Protesters against Ann Coulter outside Marion Hall after they managed to have the planned speech at the University of Ottawa canceled due to security concerns. (Photo Credit: Ottawa Citizen).
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Concerns for "public safety" forced the cancellation of American conservative commentator Ann Coulter's speaking engagement at the University of Ottawa Tuesday night.
Several hundred people, including students from both Carleton University and the University of Ottawa, showed up prior to Coulter's speech. The loudest and most vociferous were protesting her presence, drowning out a smaller group of pro-Coulter demonstrators.
Ottawa police had more than nine squad cars at the scene, at the university's Marion Hall. But the event was cancelled about 8:15 p.m. — before Coulter had a chance to speak ...
And BCF quips, "Funny how it's always the 'anti-racists' who are the Nazis, odd they never turned up to protest the University of Ottawa's Whack-A-Jew-Week festivities.
And just look at that crowd: Keffiyehs? Not much different from the folks we get down here in L.A.Added: From Kathy Shaidle, "Disgrace: U of Ottawa Thugs Force Cancellation of Ann Coulter Speech Tonight":
Another thoroughly biased article from the Ottawa Sun, painting it as Coulter's fault. "Security concerns"? Er, well, my friends on the scene report pulled fire alarms, "anti-racist" thugs throwing tables. How's about "assholes" rather than "security concerns."Plus, BCF points us to the Facebook page of one of the thugs, Fatima Al Dhaher. No nuance there:
Added: SWAC Girl links, "Party of Tolerance" Cancels Ann Coulter Speech." And check Jay Currie while you're at it, "M. Houle Gets His Wish - Lefty Freikorps Silence Anne Coulter."
Plus, Gateway Pundit links, "Leftists Prevent Ann Coulter From Speaking at University of Ottawa.
Also, check the Coulter's response, " ‘It’s always the bush league schools,’ Coulter contends," and the thread at Memeorandum.
All over Ann Coulter giving a speech? Good god Canada is pathetic and wimpy if they folded up on a few fears of rebellion. Ann would only bring enlightenment and reality to the table. Canada when will you grow a pair? Great post! Phil
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting that some people are saying that canadian's prevent free speech. Nobody prevented Ann Coulter from speaking, a simple letter has sent stating that in so many words "Hate speech will not be tolerated". I think everyone can understand that Ann Coulter is a business, her comments are designed to cross the line of civility into hate speech and then hide behind political satire.
ReplyDeleteIn Canada, most believe that everyone has the right to free speech that does not cross the line into hate speech (i.e. You can say "I think liberals ideas detroys our country and kill children" but you can't say "We should detroys muslims country, kill their leaders and convert them to christianity"). The ladder goes to an extreme that ressembles Nazi's genocide thought, bosnia conflits and even the Rwanda genocide. We in Canada, unlike America, take these types of comments VERY seriously and don't allow people to hyde behind them with a TV network or political satire. Sorry Ann, but we just don't want that within our borders. Notice I said "Sorry"
Sincerely,
Ben
I guess this is for "Independant Ben":
ReplyDeleteFree speech -- as long as you don't say something that someone (never mind who) believes offensive. WOW! What a concept! He even gave examples. How do you say blithering idiot, without being offensive.
Boilermaker Bill
Interesting that Independant would allow some entity to determine what hate speech is for everyone. Is challenging abortion hate speech? Is challenging health care hate speech. You select the issue and can it be determined hate speech by those who Independant would give the power to determine it?
ReplyDeleteThis is the ultimate fallacy of every one who thinks they can determine hate speech. Pretty soon even what they say becomes hate speech. Independant is a fool.
As a Canadian attending the University of Ottawa, I am disappointed that this occurred. It would have been better to allow her to speak. We should all be able to tolerate hearing viewpoints that we may disagree with.
ReplyDeleteIt's kinda funny that she was invited at all though, because
she's no bright light. She's the opposite. Her opinions, thoughts, views are all nonsense, and the fact that she gets an audience anywhere is a sign of either crass stupidity or bewildering generosity.
