thank you...

This bothers me in a ton of different ways, none of which I'm able to discuss right now...

Just my two cents...

"Mrs. Bailey feels an obligation to travel from her home in suburban Lynnfield, Mass., to a federal courtroom in Boston, where 9/11 families can watch the Moussaoui trial on closed-circuit television..."
-I feel about this like I feel about television. If you don't like it, don't watch it. If it makes you upset, yet you still go and watch the trial, don't bitch to anyone about it, because it's your choice.

Also, the part about the "town meeting" kind of upset me. This woman seems to think that it isn't important for us to understand why we're hated, why others would WANT to bomb us. This kind of blind hatred/patriotism/trusting of the government/ignorance to anyone else is BAD. I'd much rather know why this happened than have a meeting where we talk about how we're right, they're wrong, and that's all there is.

I don't want to sound like I don't think 9/11 was a tragedy and a terrible thing. I'm just saying that these people are not making a whole lot of sense in their objections. I don't know how I'd feel if a former Taliban official came to my school...I'm just putting in my 2 cents...

Have to disagree here because even though they don't have control over Afghanistan like they used to, they are still around causing trouble for the coalition forces over there.

"We make sure they don't have business meetings"

Just like we make sure Al-Queda doesn't have business meetings?

Hey, there's been worst people enrolling in US based academic institutions. Just look at the Schools of Americas.

Congrats you, squirrelygirl, and optimus prime qualify for the "I Don't Make Sense" Award. The three of you will receive an all expenses paid trip to nowhere and will have the opportunity to compete for the "I Wish I Thought Things Through" prize. WOOOO!

-Rudey

if winning the "thought things through" award comes with a lifetime subscription to all the xenophopic, sexist, racist, and homophopic thoughts and speech that one person can possibly use, well, i'm perfectly happy not making any sense...

No it just means you don't make sense. Just like your previous posts, this one made no sense either. :(

-Rudey

Me as well.

The woman lost her husband, and one of the people who may be responsible is being admitted to a top-flight university. I'm not sure you (or most of us, for that matter) can understand her anger and pain right now, and I don't think it's for any of us to judge.

Saying that she doesn't have the right to view that trial or talk about it afterwards, after all she went through, and comparing it to complaints after a television program? That is harsh at best.

taliban = not (neccesarily) al qaeda

that's like saying somebody who is baptist supports the westboro baptist church people

just to make this clear, i do not support the goals and practices of either the taliban or al qaeda - i just think that some of the arguments against this guy getting an education are assinine and ignorant

OMG. Fine. I'll break it down for you since you are "assinine and ignorant".

The Taliban supported Al Quaeda and provided them with a basecamp. They supported the terror group and worked in tandem with them as well on many occasions. Additionally, during their rule the Taliban terrorized and brutalized an entire nation. After their ousting, the Taliban took up terrorism as well.

Even you acknowledge some implicit guilt in being a member of the Taliban as you bring up the Nazi analogy.

Sadly that analogy is beyond foolish. 1) Nazi rocket scientists worked on developing missile and atom bomb technology in a vital race if you want to justify it and 2) the fact that we have done something in the past, does not justify it in the future - it's like the Nazis saying that they can commit genocide again because it was acceptable back then. You can't even begin to justify this (using point 1) because there is no life and death struggle that this terrorist is involved in; he is taking non-degree courses at Yale.

Additionally his being in the country is separate from being at Yale. Yale is not the USA. You can be in America and not be in Yale. I believe I said the same thing 3 times, in 3 different ways, just to make sure the point got across. Any anger with the State Department is separate. Immigration officials have let in terrorists in the past, accidentally or whatnot as well.

Furthermore, given the private status of Yale the parents have every right to publicize this given their daughter's enrollment at Yale as well as a desire to bring about change by "Spreading the news." Schools in the Ivy+, like Yale, get their pick of students and this really is not something to brag about aside from upsetting many students and their families.

So really is it worth it labeling others as "Ignorant" and throwing around words like "Xenophobia" when really you haven't thought this through, your statements make no sense, and you have no concept of xenophobia given your isolation in Tennessee? I would think not, but I'm sure your response, should there be one, will make no sense either.

-Rudey

If the "town meeting" at Yale really went down the way this family says it did, that's pretty assy. We had a school-wide assembly too, but it was more for support than trying to discuss the geopolitical reasons for what happened.

This kid is paying for the education himself, as international students are not eligible for institutional financial aid. How is this happening?

Plus it's a non-degreed program right? If I had to guess, Yale probably doesn't do much of a background check and probably has a weak application for students that just want to take classes much like most schools. So this kid is just shelling out cash, probably made from selling bombs all summer long, and Yale is more than happy to take it. If they do stop this, I'm sure they'll have to tackle other hairy issues which they're not prepared to do.

-Rudey

simple logic would escape you, wouldn't it?

International students in non-degree granting programs are cash cows. The kids in the summer program I RA-ed in were crazy freaks, including sketchy Sauds, but they were able to pay $10,000 to hang out in Providence for 2 months so the University was all, "okay!"