Canadian college students threaten Ann Coulter

[timesjoke]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/24/protest-cancels-coulter-speech-ottawa/

 

OTTAWA -- A protest by hundreds of students led organizers to cancel a Tuesday night speech by American conservative commentator Ann Coulter at the University of Ottawa.

 

A spokesman for the organizers said Coulter was advised against appearing after about 2,000 "threatening" students crowded the entrance to Marion Hall, posing a security threat.

 

"It would be physically dangerous for Ann Coulter to proceed with this event," said conservative political activist Ezra Levant inside the hall. "This is an embarrassing day for the University of Ottawa and their student body . . . who chose to silence her through threats and intimidation."

 

A protest organizer, international studies student Mike Fancie, said he was pleased they were able to stop Coulter from speaking.

 

"What Ann Coulter is practicing is not free speech, it's hate speech," he said. "She's targeted the Jews, she's targeted the Muslims, she's targeted Canadians, homosexuals, women, almost everybody you could imagine."

 

The announcement of the cancelation was greeted with shouts of "Shame" and "We want Ann" from about 100 people inside the hall. Outside protesters mockingly chanted "Goodbye Ann Coulter."

 

About 10 Ottawa police cars were called to the scene, but there were no incidents.

 

Coulter expressed her outrage, calling the University of Ottawa a "bush league" institution in an interview for The Washington Times.

 

"This has never happened before," she told the newspaper. "I go to the best schools, Harvard, the Ivy League and those kids are too intellectually proud" to threaten speakers.

 

Levant blamed the bedlam on university academic vice-president Francois Houle, who had written Coulter to warn her that Canadian laws make provisions for hate speech.

 

"Promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges," he warned her in the letter, which Coulter quickly leaked to the media.

 

The university has refused to comment since. Levant said Houle's advice to Coulter had emboldened students to block her appearance.

 

Coulter, a best-selling author and syndicated columnist, was in the middle of a three-city tour of Canada, which began at the University of Western Ontario in London on Monday, and ends in Calgary on Thursday.

 

The event in London went without incident, but not without controversy.

 

When answering questions from students, Coulter told a 17-year-old Muslim student to "take a camel" instead of the flying carpet she has previously suggested Muslims use for transportation. Coulter later told CTV that the "camel" remark was a joke.

 

 

 

 

 

The bullies can't allow opposing points of view, violence is a reasonable course of action in their minds to stop someone who does not believe what they believe from speaking their beliefs.

 

 

 

They say she is conducting 'hate speach' but they think they made things better will threats of 'hate violence'?

[phreakwars]

Don't know why, but this thread reminds me of this song.

 

[emkay64]

We're not all bad. Sheesh...enough with the Canada bashing already From the reading I did...she sure doesn't handle things very gracefully...what a mouth lol. She says "I've never encountered this at any ivy league schools..not even at the stupidest American Universities"....geez...where can I book her to speak?

[timesjoke]

I was honestly surprised that so many Canadians who are actually actively looking for higher education feel it is reasonable to threaten violence in order to silence someone they do not agree with.

 

Nobody was being forced to go listen to this woman, I agree she is over the top because she loves to take examples to the extreme and has a very edgy sense of humor, but again, the only people who would hear her would be those who wanted to. Why is that too much for Canadians to handle? Why is that too much for Canadian college students to handle?

 

 

If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind. ~John Stuart Mill

 

The fact is that censorship always defeats its own purpose, for it creates, in the end, the kind of society that is incapable of exercising real discretion. ~Henry Steele Commager

 

 

 

Em, I'm not trying to bash Canada, but I spent some time today checking out the comment sections of several Canadian news sites and the vast majority of the comments were very supportive of not allowing conservative voices on colleges, I was very dissapointed. I don't think everyone in Canada believes in this kind of thing, but it sure seems that no matter what most people in Canada believe, the colleges are going to create their own reality.

[emkay64]

.........

[hugo]

Ann was a coward. Daniel Boone would have walked right through that crowd of Canadians shouting "Fifty-four forty or fight".She needs to grow some balls.

[mercury]

I didn't know c nts could have balls!

 

I despise that woman.... she's just mean and nasty.

[hugo]

I didn't know c nts could have balls!

 

I despise that woman.... she's just mean and nasty.

 

If Sarah Palin had a brain she would be Ann Coulter.

[RoyalOrleans]

Well... the less said about 'him,' the better.

 

- George Will on Ann Coulter

[ImWithStupid]

I didn't know c nts could have balls!

 

I despise that woman.... she's just mean and nasty.

 

 

Yes. She should be much more ladylike, you know more along the lines of a Janeane Garafalo, Rosie O'Donnell, Joy Behar, or Rachal Maddow.