Or perhaps Americans just love a blond that much. Maybe Republicans love hearing a sassy blond in heels spew self-righteous garbage about how completely right they are, and they allow her to speak so they can jerk off later to her clips on YouTube.
Now, it occurs to me that what I just said may be offensive to some. Thank God (lol) that we have free speech, or else someone might feel justified in telling me to shut up.
For a great many Canadians an integral part of their identity is the smug anti-americanism you see on display in Ben's comment and no he does not, as he asserts, represent "most" Canucks, just the socialists.
ReplyDeleteUnless of course Ben has posted with his tongue firmly in his cheek - hard to tell with that breed of Canuck.
Rather amusingly...it was her handlers, not the University, who pulled the plug.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that the Cons objected to people freely associating anf freely excercising their freedom of speech.
Or maybe they just want to pump up their sense of victimhood.
Rather amusingly...it was her handlers, not the University, who pulled the plug.
ReplyDeleteIt appears that the Cons objected to people freely associating anf freely excercising their freedom of speech.
Or maybe they just want to pump up their sense of victimhood.
in this time of economic hardship, why should canadian tax dollars be spent to protect and deal with coulter?
ReplyDeleteSolenadon...
ReplyDeleteThe reason the Coulter organizers
shut down the talk was because the police advised that the mob situation was "dangerous" and a security risk for Coulter to continue.
Canadians are smug when it comes to Americans because a wide swath of America is an uneducated backwater. Who cares what the rednecks think.
ReplyDeleteCanada has no First Amendment. Just ask Mark Steyn. It's good to know, and so reaffirming, that there is only one mindset allowed on Canadian college campuses. Ah, such open-minded young people, willing to hear and consider all thoughts on all sides!
ReplyDeleteBZ
St. Blogustine has tracked back with
ReplyDeletehttp://stblogustine.blogspot.com/2010/03/tipping-point-righteous-indignation.html
Sorry guys in Canada we don't discriminate against anyone on the basis of race,gender ethnicity, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation!! It's the law!! You are entitled to express free speech as long as you don't encroach on the rights of others or incite hate in words or actions. It's part of our constitution and we're damn proud of it!! Proms aren't cancelled because your gay and you want to take a date..Your gay and youwant to get married go ahead , we don't care!Gay in the military, have had it for years and no one cares, dating someone of another race no one even notices or cares.!!.Contrary to what"s touted across the border our health care system is incredibly good!!As for cancelling Ann Coulter way to go Ottawa!! We don't need any hate spewing red necks in Canada and your more than welcome to her...GET A LIFE ANN!!Freedom of rights should never be used to protect your right to hate !! Keep her we don't need that kind of trash in Canada..oh and have a nice day!!
ReplyDeleteTell you what, Canadian commenters ...
ReplyDelete... when your soft, cuddly health care system fails to meet your needs, please don't do what many of your people have done, and come here to get the treatment you need ...
... we wouldn't want your neck to get red from the exposure to our "hate".
Fortunately, there are more open minds in Canada, than the ones here that are so "open" that their brains ... and respect for liberty ... have leaked out.
Canadians don't hate Americans and there's more than a few of our cousins from the south(ex: Washington state) who've taken advantage of our "Health care system and come up from Sumas to Abbotsford to have their babies here because they can afford it.Ordered drugs online/affordable and before you say it we have our own Department to regulate thems so yes they are safe!!Our health care system is great and there's nothing in the states that I can't get here on my $56.00 a month premiums!!We have excellent doctors, care and facilities,comparable to any I've seen while visiting the U.S. and have had for over 50 years.Neither our brains or our respect for liberty has leaked out. We are one of the most educated, liberal, well cared for, friendly, countries in the world - not in our opinion by as reported by international standards repeatedly. I don't feel the need to defend my opinion because just as Americans are proud of their country there's no where else I'd rather live. To each his own we just don;t feel the need to listen to people like Ann Coulter. Thank you ( that's for allt he people who think we're too polite ) oh wait a minute you wanted a "eh" too didn't you?? :)
ReplyDeleteWait a minute I just read your name " Richie the Riveter"??? Are you for real??!!
ReplyDeleteAnon,
ReplyDeleteYou need to stop fooling yourself. No country discriminates against anyone. It is people who discriminate and all the feel good legislation in the world does not change that fact.
