I'm going to need asbestos underwear, but here goes.

[Skidmore]

I abhor the hateful things Coulter says, but she is free to say them. We do have a First Amendment. TURN HER OFF. CHANGE THE FREAKIN' CHANNEL! DON'T READ HER BOOK! She is deserving of condemnation and shunning, but when we start shutting people up, we have no room to criticize others when they try to stifle our voices as well.

Getting out my fire extinquisher.

Flame away.

:hide:

[Book Lover]

1. This is one of the places we who do not agree with Coulter's ideas speak

about that. If you are tired of seeing Coulter threads, may I point you to the little ignore thread button? Or perhaps you could spend some time in the forums or groups...

[CottonBear]

2. I agree with you. We need to get our viewpoint out and that's difficult

when the MSM is owned by corporations. I am disgusted by Coulter. Anyone who feels the need to speak against her is welcoem to do so. I 'm going to try and ignore her as far as TV and books go.

[Raster]

3. well Skidmore, you may need the asbestos underwear for other reasons,

but protecting coulter's First Amendment rights is not one of them. She has every right to say the horrid things she does. We have every right to ignore her. Asbestos underwear, eh Skidmore?

[Skidmore]

8. With lace.

:)

[Raster]

9. Owwwhhhhhh, talk dirty to me.

[pnwmom]

4. I agree. People here are free to vent about Coulter, and she is free

to say whatever she wants. We're also free to let the television and radio stations know that we push the off button when we hear that voice.

[undeterred]

5. The only place I ever hear about Ann Coulter is here on DU

I would not know that she existed otherwise. So its easy for me to ignore. I tend to stay out of stuff that I have no opinion about.

And she doesn't have the kind of power that I'm worried about. Take Rush Limbaugh, he bothers me, because I know some people who listen to him and believe his lies. I really don't know anyone who takes Ann Coulter seriously.

[Crunchy Frog]

22. Back when I was still watching significant amounts of television

I could scarcely go channel surfing without running into her. It was one of the big reasons why I stopped.

[undeterred]

43. I don't have cable and I don't see her on regular TV

I have only had cable one summer. I think I would probably watch too much television if I did.

[Minnesota Libra]

6. As much as I hate to admit it - even Coulter has the right to her.........

.....opinion BUT freedom of speech is not the same as hate filled spew against 9/11 victims.

[pnwmom]

14. No private person has the RIGHT to be on television or on radio.

The media choose who they give their platforms to. And if they hear from enough of us, they might be less willing to put her out there.

[Imajika]

7. Your right...

That a person like Coulter is popular with so mamy Americans is quite disturbing and, I think, says something bad about where we are as a nation.

But your quite right - no one has to watch her. She has a right to speak. Even those with revolting messages have a right to speak. We have a right to laugh at them or turn them off.

[MSgt213]

10. She has the right to say them and others have the right to condemn her for

her statements. I think what's pissing a lot of people off about Coulter types is they say anything thing they want and get more air time for it. However, if you reverse it and a democrat had said what she said about any 9/11 widows they would be condemn and more then likely their invitations to appear on programs would be canceled.

[Gabi Hayes]

11. totally agree with freedom of speech, of course, but HOW MANY TIMES

have they had Mark Crispin Miller on TV?

huh?

nuff said

[tnlefty]

44. Or Chomsky or McChesney or so many others who could actually raise the

discourse and level of debate in this country? The only places that I can ever see them or the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, and so many other voices is on Free Speech and Link TV. Robert Fisk or John Pilger or so many others who have something of importance to say and they're relegated to outlets that aren't on those hundreds of channels that I don't watch, but have to pay for just so I can receive these 2 channels. Amy Goodman and the people that she interviews? The same.

[BOSSHOG]

12. No flame here

I think the likes of limbaugh, coulter, faux should get as much air time as possible. I'd rather they go public then hiding in klaverns like kkk members speaking to the lemmings in the piney woods of south Mississippi. When they speak in public they are exposing themselves (no more needs to be said.) Except: I understand that sweet lil annie compared herself to Mark Twain tonight. Now that really pisses me off. Twain, a liberal, once said, "Always tell the truth and you will never have to remember anything." Oh poor (pour) diluted ann, I know Mark Twain, ann you are no Mark Twain.

[patricia92243]

13. You are right - free speach means the right to say things that others

don't want to hear. Keep your long johns - no flame proof underware needed - lol.

:)

[nini]

15. Yeah.. but when mainstream media puts her up uncontested..

that's what REALLY pisses me off.

[Patsy Stone]

16. As the saying goes:

"I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

[Rude Horner]

33. I agree completely.

I've often said that exact phrase. I'm a big first ammendment guy. Free speech all the way.

[Rude Horner]

34. I agree completely.

I've often said that exact phrase. I'm a big first ammendment guy. Free speech all the way.

[SmokingJacket]

17. Who wants to shut her up?

I just want people to stop listening.

