yeah Global National

yeah Global National reported this the next day but nobody else seemed to pick it up :/

thanks and couple things more

Thanks for this article.
The way this event was covered in the big media was disgusting. Not only was there no interest in fact-finding, it was also knee-jerk canadian self-flagellation. It seems they assume she is righteous because she's big-time in the USA. I think she played them for fools.
It is laughable that anyone was surprised there were protests. She throws violent, hateful, racist, incendiary comments around like an arsonist! What would you expect? "Oh, isn't that cute."?
Concerning "We should invade..." Rex Murphy excused this by saying it was long ago, after 9/11. But I don't think she has recanted, so she is still responsible for the statements.
And I think this gets to the bottom of the matter. She wants freedom of speech, but no responsibility for it. Ciao.

The University of Ottawa

The University of Ottawa student body is legendary (obsessive?) for carrying out boycotts of one thing or another.

That would be ok , if there was an even hand across the board in dealing with all extremes, but unfortunately when it comes to Left wing extremist causes, the boycott balloon, for some reason, loses all of its air.

Like the man says, what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Write On ...

Finally! I've been waiting and waiting for SOMEBODY in the media to contradict the nonsense coming from Canwest rags. I've never seen so much editorial page whining and hand-wringing in my life.

The only sad thing is that no one in Calgary found the backbone to protest her arrival there.

Tangler.....

...No one protested in Calgary because they were warned, ahead of time, that they were NOT allowed to.

Details on that one can be found here.

.

Coulter

Ignore the fool -- it'll drive her crazy (or crazier).

It's disappointing that she can get an audience of any kind in Canada. What dark thoughts lurk in the minds of Canadian conservatives that would inspire them to go listen to her?

MSM

Simply carrying the torch for Harper Conservatives.

Bear in mind that our present government ALWAYS has a multi-pronged agenda in everything it does or says or supports.

I wouldn't be surprised that Harper uses this as some sort of springboard to clamp down on funding (or subsidies or tax breaks) for universities, generally regarded as liberal institutions.

A solid commentary, but let's face it

Canada is becoming a right-wing sandbox, with politicians screening speakers at the border and with a media very willing to play into the Conservatives Under Attack meme that Levant and others trot out daily.

Casting themselves and followers as a right-thinking minority under constant attack is common fare for propagandists like Levant and Coulter, and their voices were amplified across the nation in service of their pro-conservative message. We should expect Glenn Beck to make a trip north to our welcoming land soon.

Let Coulter and Levant speak!

Either to an empty auditorium, or an audience with good questions.

Both will put their foot in it at some time!

Surprised Coulter's ego fit in Canada!

@ MkumbaJoe

OK... so what left-wing extremist causes are you referring to? In the case of Coulter I'm sure you'll agree that her views are repugnant, ideological, racist, regressive, etc, regardless of simplistic right/left designations. However, your apparent willingness to apply the facile right/left paradigm to all student actions directed toward exercising legitimate controls on the kind of campus environment students want to create for themselves is more than a little telling.

What you appear to argue is that students may not avail themselves of an overall political opinion but instead should remain free of politics and open to anything... so long as it is not 'extreme'. This entails, logically, that the status quo will be maintained--since any attempt to alter the basic structure of campus life must inevitably appear 'extreme' or 'radical'. In other words, you support a kind of false 'tolerance' that is itself repressive where unjust campus policies may be concerned.

While you don't have to like the campus politics at U of O, if you dislike their politics it behooves you to address the issues themselves rather than resort to the simplistic and overly generalized bogey of 'left wing extremism.' Simplistic and childish fear-mongering simply diverts us from real political engagement... so please stop that.

The difference between

The difference between commie and capitalist oppression is only between the colour of the flags and the methods used.

Both systems thrive on and can exist only as dictatorships to elevate the same predators using pseudo religious ideological dogmas to rob and rule.

Ed Deak.

I love Ed Deak!

I appreciate your wisdom and how you skewer the facade(s)!