One finds it interesting that Anon talks about hate speech and then calls Americans rednecks and then spout leftist drivel about how Canadians do not have to listen to those rednecks. Little hypocritical?
The bigotry and discrimination just literally ooze from your comment "Ritchie the Riveter." One might ask whether you think it low class of someone who works in the construction trade and may not have a college degree? Is he/she not entitled to have the right to state his/her opinion or is he/she one of those rednecks you are so fond of casting aspersions?
Only a fool presuppose he/she is smarter than everyone else because they have a degree from some institution of higher learning. I say that even thought I have graduate and undergraduate degrees plus. If there is one thing life has taught me it is that knowledge and ideas are not mutually exclusive to those who are supposedly educated. Education is a tool and that is all it can be.
Anon needs to recognize his/her bigotry, condescension, arrogance and just plain ignorance.
Freedom of speech is the bedrock of liberty, no matter how offensive. Offensive ideas cannot be addressed if they are driven underground where they can grow and fester. If you do not recognize that then you are well on your way to slavery built on your own arrogance.
There is no fool like and educated fool or one who hides behind Anonymous!
They would have welcomed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Castro or Hugo Chavez, Louis Farrakhan, reverend Wright et al, people whose HATE SPEECH is unparalleled.
ReplyDeleteI shared duty with RCAF, and encounter Canadians frequently where I live now. In addition to being rude as hell, I find them to be anti-American and anti-Free Speech unless the speech agrees with their far-left ideology. In short, Canadians are narrow-minded bigots; like most leftists, they fear free speech.
lol you guys are hilarious trying to validate your point of view by saying Canadians are bigots and red necks..You think the United States is the greatest country in the world but...wait for it...your NOT the ONLY country in the world so therefor we're intitled to our own constitution and laws as you are. Because we don't agree with you doesn't make us wrong or against liberty/what do you call gay marraiges?? You live in the United states and if you want to listen to her every day of the week more power to you, we just don't have to here!!Oh and there was no bigotry or discrimination oooooozzzzing from the comment about the name "Ritchie the Riviter" I just thought the "name" was funny as hell!!
ReplyDeleteP,s,Your right about knowledge and ideas not being exclusive to the educated,however if you really believe this then why did you feel the need to emphasise your degrees??
oh and once again "have a nice day" :)
Anon just proved his/her bigotry. rotflmao It's just as I expected.
ReplyDeletelmao?? Guess you just proved your bigotry too (ehhhh??? :)Look it up , if I meet the classification so do you!!! How does it feel to be intolerant??
ReplyDeleteBy the way guys ( just an assumption of course-so don't read anything aelse into that)I won't be responding to any more posts as much as i've lmao over all of this I no longer am amused just bored!! So I think I'll go for coffee with my military friend and his husband and help them plan their wedding, then I'll make use of my accessible medical (NOT socialised )by visiting the doctor for a full check up that won't bankrupt me. Luckily all this conversation with this group has lowered by blood pressure with the amusement It's provided.. Oh and congratulations on your own health care reform..hope you all live a long and healthy life!!
ReplyDeleteAnon,
ReplyDeleteMy comments are based on more than 40 years of experience, and your bigoted comments support my post. Further, the fact that I notice constant bigoted remarks from Canadians (in addition to the rude behavior) does not make me a bigot anymore than it makes a journalist reporting on bigotry a bigot. Check your narrow-minded thinking.
Why do I see so many Canadians in the medical offices in Florida? Just a guess--they want better healthcare then they get at home. Waiting 24 weeks for an MRI (the average wait in Canada) must be aggravating, to say the least.
Here's something else for you to lyao:
Earlier this month, Danny Williams, the head of government in Canada's Newfoundland province, traveled to Miami Beach to receive heart surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Health Care in Canada:
ReplyDeleteLittle improvement in medical wait times: report
'People can go online and track the progress of a package they shipped from one end of the country to another, yet in many parts of Canada patients still cannot find out how long they can expect to wait for critical medical treatments and procedures'
Meagan Fitzpatrick, Canwest News Service
Thursday, Jun. 18, 2009
Only slight improvement has been made on cutting wait times in five priority health-care areas, according to an annual report, and governments are failing to apply targets to a broader range of specialties.