[hugo]

The fact is the students had a right to protest. They have free speech too. I could be missing something. What was "threatening" besides a large crowd? Was there some lactating gal walking around topless?

 

The pussification of America continues

 

Patrick Henry "Give me liberty or give me death."

 

Ann Coulter "I'm scared."

[RegisteredAndEducated]

Patrick Henry "Give me liberty or give me death."

 

Ann Coulter "I'm scared."

 

Ann Coulter is alot hotter than Patrick Henry was...

[mercury]

Yes. She should be much more ladylike, you know more along the lines of a Janeane Garafalo, Rosie O'Donnell, Joy Behar, or Rachal Maddow.

 

I don't much like any of them, either.

[Ahhlee]

The fact is the students had a right to protest. They have free speech too. I could be missing something. What was "threatening" besides a large crowd? Was there some lactating gal walking around topless?

 

The pussification of America continues

 

Patrick Henry "Give me liberty or give me death."

 

Ann Coulter "I'm scared."

 

Hahahaha! applauds

 

Great comment, hugo.

[emkay64]

Students protesting how unusual lol. God...when I was in college they protested everything. I remember my personal favorite was protesting over "trimming the native shrubbery"...aka...no pruning. College students love to complain, because it's a welcome deviation from dry text books after sex and partying of course.

[hugo]

Martin Luther King might still be alive if he had not made a speech everytime someone told him it might be dangerous. So might Jim Crow.

[timesjoke]

Students protesting how unusual lol. God...when I was in college they protested everything. I remember my personal favorite was protesting over "trimming the native shrubbery"...aka...no pruning. College students love to complain, because it's a welcome deviation from dry text books after sex and partying of course.

The difference is the threat to do violence, there is nothing wrong with voicing your opinion but turning to violence just to protect yourself from opinions you do not agree with is wrong.

 

Ann spoke at two other places in Canada without issues so why was this college campus so closed to ideas they did not agree with? It is not like this was a forced event, only people who wanted to be there were there so why keep your fellow students from hearing what they want to hear?

 

Maybe some of these students who wanted to hear her wanted to challenge her possitions with good debate and questions but they have been deprived this opportunity to challenge her and maybe even defeat her on some point by their own fellow students who thought violence was the answer.

 

 

And what did they accomplish? This one event most likely made her more popular and made canadians look less tolerant. Her book sales will skyrocket and more people will listen to her that feel America is slipping into a 'canada' model and want to avoid it.

[emkay64]

"Good Debate" is an oxymoron with this woman. I don't think anyone was deprived of too much, in fact a few brain cells may have been spared by NOT listening to her speech. Besides, Coulter and her large pie hole love the publicity, don't kid yourself. If she's in the spotlight it's a job well done. She didn't even have to speak to get what she wanted...a little notoriety in a country where barely anyone knows or cares who Anne Coulter is. That being said...she got a nice huggly welcome here in Calgary, and got to spread her niblets of wisdom to the eager student body.

 

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2010/03/25/calgary-coulter-speech-university-.html

 

"Save the good Canadians".....okay Anne..okay.

[timesjoke]

But my point is not if you or some other students thought she was a waste of time but instead you deprived other Canadians the right to have the debate with her if that was their choice.

 

 

The point is the threat of violence used to supress ideas and thoughts EM. This time it is used against someone you do not like so your okay with it but when the same threats are used to silence someone you do support, what then EM? Will it still be reasonable or will your opions of free speah change based on your personal likes? Only what you like is free speach and reasonable?

 

 

Don't get me wrong, I am hardly a fan of this woman, but I believe she has a right to her voice and people who think they have to use violence to censor her to protect themselves from her words are most likely much more a harmful to society than she can ever be.

 

 

 

 

And your right about her getting more attention, that was my point too before so again, why give her what she wants? Instead of her looking bad for her possitions it was an entire college and even a great deal of Canada who looked to be the agressive bullies who were scared to death of words from a single woman.

[RoyalOrleans]

TJ... just a question out of turn, but address it here nonetheless...

 

Do you think that you would be taking up for Keith Olbermann if he was the one in this situation? Olbermann has said many hateful, spiteful, and wrathful things about the GOP and conservatives, but do you think he deserves the same respect if an angry mob retorted with suggestions of violence?

[timesjoke]

TJ... just a question out of turn, but address it here nonetheless...

 

Do you think that you would be taking up for Keith Olbermann if he was the one in this situation? Olbermann has said many hateful, spiteful, and wrathful things about the GOP and conservatives, but do you think he deserves the same respect if an angry mob retorted with suggestions of violence?

 

I have no idea what your trying to imply RO? You taking a shot at me again? When have I ever taken a possition that people should be attacked if they say things I do not agree with? I have no idea even where your comment comes from.

