Ray Richardson

My mother was getting dressed to go to work. It was my senior year in high school and I was very familiar with her routine each morning as her bathroom was near my bedroom. After she showered each day and had got dressed, she would go back into the bath to put on her make-up. Her bath was equipped with a multi-panel mirror that seemed to stretch almost four feet across. Each morning, she would leave the bathroom door open while applying her make-up so that the steam from the morning shower would drift out of the door.

As my brother and I walked back and forth between the morning's breakfast in the breakfast room and gathering our books for school, we knew precisely how long it took for Mom to apply her make-up and how long we had until it was time to head off to school. This day, however, was different. The bathroom door was cracked open, not fully open like usual and my Mom was taking a lot longer to get ready. As I started to say, "Is everything okay?" I heard her softly crying.

It was that awful April morning in 1980 when the news was reporting the deaths of eight United States servicemen. My Mom had just heard the news and her heart was breaking over the loss of eight of America's finest. I will never forget watching her through the crack of the barely open door attempting to regain her composure and seeing the tears streaming down her face. It is an image that has stayed with me and it comes screaming back every time I hear of "one of our boys" being killed in action.

As I write this column, the day is Monday at 3:35 pm, roughly 30 minutes since the President of Iran spoke at Columbia University. It has been 27½ years since the death of those brave men who were seeking to rescue our hostages from the clutches of the savages in Iran who blindfolded, tortured and abused 53 fellow Americans.

Twenty-seven years is a long time. I went to college, got married, moved to Maine and brought four children into this world with my wife, one of which is headed off to college in less than two years. Ronald Reagan was elected President, we ran Iraq out of Kuwait in the Desert Storm operation, terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and then eight years later, brought them down with two commercial airliners, George W. Bush was elected President and then shortly thereafter saw his administration dominated by terrorist attacks and the Global War on Terrorism including the war in Iraq. In other words, a lot has happened in the 27½ years since our brave men were killed in the desert seeking to rescue defenseless hostages who were being brutalized.

Of course, as time passes, memories fade and people become forgiving. Apparently at Columbia University, they have become so forgiving that they gave a bully pulpit to a murdering terrorist (the Iranian President) who was part of the crowd that abducted our hostages in 1979 (yes, I know our state department denies it, but they have a vested interest in it not being true. I trust the Colonel who was a hostage who is certain this man is the same man from 27 years ago), an action that led directly to the deaths of those eight servicemen in April 1980.

Why on earth would a major American university give such a platform to a murdering terrorist who is supplying and supporting terrorists who are killing American soldiers today in Iraq? What is the matter with these people? Have they no shame?

For you liberals who will read this column and shudder, I ask you, "Where is your patriotism?" The American Constitution and the First Amendment right to free speech applies to Americans, not Iranians.

What is to be gained by giving this monster a platform on the world stage that was broadcast on most cable news stations throughout the world? Are we so worried about being tolerant and open minded that our heads are so open we let our brains fall out?

This monster denies the existence of the Holocaust. This monster has repeatedly stated that he wants to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. This monster sustains and supports terrorists in Iraq who are killing American soldiers.

This monster marked the 27th anniversary of that awful April day by saying, "God and Iran had clobbered the enemy." He continued, "On such a day, the enemy, using the most advanced weapons, invaded this land. But heavenly aides supported the Iranian nation and clobbered the enemy in the desert."

Somehow, Columbia University decided that affording this monster a forum would be an educational experience that could create understanding. Frankly, I think Columbia was looking for some name identification and this was a cheap marketing stunt disguised as an intellectual exercise.

I know many of you hate George W. Bush and that is your God-given right as an American to do so, but I cannot believe your hatred of him is so deep that you can't see the harm it is doing to our country. For those of you who support the appearance of this monster at Columbia University, I say you are an enabler of the terror, torture and murder that you claim you hate our President for.

Instead of greeting this monster with applause, he should have been greeted with hand-cuffs, hauled off to jail, tried, convicted and executed before the sun went down.

Some of you have written me and said, "Ray, just who is the enemy?" The answer to that question was standing at a podium at Columbia University at 2 p.m. last Monday.

Ray Richardson is a longtime Westbrook resident and has also served as president of the Westbrook Chamber of Commerce. He has a morning radio show on WLOB, a TV show on FOX 23 and is involved with many community organizations. He can be contacted at ray@rayrichardson.com.

Ray Richardson is a longtime Westbrook resident and has also served as president of the Westbrook Chamber of Commerce. He has a morning radio show on WLOB, a TV show on FOX 23 and is involved with many community organizations. He can be contacted at ray@rayrichardson.com.