@ jimorsheryl

In point of fact, in Canada we have 'hate-speech laws,' so we have already decided (as a democratically governed nation) that when it comes to 'free speech' anything-does-not-go. In other words, not all speech deserves to be tolerated or given equal consideration. Thus, when someone arrives to give a speech denying the Nazi holocaust it would be reasonable (I'm sure you'll agree) to make it clear that those sorts of opinions are not welcome in Canada.

It seems to me, then, a short step to move from the idea that speech is not 'free', in the sense that you can simply say what you like in any context without interruption, to students being able to legitimately express their position that Coulter's opinions are not welcome on their campus. There are plenty of other places for her to have absolutely free and uninterrupted reign to express her opinions. Moreover, she is free to visit Canadian universities. However, it is not clear why she should be free to comfortably express her remarkably disgusting opinions in the absence of a show of counter-opinion.

Coulter is simply a bad stand up comedian (comedienne?)

She and her handlers decided they could get more publicity by not speaking than by speaking.

The decision not to 'perform' was made by her people and not by the police - Coulter, in fact, never left the Rideau Club and permitted Levant to deliver his tearful apologies to the waiting crowd.

All of this is well known and available to anyone who took the trouble to look - long before Bill wrote this excellent summary.

There is one thing I'd still appreciate learning about though - and that's the identity of the $250/seat characters who showed up at the Rideau Club to see this clown perform.

Can't understand why the media - who got the circumstances of Coulter's decision not to perform so badly wrong - can't seem to bring themselves to make some inquiries about what kind of people would pay to see this turkey....

the difference

Capitalism is man exploiting man. Communism is just the opposite.

;-)

G West

Geez! Get your fact straight. She actually admitted that she wasn't a comedian on the The Joy Behar Show, yesterday.

But then it seems she has a great deal of difficulty with facts herself, like Canada supplied troops for Vietnam. The interviewer had a hard time correcting her. I'm not too sure if she got the message. I was laughing too hard to pay attention any more.

Ignore and marginalize

This ridiculous story should serve as a lesson: don't invite people like Coulter to come and speak in the first place. But if she is invited, please ignore her and let her and her handful of campus Young Tories do what they must.

High profile Aryan Nations figures speak all the time in Canada, yet they go virtually ignored and therefore relegated to the margins, where they belong. Granted, a Fox News hack is a bit different, but the same principle applies. Don't feed their ego and PR plan. A university bureaucrat sending Coutler a warning email about our hate laws is as good as front page/nightly TV news gold for her.

You want to see the absurd lengths to which our hate laws can be taken, look at what Canadian comedian Guy Earle is having to be put through at the BC Human Rights Tribunal - for what? For doing stand-up comedy and having drinks thrown in his face!

Its clear where the Right stands

In Calgary they cheered when Coulter said Calgary should be the 51st state.

Is there any way we can help that happen? It would mean Stephen Harper's riding being in the USA where it belongs.

Wrong about Galloway

You are in error about Galloway, he was not denied entry he was advised beforehand that his fund raising for Hamas would make him ineligible. He then decided not to come and raise a stink for the free publicity. Such as you are suggesting about Coulter.

Gray

"advised beforehand that his fund raising for Hamas would make him ineligible"

Ineligible for what? Entry?

Gray

The Guardian newspaper disagrees with you :

It says "A Canadian spokesman confirmed that the Respect MP had been deemed inadmissible on national security grounds and would not be allowed into the country."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/mar/20/george-galloway-banned-canada

Perhaps we should let Gray

Contend with the little issue of Amy Goodman's interrogation by Canada Border Services; or the denial of entry to two young independent journalists from Chicago.

BTW, I think he's wrong about Galloway: But the point is the right wing Harper government doesn't play fair - ever.

I'm still looking for that dinner list of the folks who supped with the Comedian at the Rideau Club.

MSM botched the issue

Excellent article, Bill.

