Arrest made at Coulter speech

[David_Paul]

Drudge Report 5/4/05

Incessant heckling and shouting culminated in an arrest Tuesday night during a speech by controversialist Ann Coulter at the University of Texas at Austin.

THE TEXAN reports: Shouts became so pervasive during the question-and-answer session that Coulter informed the organizers she would no longer take questions if the hecklers were not silenced. For a time, the shouts were considerably lessened, until the issue of gay marriage was broached.

Coulter said she supported the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman on the basis that a good woman civilizes and inspires a man to strive for something better, leading to a question that was met with a stunned silence.

“You say that you believe in the sanctity of marriage,” said Ajai Raj, an English sophomore. "How do you feel about . . .(snip)

UT Police officers approached Raj to arrest him, resulting in a mass exodus of protesters chanting, “Let him go.”

“The person had been disruptive the entire event,” said Matt Hardigree, former Student Events Center president. "He took the opportunity to say something lewd and offensive and then made. . .(snip)

A warning before anyone clicks in: Raj’s question and actions were sickening.

drudgereport.com/flash4act.htm

 

[Lisa4Catholics]

Good grief

 

[gnjsdad]

David_Paul:

A warning before anyone clicks in: Raj’s question and actions were sickening.

drudgereport.com/flash4act.htm

Is that the best the left is capable of? Ann Coulter must be offering a prayer of thanks to God for enemies like that.

 

[David_Paul]

Just remembered. A few weeks ago Justice Antonin Scalia was asked almost the same question. Only difference was he was asked it regarding Mrs. Scalia (who was in the audience).

Think his speech was in NYC or Boston. Not sure.

 

[Richardols]

David_Paul:

Just remembered. A few weeks ago Justice Antonin Scalia was asked almost the same question. Only difference was he was asked it regarding Mrs. Scalia (who was in the audience).

Think his speech was in NYC or Boston. Not sure.

Places where freedom of speech is actually respected even if deplored, regardless how vulgar the speaker or his speech.

 

[yochumjy]

Richardols:

Places where freedom of speech is actually respected even if deplored, regardless how vulgar the speaker or his speech.

What is your point? That we should accept all forms of vulgarity under the auspice of freedom of speech? I hope I just read that wrong.

 

[Richardols]

yochumjy:

What is your point? That we should accept all forms of vulgarity under the auspice of freedom of speech? I hope I just read that wrong.

Yes, about speech; no about all forms of vulgarity. Dropping trou and mooning that woman would have been worthy of arrest.

 

[yochumjy]

Yes, about speech; no about all forms of vulgarity. Dropping trou and mooning that woman would have been worthy of arrest.

So what about vulgar speech? Is it anything goes? Do we get to string together any sort of four letter and foul words and still remain under free speech? What does that say about our civilization?

 

[Brendan]

Does shouting down someone qualify as speech?

Is seems the entire point to that is to prevent speech, not respect it?

What did the protesters have against a question and answer session?

 

[Lisa_N]

The issue is not simply free speech or vulgarity. You can’t yell fire in a crowded theater. If someone has paid to listen to a speaker and others make this impossible with heckling, boos, or interruptions then I think they should be removed as a courtesy to the majority who are there to hear the speaker. We do not have to tolerate these boors.

Lisa N

 

[wabrams]

Lisa N:

The issue is not simply free speech or vulgarity. You can’t yell fire in a crowded theater. If someone has paid to listen to a speaker and others make this impossible with heckling, boos, or interruptions then I think they should be removed as a courtesy to the majority who are there to hear the speaker. We do not have to tolerate these boors.

Lisa N

In this case, the University paid 30k for her to speak. So in essence, this protester helped pay for her to come to UT.

 

[yochumjy]

wabrams:

In this case, the University paid 30k for her to speak. So in essence, this protester helped pay for her to come to UT.

What’s your point? The protester stopped the majority of people there from getting their moneys worth, interrupted an opportunity for civil discussion. If the protester did not like their money being spent as it was then they can protest civily, not interrupt the whole assembly.

 

[rastell]

wabrams:

In this case, the University paid 30k for her to speak. So in essence, this protester helped pay for her to come to UT.

