Being a Free Listener

Eh, ok... so I have a bunch of feelings about Columbia's decision to invite the Iranian president/dictator/sort of strange guy/Holocaust denier/....... to speak on campus while he was in New York for a UN session. But I was almost willing to put some of the feelings aside in the interest of my former university's "We support free speech at all costs claim," until the debate actually happened.

I wish he hadn't been invited. Frankly, I don't feel I learned a great deal either from Bollinger or Ahmadinejad. What I did learn however, is that in order for one to "honor" the ideal of free speech, that same person must be a free listener. If you don't listen and question what the free speaker is saying, what are you gaining? At one point a person asked Ahmadinejad, "Do you support the destruction of the state of Israel?" to which Ahmadinejad replied (in more words) "I support Palestinian self-determination and the right of the Palestinian people to have a state where they choose." Now, a "free listener" might have asked "Well, what if the Palestinians want to live in Israel, and have that as their state?" Instead, the next question was the oh so clever "that was a yes or no question." Columbia suggested that the whole point of having him come to campus was so that they could ask him some tough questions and really pin him down on his radical claims for which people hate him so much. Instead, they cowardly backed off, and stuck to some formulaic set of questions that were probably typed up in some super secret meeting about how to ask smart questions.

In the end my reason for not inviting him would have been that the non-invitation would have been an exercise of free expression in itself... solidarity with the rest of the New York community that we didn't support him or his views. The city flat out denied his request to place a wreath at Ground Zero. Inaction speaks louder than words here.......

the senator

so yesterday I met Senator McCain and his wife. The boy, Georgia, T Charlie and I had gone to the Atelier at the Four Seasons for dinner before Grad Ball. As we were leaving I hear the boy say "Hello Senator." I turn around, and sure enough there's John McCain and his wife. The boy knows one of McCain's personal friends from work, so he got to name drop a little. Then I wished Mrs. McCain a Happy Mother's Day. We were all in black tie on a Sunday night, so she asked us what was the occasion. We said graduation from law school and it turns out they are in town for their undergrad daughter's graduation from Columbia as well. Maybe we'll see them again at the ceremony (serious doubts here). Anyways, that was pretty cool for a Sunday night.

Today is my 24th birthday! The boy and I are going to Babbo to celebrate. Continuing the week long non stop party that started last Friday. My parents arrive tomorrow!

Hmmmmm.

I am sort of against the whole blogging thing, but then again not really since I am obviously blogging. I used to think it was silly for people to write about their ordinary, everyday life events, but then I started reading old friends' blogs and realized that they can be a fun way to catch up on peoples' lives. Also, I tend to get bored at work and therefore need something to do during the day other than constantly check PerezHilton.com for gossip updates.

So, a little about me now. I just finished my last year at Columbia Law School and I graduate next week. I was born in Waco, Texas. My parents and brothers still live in Waco. I left Waco at 18 to go to Boston College. After I graduated from BC, I headed down to New York City (where I've always wanted to live), and I'm still here. I'm working now as a law clerk (code for "haven't been admitted to the bar yet") at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP in the Investment Funds group.

That's sort of it. I'm short. I have brown hair and blue eyes. Oh yes, and I'm a republican. In New York. That's really fun :)