A naive University of Ottawa administrator sends Coulter a well-meaning but badly conceived private warning. Somehow, this private correspondence is "leaked" to conservative media. Then, a handful of students show up to protest at a poorly organized event, featuring a speaker who specializes in inflammatory right-wing rhetoric.

Of course Coulter, Levant and others are going to spin this as a freedom of speech issue. But there's nothing stopping the MSM from exercising a little intelligence and a little restraint. Instead, they acted as publicists for Coulter, repeating unsubstantiated claims like the police cancelled the event and facebook posts were threatening violence.

Ignore Coulter. And she'll go away.

I think it's time to revive "American Woman"

I posted some of this on Bill Tieleman's site

Ann Coulter should thank Francois Houle, vice-president academic and provost of the University of Ottawa for the free advice he gave her about the laws of Canada. Instead she attacks him and says he committed a hate-crime. It is actually she who committed the hate crime by attacking him for giving her some helpful advice. She needs help and a lot of it. Even an article calls her an "Inflammatory right-wing pundit." I wonder if she will sue the newspaper. _After he gave the advice, she started to attack the University of Ottawa saying, in effect, that the IQ of the students who go there must be very low. She insulted the students and the university. It is no wonder the students were upset with her and her inflammatory remarks. This is most likely the reason they showed up to protest. Of course she didn't show up as her "talk" was cancelled.

I think it's time to revive "American Woman" by the Guess Who. Here are a bit of the lyrics.

American Woman ------The Guess Who

(Bachman-Cummings-Kale-Peterson)
(Prologue)
American woman gonna mess your mind
American woman, she gonna mess your mind
American woman gonna mess your mind
American woman gonna mess your mind

Coulter

I don't know why more people don't do the obvious thing: go to her session, wait for one of her famous zingers, then just laugh long and loud. If interviewed, tell the media "Coulter is the best comedy act performing today." Keep that up for a few weeks, and she's done.

TheAardvark

I think she would just go back to a redneck audience, then advocate invading Canada (after 'splainin' where in the heck it is) and turning us all into Christians.

Which Way is Up?

We all know that freedom of speech isn't an absolute right as their are laws against its abuse in many countries. So why don't we just let our laws work and let Coulter give her speech? So she says radical and offensive things? So do most of the standup comics on TV. Let them talk and make fools of themselves or engage them in debate. Or don't attend.

Tieleman parses the chronology of events as if it was the Zapruder film. He forgot to mention what a colossal mistake the provost of the university made when he sent Coulter an email warning or explaining to her how to behave. University leaders should understand their duty and rise above the fray; instead, they reveal their leftist leanings.

It's sad that Canadian universities have evolved into the kind of left wing radicalism that shuts down the very pillar they should be defending- free speech and ideas. Without that, the shelves of university libraries would be stripped bare becuse many authors would be deemed disagreeable.

Who cares

This is much ado about nothing. I would wager that more Canadians now know the name of Ann Coulter now than they did a couple of weeks ago. Why? Because the MSM made a mountain out of a mole hill. If the fool from the University of Ottawa had not sent his missive to her in the first place, she would have done her thing with little to no fanfare and returned back to the USA. No publicity, no hype and most of all no cachet.

People such as her need publicity to succeed in their mission and Canada delivered in spades. The longer this subject remains in the spotlight just plays into her hands. Ignore her and she will become nothing more than an asterisk.

Quit picking on the Provost

He simply knew what a crackpot Coulter was and advised her that we have hate laws in Canada; some people who use equally offensive and hateful language about certain identifiable groups here at Tyee could use a letter from the Provost as well.

The fact Tieleman tells the 'real' story rather than the frothy constucted one printed in the MSM is something to be celebrated - not decried.

I've lived under every know

I've lived under every know political ideology burped by long dead ideological prophets, but still am wondering what the hell is a "leftist"?

And why are they worse than "rightists"?

And if university libraries are full of "leftist propaganda", why aren't the students voting at all ?

Of course, people hiding like chickenshit in the grass behind phony names can say anything with impunity.

Note to the Editors: The written media has done away with this crap many years ago, why is the electronic media still not only permitting, but promoting it ?