Oh, and I'd like to send her a nice headcold. That's about all I wish.

[Rocknrule]

18. The problem is, in this country

ranting 24/7 about murdering liberals is perfectly ok, but insinuate that George Bush is anything short of divine, that's going too far!

[Crunchy Frog]

19. I blame the media more than I blame Coulter.

If they were'nt giving her a forum, she would just be one more wacko ranting and raving on some streetcorner.

Yes, short of libel, slander, plagiarism, and screaming "fire" in a crowded theater, people have freedom of speech in this country. What they don't have is a right to a platform. The media is under no obligation to provide someone like her with a forum, especially since there are so many people who actually have something valuable to say, who can't get onto the media to express their opinions.

I will be boycotting the coporate media (as in, not subsidizing it with my money) for as long as it continues to give people like Coulter a platform while denying the same to people like Micheal Moore or Noam Chomsky.

(I certainly don't see anybody on here trying to shut her up. I don't know how that would even be possible, short of killing her, and I don't think anyone here is advocating that. :))

[Dudley_DUright]

27. Yes, and sadly it is no longer just Regnery publishing Coulter

but now an arm of Random House (Crown Forum) that is publishing her hate filled screeds. Here is a good post on this from HuffPost:

In this repugnant business that is Ann Coulter, let's not lose sight of this issue:

Who publishes her?

Her early ouevre was brought to a yearning world by the folks at Regnery, that far-right publishing enterprise that, according to Wikipedia, describes itself on its web site as "contrary to those of 'mainstream' publishers in New York." I won't go into the Regnery roster here, I'm sure it's at least partly familiar.
Swiftboating of John Kerry, etc, anyone?

But a few years ago, one of those non-Regnery New York mainstream publishers, Crown, part of Random House, decided to create a new imprint, Crown Forum, to publish these non-mainstream folks America needs to hear from.

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/barry-yourgrau/who-makes-money-off-ann-c_b_22473.html

[devilgrrl]

20. Flames for what?

Perhaps for bringing up the obvious but other than that, I'll have to say that I agree with you.

[NanceGreggs]

21. I agree with you one hundred percent.

And most people here will agree with you, as well.

Our problem with the Ann Coulters of the world is that they are given air-time, over and over and over, to spew their sophomoric babblings and incite hatred and violence against others. We have yet to see any liberal writers get the kind of publicity that Coulter gets on a regular basis.

The other side of it is this -- and Lou Dobbs' interview tonight was a perfect example: It is one thing to give air-time to Ms. Coulter's endless prattlings. But when she states things that are blatantly ridiculous, she should be called to account for it.

She dared mention tonight that she and Michelle Malkin have to travel with bodyguards, unlike ANYONE on the left. Dobbs should have countered with the fact that Michelle Malkin published the names and phone numbers of teen-agers so that right-wing freaks could send them hate messages and death threats. Where was Mr. Dobbs' on that point?

I agree that we should just tune it out and turn it off. Unfortunately, there are TOO MANY idiots out there who are armed and dangerous, and they listen to people like Coulter and take their cue from that.

She has incited violence against Liberals, she has spoken about death for judges that she doesn't agree with, etc.

There is a difference between free speech and inciting violence. Imagine a left-winger openly talking about poisoning a Supreme Court justice. How far would THEY get on Lou Dobbs' show, or any other?

The problem here is not a matter of free speech per se - it is a matter of SOME people having free speech, while OTHERS are being silenced.

[rurallib]

23. Let her have her say. What bothers me is that half this country is

so FUCKING STUPID that they will believe what she says.
I have always said that even the ignorant have the right to speak - it is in the constitution. I am just so damn disappointed in this so called educated country that she has an audience - but as PT Barnum said "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public".
On the other hand any one else has the right to call her a fucking lying filthy skank whore.
Also I always think that only 10% of this country backed the revolution, yet the side with the right ideals will prevail.

[JuniperLea]

24. I agree with you completely! You'll get no flames from me!

We can only expect for ourselves that which we allow others. Period.

We don't have to like her, but we have to acknowledge she has the same freedom of speech that we do. The only thing we can do is be more honest when we speak... treat our freedom of speech with more respect than she does.

[ovidsen]

25. Nothing to get flamed over.

And old professor of mine once said the First Amendment guaranteed the right of all Americans to make "(insert epithet here) fools of themselves!!!" But while Coulter's acting like a clown, she's giggling all the way to the bank.

She's brilliant marketer with no principles. Even people like that asshat Bill O'Reilly are saying that.

Inspired by predecessors as diverse as Michael Jackson and Howard Stern, she puts on a hell of a song and dance, gets in all the papers (to say nothing of TV and blogs), and sells a hell of a lot of refuse for a ridiculous premium. She's as shallow as a kiddie pool, but so what?? Most Americans know she's a freak.

So, yeah. She can say what she wants. And we can all make fun of her. It's a shame she's getting rich in the process, but that's the American way.

