Brett Nolan’s opinion column in Wednesday’s Kernel, “Leftist agenda celebrates terrorist, demonizes real freedom of speech,” displays the typical far-right rhetoric that is so prevalent these days.

His column claims that some Democrats hate America and revel in “anything that resembles anti-Americanism.”

As is typical of people with this mentality, Nolan equates criticism with hate. Perhaps Nolan believes that everything is perfect in America today, but many do not. Being an outspoken critic of today’s government hardly classifies anyone as an “America-hater,” despite many neoconservatives’ wishes.

Moreover, Nolan criticizes Columbia students for allowing the (admittedly bigoted) leader of a sovereign nation to speak, while students protested the presence of Jim Gilchrist, a man who allowed the neo-Nazi group National Alliance to assist his 2005 election bid, and Ann Coulter, who claims that women’s suffrage hurts America and who once claimed, “I support the government of Israel for the same reason I support apartheid in South Africa, because they are surrounded by savages.”

Do these people have the right to voice their opinions? Unquestionably, the answer is yes, and the universities did, in fact, let these people speak.

However, protests are unavoidable. Logically, there would be more security around a national leader than Ann Coulter.

Nolan failed to state that there were, in fact, street-wide protests of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as well as a large student-led protest.

Brett Nolan should be ashamed of his blatant attempt to use Ahmadinejad’s speech as an excuse to portray Democrats as anti-American.

I hope people know better than to believe this garbage.

Ross Levine

Electrical engineering and mathematics junior