Ed Deak, Big Lake.

that's interesting:

"We all know that freedom of speech isn't an absolute right as their are laws against its abuse in many countries."

That word, I don't think it means what you think it means.

free speech

We have a right to free speech in Canada. There's just no right to an audience.

Ms. Coulter could have provided the text of her speech to any number of media outlets who would probably have been happy to run it verbatim. Or, one assumes she has a blog which is available in Canada. I'm guessing those wouldn't pay as well however. She must have confused our free speech rules with our 'right to command large speaking fees' clause in the Constitution. Speaking of contracts, I'll bet she signed one. I wonder if it has a standard disclaimer that the hosting organization has the right to cancel the event at their own discretion. Perhaps the real issue is whether or not Coulter or her agent are guilty of not reading the fine print?

The tickets for the event cost $0 (that's zero) dollars

for students and $10 for non students. It was organized by the International Free Press Society. Ezra Levant sits on the board. 400 seats x zero dollars = zero dollar. Her fee for speeches is $10K.

I personally liked a CBC article about what really happened: http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2010/03/ann-coulters-adventures-in-ottawa-so-what-really-happened-last-night.html

It would appear that Coulter's security people were talking about cancelling the appearance at the university at 5:30 that night. Hours before the protesters appeared at the venue. Hmmm. It would appear this was all done for publicity. Maybe that's why Coulter didn't even appear at the venue but stayed at the Rideau Club instead.

Great article, Bill. Need more of em.

Nothing to fear but....

I can't understand what you critics are so scared about? Would Canada fail because Coulter speaks. Have you checked out how many universities she speaks at and how aggressively she is criticized by the audience. The bottom line is that the University of Ottawa failed to provide enough security in light of the loud and threatening protests of the students.

Coulter travelled on to speak at an Alberta university. No problem there. Were they in on Coulter's PR conspiracy too? I'm sure the provost at University of Ottawa regrets sending her a warning letter. Canadian universities have long lost their credibility as bastions of liberal thought. Unless you call liberal thought only that which is far left.

Rather than a victory for free speech in Canada, the Univ of Ottawa has only struck a victory for their strident brand of political correctness. From a PR point of view, it would have been far smarter to allow Coulter to speak and if she incited hate, racism and social unrest to have her charged under our laws. It would have demonstrated the Univ of Ottawa's openness while at the same time demonstrating Canada's robust speech laws. Instead, considering she went on to speak at another Canadian university the university of Ottawa handed her a massive PR coup.

You'd expect immature university students to fall for such a gambit or colossal misjudgement, but not university officials.

Bobby peru

Coulter cancelled her own speech. She was afraid she's violate our hate laws and since she had already been warned knew she couldn't plead ignorance.

As for Calgary the people there cheered when she said they should be part of the USA. Draw your own conclusions as to what that says about her audience.

Just In Case Mr. Peru Would Like To See The Specifics....

....About what actually happened in Ottawa they can be found here.

.

Whoops!

Bill you quote Coulter "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity."

Well she got some of it right, we are complicit with the US and the coalition. We have invaded Afghanistan and we are actively targeting and killing Taliban leaders whom had been running the show there. I'm pretty certain they are Islamic. So what is your point with this quote? To prove that not everything she says can not have some reality to it.
This whole free speech debacle has been good in some sense. A kick in the pants for Canadians including myself to explore what free speech really means. So the result of Coulter's visit has actually caused some exploration of ourselves. Whether or not you like her it is undeniable some good has come from and by way of Ms. Coulter. Whoops!

Coulter Played the Left

Ann Coulter, who has absolutely no socially redeeming value, should be allowed to speak where she wants and say what she wants (subject to any Charter limitations).

She would have been ignored at the University of Ottawa by all but a few crackpot fans, and then the lefty activists threw a hissy fit and played right into her hands.

And how was this far right mouthpiece even allowed into the country, if you look at the treatment that left wing crank George Galloway got at the hands of the border guards when he tried to come into Canada?