relation with the Nazis.” Is it really DIRECTLY related to the Nazis?
8:02 – He’s now trying to argue for these “Islamo-Fascists” trying to establish a global empire, NOT a nation-state, which he claims they hate. He’s starting to insert a little bit of Iraq into the speech. And here comes Israel.
8:03 – “When people say the US and their policies are responsible for 9/11, realize they underminded the Shah of Iran.” Also arguing that we’ve worked to help the Muslim community, so this really isn’t our fault. Well, when it’s for your own interests, some can see through that “end justifies the means” rhetoric. We may not be directly responsible, but our involvement in these areas in the first place, good intention or not, isn’t exactly welcomed with open arms in every case.
8:07 – Ok, not he’s delving into the history of the Ottoman Empire and the distinction between “Arabs” and “Turks.” This is probably where historical distinctions are going to be lost on the audience or blindly accepted. Especially when many conflate “Arab” with “Muslim.”
8:11 – Arguing that the Palestinian people were exploited by the Arab state, not that they had land taken from them by Israel. He’s really limiting this talk to the discussion of Middle Eastern politics, and not delving into specific “Holy War” claims or background. Probably for the best, as even those within specific religions are going to divide on this subject.
8:15 – Genocidal movement led by Nasrallah and Ahmadenijad. Hezbollah is a “Nazi organization and he is a nazi, by any definition of the term.” He has recommended those “deluded liberals” read a book called “Reading Lolita in Iran.” “The Shah was a dictator, but he was a progressive dictator in these areas!”
Progressive dictator? Is that possible? Have we ever seen a benevolent dictator?
8:18 – Oh boy. Now he’s saying the left has an alliance with the Islamo-Fascist? “Go on the boards and see these attacks and see who’s in bed with whom.” Ok, those are the sort of comments that cause huge misunderstandings and closes dialogue. Let’s not start down the wrong path, David.
8:22 – Well, now he’s discussing Iraq and saying the left tried to defend Saddam Hussein and that they’re on the wrong side of “the battle for freedom in the twentieth century.”
Unfortunately, he’s alienating CR’s too, who didn’t like the comment he made that the Iraq war has been “mismanaged” and improperly “explained” by President Bush. CAN laughs, CR doesn’t seem amused.
8:26 – “The reason we stopped Saddam Hussein is very simple. Adolf Hitler…”
Ok, stop there. I’m tired of the Nazi comparison. To try and compare anything to the Nazis is a losing argument. You’re saying that Saddam was about to march across the Middle East conquering? Please, he was completely incapable of that. In fact, if Ahmadenijad is your new hitler, then we probably did him a favor.
Alright. He’s done. Qand A!