[Swamp Rat]

26. I say let the lizard speak... then I will expose and mock "her"

[Maestro]

28. Nobody is trying to take her right away to free speech

but nor can we stand by and let her say such vitriolic hate-filled rhetoric without a response.

[celestia671]

29. No flames here

She does have a right to spew her evil garbage, but we also have a right to bitch about that garbage!

[Kahuna]

30. I agree with you. Plus, I like having her as the

republican poster girl. Republicans are mean spirited. 'Nuff said.

[mcscajun]

31. You are correct. She has the right to say anything she wants.

And we have the right to condemn her for it in whatever language we choose.

Shutting her up is not an option.

But I sure do Wish She Would Go. Away. Now.

[Arkansas Granny]

32. Ann Coulter reminds me of a child throwing a tantrum. The more

attention people give her when she spews her foul opinions, the more she is encouraged to say more and the more outrageous the statements, the more attention she gets. A far better strategy, in my opinion, is to just ignore her. Let her rant and rave without an audience. The freepers will still worship her, but she's not looking for adoration. She's a hateful person who likes to say hateful things about people for her own enjoyment.

If she is going to appear on TV, drop an email to the network, the advertisers or the show host and let them know that you refuse to watch the show when she appears. She does have First Amendment rights and you can't shut her up, but you can sure shut her out.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

35. To paraphrase Redd Foxx, "I'm on a strict diet. No garbage."

She has the right to speak, I have the right to ignore her. Which I have done successfully for years with her and countless other right-wing demagogues.

[NotGivingUp]

36. Freedom of speech works both ways!!!! We are not getting it on MSM!!!

[conflictgirl]

37. I'm not going to flame you at all

However, here's where *I* may get flamed: I actually think that the fact that we react the way we do to every hateful thing she says is part of the reason she still has a career.

We're not the ones buying her books, but we're part of the reason her books are controversial, which usually causes the overall sales to go up. People want to find out what all the hype is about.

I absolutely support her right to free speech just as surely as I find what she says completely disgusting and reprehensible. She bothers me probably more than any of the other RW blowhards. But she's an attention whore, and nothing bothers attention whores more than ignoring them.

[Poppyseedman]

38. We have a right not to listen

or even look

[Hidden Stillness]

39. They Don't Worry Me When They are as Personally Repulsive as She Is

She is so cold, so hateful, so repulsive, has such a grating voice, and is not only stupid, but such a liar, that I actually like it when she gets on TV, really gets going, interrupts people, etc., etc. She makes the case for us, and shows the threat of her side of the spectrum. Eventually, (when there is an audience), you start to hear people laughing every time she starts up--she is creepy. Reminds me of what Gloria Steinem said during the '70s when Phyllis Schlafly was still debating feminists before audiences, and revolting people; that she wished she had about 10 Phyllis Schlafly wind-up dolls, and just send them around to speak for audiences. People like that lose support for their causes, because they are so mean and ugly. Fine with me. Actually--and I watched the program at 6 PM--I don't think Lou Dobbs particularly liked her.

[peacefreak]

40. I stand by the first amendment on a daily basis.

A guy came into the bookstore with a major attitude & asked for it. I told him we had 20 copies on hand. He said he was really surprised because "you people" don't carry her stuff. Told me I should read it because I would learn alot. I held my tongue, all the while thinking "fucking asshole". Yes, I think it is abhorrent. Yes, I find her to be objectionable on more levels than there are rings of hell. I also take a great deal of hope in the people that are beginning to see the harm caused by this administration & their ilk. I hope the pendulum is beginning to swing the other way. All this hate is really wearing me out.
You will not get any flames from me. For further proof, please read my sig line. Love, Peacefreak.

[MercutioATC]

41. Absolutely correct.

We can vehemently disagree with what she says. We can call her all sorts of ugly things (perhaps deservedly).

However, she has every right to say the things she does.

[Fleshdancer]

42. I'm not censoring her or burning her books or telling her to shut up...

but I have just as much right to use the First Amendment to criticize her. Is DU somehow stifling her ability to speak? If so that would suprise me considering I don't think even Ann Coulter can stop Ann Coulter from saying stupid things. :shrug:

[OneBlueSky]

45. Coulter is an attention whore . . . that's how she sells books . . .

and books appearances . . .

and she's very good at it . . . just look at the number of Coulter threads and posts on DU in the past 24 hours . . .

if she weren't outrageous, NO ONE would have any reason whatsoever to pay any attention to her . . .

let her say whatever she wants . . . and then completely ignore it and her . . . it'll drive her nuts . ..

[BlooInBloo]

46. If it were just her solo, not too many would have a problem....

But it's NOT just her - it's the entire media-complex that PUTS HER ON INSTEAD OF REASONABLE PEOPLE WITH SOULS, and treats her as though she has facts and what-not.

You err in treating "Ann Coulter" as if she's a solo act. She's not. There's a MACHINE behind her, and it's that machine that we take issue with, using her name as the catch-phrase.