The 2009 report card released Thursday by the Wait Time Alliance, says there remains "much unfinished business," in improving the amount of time between when a patient is referred by a family doctor to when treatment is provided by a specialist. The WTA is made up of 13 medical associations including the Canadian Medical Association.
The report also notes that patients are still having a hard time accessing information about wait times.
"Governments have much more work to do if they are going to provide a complete, accurate and real picture of how long patients can expect to wait for care," WTA co-chair Dr. Lorne Bellan said in a call with reporters. "We need to do a better job of tracking and reporting on the full wait that patients experience to access necessary medical care."
The WTA has been publishing its annual report since 2005 following the agreement signed by the provinces and federal governments that committed to reducing wait times in five areas: hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery, heart bypass surgery, MRI and CT imaging, and radiation therapy for cancer patients.
Governments pledged to create benchmarks for all five areas yet there are still no target wait times for MRI and CTscans, and Dr. Bellan said that is "a critical issue."
In this year's report, the WTA evaluated wait times in the priority areas and beyond and found that a majority of patients had wait times that exceeded the 18-week target used by the WTA.
"The study showed that for many of the medical specialities in Canada examined, we don't even come close to meeting that target," said Dr. Bellan. "There remains a great deal of unfinished business when it comes to addressing wait times in Canada."
For cancer patients, the study found that the median wait time for radiation therapy was almost seven weeks, exceeding the benchmark of four weeks.
"If I have cancer, I don't want to wait at all. Iwant to be a priority and not because I have money or influence, but because Ineed care," Canadian Medical Association president Dr. Robert Ouellet said in a speech Thursday to the Montreal Economic Institute.
Patients are also facing long delays when they go the emergency department, the WTA said, waiting an average of nine hours to be seen and treated and for patients who needed to be admitted, the average wait time was nearly 24 hours.
Scary, isn't it?
I'm not a bigot and no matter how many times you repeat something it doesn't make it so..I don't hate Americans my brother in-law spent 25 years serving in the Navy there and yes he was born in the states, my nephew in currently in the military there and yes I'm very proud of him. My sister recently got her American citizenship and no I have no problem with that..Thinking a name is cute enough to giggle about it does not make you a bigot. I just had major surgery in Canada, I got into the doctor the same day, the specialist right away and I had my pick of days for surgery the first a week from the time I seen the specialist.Wait times vary from province to province because that's provincially not federally regulated.Anyway you try to spin me into a bigot anyone who works with or knows me knows I'm the most enclusive person they know so what you try to make me out to be isn't important to me.But if to validate your opinion you have to infer that I'm inferior to you that's okay. I only have one question for you. Are you still looking for the WMD in Iraq or have both countries pretty well established that that might be a waste of time??
ReplyDeleteSuddenly my comments are no longer appearing?? Democracy??? Liberty??? That's the question??
ReplyDeleteI am deleting this website, it's apparent that only post who's opinions agree with they're philosophy are posted .Trying to label a middle aged blonde woman a bigot because she agrees that a middle aged blonde woman should not give hate speeches in my home country (Canada)does not constitute bigotry or impede on someone's right to free speech. enough said, bye bye
ReplyDeleteOn the day that Anne Coulters disrupted appearance at the University of Ottawa was reported in the newspaper,an article on Googles withdrawl from China's internet access appeared.Google offered the Chinese people open free access to internet.The current Chinese govenment does not want its citizens to have free access to the internet.
ReplyDeleteIn Canada, we have self appointed censors ,mostly left wing fanatics,who form angry hate mobs to silence and slander anyone who dares publicly disagree with them .Rather than openly and honestly debate issues,the bulk of their rheotoric,as witnessed here,is to insult and degrade any human who does not share their views.Canadians who do not share their views...the majority ...know that you will publicly hated and hounded by these fanatics for merely disagreeing with them.THey try to incite hatred and fear of people by anger directed at the target person.Their dehumanising malicious tactics say more about them than their character attacks on dissenters.Human rights were violated ,the right of freedom of speech of Anne Coulter and her audience ,by the left wing protestors.They refuse to even look at honestly at themselsvess and see that the real hatred incite there was from them to Coulter,that they are real,proven human rights violators.
