I’m starting a new “thread” here, because this morning’s is getting too long and unweildy.
If you need more background:
Here is this morning’s post (7AM ET Wednesday March 24), with all the overnight reaction to the Ann Coulter riot at the University of Ottawa last night.
And here is my original (Tuesday AM) post about Ann Coulter’s (riot-free) speech in London, Ontario, which I attended on Monday night, and which became famous for Coulter’s (and mine!) “camel” comment.
Both posts feature lots of links, video and photos.
So, on with the continuing roundup!
Ann Coulter linked to me this morning, telling one of the tour organizers that, “Everyone keeps asking me about it or to come on radio or tv and I just refer them to the link [to FiveFeetOfFury] on my website. definitely the most complete.”
URGENT: CHANGE OF VENUE!
Ann Coulter will speak at the University of Calgary
Thursday, March 25th, 2010Red and White Club, 2nd Floor, Olympic Volunteer Centre
LOCATED AT MCMAHON STADIUM
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.
To register in Calgary Alberta, please contact: calgary@coulterincanada.com
For general information or media inquiries contact: info@coulterincanada.com
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A clever spoof at the Ottawa Citizen, written by Barry McLoughlin:
Dear Sir, Madam or ALTERNATIVE DESIGNATION WELCOMED;
May I welcome you to NAME OF UNIVERSITY. As you have somehow eluded border guards, allow me to assist you by identifying the specific ideas that you are not so much forbidden to say, but free to avoid.
You are free to conclude that if your views are reflected on the list below, then they will be referred to an investigator with our Human Rights Commission, or they may be subject to criminal prosecution.
I might add that our student body is particularly sensitive to slights — either actual or implied — and have a right to feel comfortable with whatever any lecturer says at all times.
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Great one-liner from Ghost of a Flea:
That which does not kill you makes Ann Coulter’s point.
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Michael Coren’s complete one hour interview with Ann Coulter is now posted here.
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Mark Steyn is writing his reaction now and says he will post something on his site later today.
UPDATE: Steyn comments here…
Alliances between the state’s ideological commissars and street mobs are a familiar feature of certain kinds of societies, and I suppose Canada will soon get used to its membership of this unlovely club. (…)
In one of the oldest settled democracies on the planet, freedom of speech flickers very dimly.
I have a feeling his next column in Maclean’s might just be about the Coulter affair.
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Typical witless commentary from Toronto’s Susan G. Cole:
We don’t have that same political culture here in (Canada)….We don’t have a 1st Amendment, we don’t have a religion of free speech….Students sign off on all kinds of agreements as to how they’ll behave on campus, in order to respect diversity, equity, all of the values that Canadians really care about. Those are the things that drive our political culture. Not freedoms, not rugged individualism, not free speech. It’s different, and for us, it works.
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Ari Fine of Strictly Right got through to the Rush Limbaugh Show today to talk about what happened (click here for audio and transcript):
ARI: (laughs) I guess we’ll have to go there. But you wanted to know what happened with Coulter here and before she even set foot in Canada you had the academic president or some other from the University of Ottawa accusing her of spewing hatred and warning her that if she says anything they’re going to come after her. And instead, what he did was he was just fomented the attitude that you had there that ended up canceling her speech. And the other shame that Ann Coulter, as you know, is one of the most generally decent human beings you’ll ever meet.
RUSH: Well, I can say that’s true. I’ve met Ann Coulter a number of times. I can say that I know her, and she is decent, and she’s funny. Dirty little secret here, Ari: She actually doesn’t mind this at all. She’s in the front page, above-the-fold in the local newspaper. Everybody around the world is talking about this, and she has successfully illustrated just what a bunch of bigots there are at this university. So this is something that she’s out there laughing about. This hasn’t even happened at the stupidest American university, as she says. Ari, I’m glad you called. Thank you very much.
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Ann Coulter’s new column is up today, and guess what it is about?
I was given no specific examples of what words and phrases I couldn’t use, but I take it I’m not supposed to say, “F— you, Francois.” (…)Did Francois A. Houle send a similarly worded letter to Israel-hater Omar Barghouti before he spoke last year at U of Ottawa? (“Ottawa”: Indian for “Land of the Bed-Wetters.”)
How about Angela Davis, Communist Party member and former Black Panther who spoke at the University of Zero just last month?
Or do only conservatives get letters admonishing them to be civil? Or – my suspicion – is it only conservative women who fuel Francois’ rage?
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The
Grope & Flail (video included) reports that Ann Coulter has officially retained Ezra Levant to file her Human Rights Commission complaint:
“I would like to know if any Muslim has been treated this badly, at least since the Reformation, because I am drawing a blank,” Ms. Coulter told The Globe.
She also took a swipe at Canadians, saying this country has lost its edge.
“You guys used to be so cool. You were smokers. You had epic hockey fights. We had half our comedians from Canada. Now you’re all a bunch of girls named Francois.”
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“This is the future of the United States…”
Dennis Prager did a segment on Ann Coulter’s cancelled speech today.
Alas, audio files are for paid members only.
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B’nai Brith Canada condemns double standard on campus in press release:
In late February, York University cancelled an event planned by Imagine With Us, a B’nai Brith Canada-led multi-faith coalition of Christian and Jewish organizations focused on maintaining Canadian values, after the university, fearful of the actions of anti-Israel agitators on campus, said it could not guarantee the safety of the event’s speakers without a large security and police presence paid for by the student organizers.
“The free speech double standard that we are witnessing on Canadian campuses has to stop,” said Frank Dimant, Executive Vice President of B’nai Brith Canada. “It seems to be the case that when a speaker tries to come on campus with views that campus left-wing radicals and anti-Israel agitators disagree with, our university administrators are cowed into either canceling the event altogether or placing insurmountable obstacles in the way of the organizers.
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Don’t forget to get the official, limited edition t-shirt you’ll see in lots of news photos and videos:
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