Then so did the 100’s of other people in the audience who came to hear her speak and couldn’t because of him.

 

[Lisa_N]

wabrams:

In this case, the University paid 30k for her to speak. So in essence, this protester helped pay for her to come to UT.

Sorry but I don’t get your point. We don’t know if the protester paid (he was a student or benefactor of the school?) and from my understanding having heard an interview with a student who was there, the majority of the crowd DID want to hear what Ann had to say and were annoyed by the heckling.

Frankly if I were Ann Coulter, I’d insist in my contract that the organizer of any event where she would speak would be responsible for a large payment in addition to the speaking engagement if pies were thrown or if the talk was disrupted.

I think such people are pigs and deserve to be hauled out of the door. I’ve been to events where a few pigs ruined everyone else’s time. THEY want THEIR free speech but refuse to allow it for anyone else.

Lisa N

 

[wabrams]

Lisa N:

Sorry but I don’t get your point. We don’t know if the protester paid (he was a student or benefactor of the school?) and from my understanding having heard an interview with a student who was there, the majority of the crowd DID want to hear what Ann had to say and were annoyed by the heckling.

Frankly if I were Ann Coulter, I’d insist in my contract that the organizer of any event where she would speak would be responsible for a large payment in addition to the speaking engagement if pies were thrown or if the talk was disrupted.

I think such people are pigs and deserve to be hauled out of the door. I’ve been to events where a few pigs ruined everyone else’s time. THEY want THEIR free speech but refuse to allow it for anyone else.

Lisa N

I’m not disagreeing with you, but just commenting on the way it seemed you post read: that he had not paid and the others had.

 

[Adonis33]

This shouldn’t suprise anybody a bit. Liberals (not all) seem to be extremely hippocritical. They claim “freedom of speach” when disrupting speaking engagements - while denying the speaker their freedom of speech.

These idiots clearly had no intellectual retorts or question - so they had to resort to shock and crudeness.

Freedom of speech does not apply to all speech, it means the government cannot arrest you for speaking your mind.

 

[wabrams]

Adonis33:

This shouldn’t suprise anybody a bit. Liberals (not all) seem to be extremely hippocritical. They claim “freedom of speach” when disrupting speaking engagements - while denying the speaker their freedom of speech.

These idiots clearly had no intellectual retorts or question - so they had to resort to shock and crudeness.

Freedom of speech does not apply to all speech, it means the government cannot arrest you for speaking your mind.

You’re right. And on the other side of the coin, Conservatives (not all) try to squash any speech that doesn’t agree with their view point, no matter how peaceful.

 

[kmktexas]

wabrams:

In this case, the University paid 30k for her to speak. So in essence, this protester helped pay for her to come to UT.

So what. Paying for it doesn’t give someone the right to disrupt it. There are certain standards of behavior that civilized people adhere to when in public. Disrupting a public event, harrassing a speaker and lewd speech do not meet those standards of civilized behavior.

If he had paid $1000 to attend a benefit concert and then got up and heckled the musicians, he would have been removed. This isn’t about whether he paid for it. It is also not about free speech. It IS about the fact that some people just don’t know how to be civil and they earn the consequences.

 

[Brendan]

wabrams:

You’re right. And on the other side of the coin, Conservatives (not all) try to squash any speech that doesn’t agree with their view point, no matter how peaceful.

How was that? Coulter was giving a question and answer session, how was that squashing speech?

If anything, it was promoting it.

 

[kmktexas]

yochumjy:

So what about vulgar speech? Is it anything goes? Do we get to string together any sort of four letter and foul words and still remain under free speech?

Just one more point. This was not vulgar speech. What was said was obscene. Vulgar are those four letter words (one begins with a “c” and another with an “s”) that get snipped out of CAF posts. They are common in casual language but inappropriate in “polite” company. I do not allow them in my class room.

There are some words that go beyond vulgar to obscene. The speaker used two of them. These are the kind of words that get parents really upset when their kids bring them home from school. They are NEVER appropriate in conversation and only serve to show how uneducated and/or uncivilized the speaker is.