I am glad to see that many American commentators noted that not all Canadians are like the smug,hateful.anti- American,sanctimonous ,mostly left wing hypocrites that, as usual,are far more louder than rest of us.I love Canada,and feel a fond freindship with our American neighbor,and most of my Canadian buddies feel the same way.The smug left is deluded when they say they speak for Canadians.....they sure as hell don't speak for me.
Anon,
ReplyDeleteProtest all you want, but your comments preclude your defense. Reminds me of Shakespeare’s line, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
You must have lied when you said you would not come back to comment. In addition, you are confused: “Trying to label a middle aged blonde woman a bigot because she agrees that a middle aged blonde woman should not give hate speeches in my home country (Canada)does not constitute bigotry or impede on someone's right to free speech. It definitely constitutes bigotry and denial of free speech. By your support of these actions you denied (via the threat of violence) Anne Coulter her free speech right. Further, it’s your bigoted opinion that it’s hate speech. Open debate would provide a better solution than suppressing her right to speak, however, those who oppose and oppress free speech rights (like you do) fear that they do not have sufficiently valid arguments to prove the opposing voices wrong.
You are in denial. Your own government reports indicate severe waiting times for health services. Further, you believe it’s free medical care; you pay for the care in taxes. If that's what you desire, fine, but don't impose the socialized system on me.
You may want to peruse Vindicator’s comments. You might learn something.
I hope all University of Ottawa students do not think this way. This is the GREATEST country in the world and if you do not think so you have a big problem and have not traveled anywhere else and seen how lucky we are. Even better then the good old USA. Ann should have been able to speak freely and give any opinion she wanted to. It is all show, do people not watch all the dumb shows on TV. Canada needs to get into the new times, we need to get our head out of sand and not kowtow to anyone, it has to stop now.
ReplyDeleteFreedom for all in Canada, not just certain people.
While I use rivets in my work, their use is not my primary job. My screen name is a tribute to Rosie the Riveter, of WWII fame.
ReplyDeleteI am an engineer whose job is to develop technology for our warfighters, just as Rosie and her rivet gun did their part for the warfighters of her era.
And yes, I am a redneck -- a high-tech, college-educated redneck who has forgotten more about science and mathematics than the typical Ivy League liberal-arts major learned the first time around.
Early in my career. I learned that having an engineering degree does not confer omniscience upon the graduate ... and in fact, my post-graduate education was/is in large part by the hands of non-degreed technicians and assemblers who saved my professional reputation on more than one occasion through the practical advice they acquired through being closer to the products and processes than I.
This is a lesson our current crop of Best and Brightest who are ruining, er, running this nation at present has either never learned, or forgotten ... or else they would have learned from the dysfunction of centralized health-care systems around the world, listened to us instead of acting like they are our "betters", and avoided this attempt to centralize ours.
Even if their intent is as pure as the driven snow (something I doubt), their mechanism of choice for the delivery of health-care -- top-down control at the Federal level -- is structurally incapable of effectively and efficiently delivering those services for EACH and EVERY ONE of 300 million Americans while still respecting our civil liberties.
They don't have the perceptual abilities to figure out the details to serve EACH and EVERY American in this way ... and in fact, to acquire those details would require a level of involvement so invasive of one's freedom of conscience by the compulsion of the law, that the risk to one's civil liberties from it makes the worst allegations about the PATRIOT Act pale in comparison.
Were they not so full of their own intellect, they would realize this.
Unfortunately, these poster children for Romans 1:22 (look it up) are so thick-headed from their self-assurance of omniscience, they have to occasionally have their thinking machines reset ... not by CTL-ALT-DEL, but by a rhetorical 2X4.
That is Ms. Coulter's contribution to the public discourse ... and while you many not like the style, she nearly always has the substance to back it up ... as opposed to the Utopian hallucinations of the aforementioned poster children.
Dismiss her, at the risk of YOUR reputation.