 

 

 

I am not taking up for anyone RO, you need to go read my posts and try to understand the words I have posted, I even said in my last I was hardly a fan of this woman but when free speach is only tolerated when the speaker is saying what you want to hear, that is not free speach. I have been very clear on this subject so there is no real honerable reason for your comment to me, your obviously just trying to start something.

[RoyalOrleans]

I have no idea what your trying to imply RO? You taking a shot at me again? When have I ever taken a possition that people should be attacked if they say things I do not agree with? I have no idea even where your comment comes from.

 

 

 

I am not taking up for anyone RO, you need to go read my posts and try to understand the words I have posted, I even said in my last I was hardly a fan of this woman but when free speach is only tolerated when the speaker is saying what you want to hear, that is not free speach. I have been very clear on this subject so there is no real honerable reason for your comment to me, your obviously just trying to start something.

 

Ohh... I wasn't trying to insinuate anything at all. I did read the rest of the thread, however I was just curious how you felt about someone outside the conservative movement's opinions if they were in a similar situation. Not digging or poking at you.

 

That's all. Just curious where you stood.

 

-----

 

I hate Olbermann with a passion, but I can semi-tolerate Coulter in small doses. Either way, the freedom of speech applies to not one but to all.

 

You answered my question. Continue the discussion.

[timesjoke]

Oh bull, there was nothing in any of my posts either here or anywhere else to show I only want free speach for conservatives RO, so no reason for your question and assertion that I might possibly not support true free speach.

 

 

 

 

I will say this, I would limit some locations as too much for some kinds of free speach. The idiots who show up at military funerals to scream out nasty and hateful stuff designed to hurt the surviving families should not be allowed to do so in hearing of the funeral proceedings. There is nothing American or reasonable for screaming out something like that at a funeral and hurting the loved ones of a soldier who gave his life in service of his country. But I do not want to stop their words, they have a right to say what they want to say, they just should not be intruding onto the rights of other Americans not to be assaulted.

 

 

 

And there is a key difference in this discussion, the Ann thing was purely voluntary, only those who wanted to attend would hear her words and that to me should always be protected speach, nobody should be scared that words will somehow infect other people and cause them to behave in some way other than they normally would. The people assaulting soldier's funerals do not give their victims a choice to avoid the hateful speach, it is not like they can stop everything and bury their loved one someone else at the last minute.

 

 

But, I even feel bad to say this small limitation is justified because the very notion of freedom is given wings by the freedom of speach and when we limit free speach, we also limit freedoms.

[RoyalOrleans]

Oh bull, there was nothing in any of my posts either here or anywhere else to show I only want free speach for conservatives RO, so no reason for your question and assertion that I might possibly not support true free speach.

 

 

 

 

I will say this, I would limit some locations as too much for some kinds of free speach. The idiots who show up at military funerals to scream out nasty and hateful stuff designed to hurt the surviving families should not be allowed to do so in hearing of the funeral proceedings. There is nothing American or reasonable for screaming out something like that at a funeral and hurting the loved ones of a soldier who gave his life in service of his country. But I do not want to stop their words, they have a right to say what they want to say, they just should not be intruding onto the rights of other Americans not to be assaulted.

 

 

 

And there is a key difference in this discussion, the Ann thing was purely voluntary, only those who wanted to attend would hear her words and that to me should always be protected speach, nobody should be scared that words will somehow infect other people and cause them to behave in some way other than they normally would. The people assaulting soldier's funerals do not give their victims a choice to avoid the hateful speach, it is not like they can stop everything and bury their loved one someone else at the last minute.

 

 

But, I even feel bad to say this small limitation is justified because the very notion of freedom is given wings by the freedom of speach and when we limit free speach, we also limit freedoms.

 

Why are you jumping down my throat, TJ? Huh? All I did was ask a question to see where you stood, but I can see that you thought I had ulterior motives. Nothing of the kind... making a slight shift to get back around to the topic.

 

I've gone to my fair share of military funerals; for my granddad's friends, for my father's friends, and for my friends. I have never hated a group of people so much as those who show up to protest the funeral of a soldier who died in what is deemed an "unpopular war".

 

There are some good answers there, TJ. I don't refute anything you said regarding freedoms.

 

Carry on.

[ImWithStupid]

The people who protest at military funerals are among the most vile human beings on the face of the planet and I'm sure there is a place in the lowest levels of hell for their kind.

 

That said, I have to support their right to free speech. I do though favor a legal distance these people have to stay away from the service/viewing/rosary/internment/etc...

 

Free speech isn't something that is limited to kind speech. The right to free speech was set to allow unpopular and unsavory speech.