Council Speaker Chris Quinn on Iranian President Today

I was heartened to receive this statement from NYC Council Speaker Chris Quinn.  To see what Ahmadinejad said at the UN, see it here in the NYTimes.  Of course, it is beyond ironic that no free-speaking Iranian could say such things against an ally of Iran at the most visible political pulpit in Tehran.  America and Israel, thankfully, support far more free speech than Iran could ever dare to support, even when it is morally outrageous and hateful.

It's a shame the Iranian President can't receive a real New York Welcome:  a Bronx Cheer, a beer spilled on his head at Citi Field, and a Meadowlands Concussion from the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants that would be so inspiring Tim Tebow would bow his head in prayer.

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Statement by City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn

Re: Visit of the Iranian President to the UN General Assembly 

"President Ahmadinejad's brand of hate speech is most unwelcome in New York City for a host of reasons.  Mr. Ahmadinejad has called for the destruction of Israel and has expressed anti-Semitic views and doubts about the Holocaust. Domestically, Iranian women often face discrimination and women's rights groups are repressed.  Those critical of his government have been perpetually arrested and detained without trial for long periods and are reported to have been tortured or otherwise ill-treated and denied access to medical care, lawyers and their families.  Mr. Ahmadinejad's government is also a supporter of international terrorism in the world today, and for a regime like this to be on the cusp of developing a nuclear arsenal is a nightmare to terrible to contemplate.  This threat of a nuclear-armed Iran is not just an Israeli problem but a global problem which the world must address immediately.  For all these reasons, and many more not stated, Mr. Ahmadinejad is unwelcome in our city."