Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Packed Jorgensen Hears Shortened Speech
By: Frances Morales
Issue date: 12/8/05 Section: News
Media Credit: Erin Mizla
Political author and commentator Ann Coulter speaks during Wednesday night\'s event sponsored by the College Republicans in Jorgensen Auditorium.
More than 2,000 people streamed through the doors of the Jorgensen Center of Performing Arts Wednesday, all to see, hear, support or criticize the conservative speaker Ann Coulter.
Campus police were in attendance to maintain order as College Republicans rounded up their brothers and sisters from chapters across Connecticut and some out-of-state, to lend a hand at the event.
Supporters came to hear Coulter, others waited out in the freezing cold weather with their poster boards wisped by the wind, all to protest against Coulter.
And the wait was over.
Coulter, who came in late due to a delayed flight, strode in from Miami, with a smile, and spoke amongst the mixtures of cheers and boos.
Coulter poked fun at liberals and defended President George W. Bush, but her speech was interrupted by boos after she made several comments about gays, only to stir up snickering and boos up on the balcony.
"I think we have a long way to go with censorship when we have \'Will and Grace\' on TV," Coulter said as she laughed. "I think someone finally got the joke in the liberal section."
The event, which was sponsored by Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute, lasted less than 30 minutes before her speech was cut short as groups of students seated in the balconies began protesting Coulter shouting, "You ****."
One student shouted, "I want my money back."
"That was an affecting response by the liberals," she said in response. "And it took them two months to come up with that."
A South Park song, "Kyle\'s mom is a big fat *****," broke out, and some students jeered.
Coulter continued to laugh and said that liberals were "big, fat, taunting babies."
"It didn\'t matter what the song was," Coulter said after the lecture. "I\'m giving a speech, they blast something and I can\'t speak. What does that say of how powerful what it is I have to say. They are so afraid that if someone hears me, they will change their mind. I guess they shouldn\'t be now that I think about it."
The speech went straight into a question and answer session between Coulter and students.
Coulter defended Bush in that U.S. is winning the war in Iraq, and said American troops would be out of Iraq, "sooner than Bosnia."
One student asked what would Coulter do if she had a gay son.
"Did I tell you, you were adopted, " Coulter answered.
Another student who said she was a lesbian, called Coulter hot.
She later admitted the comment she made about homosexuals was a joke and had made the comments to stir up the people who were already upset.
In response to comments made after 9/11 about converting Muslims in Iraq into Christianity, Coulter stood by her comment.
"This is what America has done to create freedom," she said. "America was founded on Christian principals, and the idea people could live in freedom."
A book signing was held after the lecture.
Craig Albert, a political science instructor at UConn, commented on the aftermath of the lecture.
"I don\'t think liberals take her too sensitively," Albert said. "I think they do it for a purpose, but I also think they are extreme with the protest that went on tonight. I think it goes against liberal cause to preach tolerance and go against hate-speech and they show so much hate toward somebody, which I think is hypocritical. Clearly she says things that makes people upset and she too should be held accountable."
Coulter commented on the reaction some students who criticized her had during her speech.
"Right-wingers are polite," she said. "You would never see that at Cindy Sheehan's speech at a college campus and she calls George Bush the greatest terrorist in the world for Israel for the Jews and America isn't worth fighting for. I promise you no right-wingers would shut down her speech."
David Brewster, a 5th-semester political science major and a Coulter-supporter said he did not find her comments to be racist, "but if you take them out of context, it can make it look hateful, but I don't think she is," he said.
Others differed in opinion, like Jorge Cruz, a 5th-semester psychology major.
"I can't believe we paid to support racism," Cruz said. "She produces hate-crime."
There was some confusion whether or not the media were allowed to take photos of Coulter's lecture.
Lisa De Pasquale, program director of Clare Booth Luce Policy Institute said that Clare Booth did not prohibit photos to be taken but College Republicans made the decision, amongst confusion and misinterpretation.
"I didn't know that until not too long ago," she said. "We want photographers there, we just didn't want video. It is part of our policy that there is no video, so they might have misinterpreted us," De Pasquale said.
By: Frances Morales
Issue date: 12/8/05 Section: News
Media Credit: Erin Mizla
Political author and commentator Ann Coulter speaks during Wednesday night\'s event sponsored by the College Republicans in Jorgensen Auditorium.
More than 2,000 people streamed through the doors of the Jorgensen Center of Performing Arts Wednesday, all to see, hear, support or criticize the conservative speaker Ann Coulter.
Campus police were in attendance to maintain order as College Republicans rounded up their brothers and sisters from chapters across Connecticut and some out-of-state, to lend a hand at the event.
Supporters came to hear Coulter, others waited out in the freezing cold weather with their poster boards wisped by the wind, all to protest against Coulter.
And the wait was over.
Coulter, who came in late due to a delayed flight, strode in from Miami, with a smile, and spoke amongst the mixtures of cheers and boos.
Coulter poked fun at liberals and defended President George W. Bush, but her speech was interrupted by boos after she made several comments about gays, only to stir up snickering and boos up on the balcony.
"I think we have a long way to go with censorship when we have \'Will and Grace\' on TV," Coulter said as she laughed. "I think someone finally got the joke in the liberal section."
The event, which was sponsored by Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute, lasted less than 30 minutes before her speech was cut short as groups of students seated in the balconies began protesting Coulter shouting, "You ****."
One student shouted, "I want my money back."
"That was an affecting response by the liberals," she said in response. "And it took them two months to come up with that."
A South Park song, "Kyle\'s mom is a big fat *****," broke out, and some students jeered.
Coulter continued to laugh and said that liberals were "big, fat, taunting babies."
"It didn\'t matter what the song was," Coulter said after the lecture. "I\'m giving a speech, they blast something and I can\'t speak. What does that say of how powerful what it is I have to say. They are so afraid that if someone hears me, they will change their mind. I guess they shouldn\'t be now that I think about it."
The speech went straight into a question and answer session between Coulter and students.
Coulter defended Bush in that U.S. is winning the war in Iraq, and said American troops would be out of Iraq, "sooner than Bosnia."
One student asked what would Coulter do if she had a gay son.
"Did I tell you, you were adopted, " Coulter answered.
Another student who said she was a lesbian, called Coulter hot.
She later admitted the comment she made about homosexuals was a joke and had made the comments to stir up the people who were already upset.
In response to comments made after 9/11 about converting Muslims in Iraq into Christianity, Coulter stood by her comment.
"This is what America has done to create freedom," she said. "America was founded on Christian principals, and the idea people could live in freedom."
A book signing was held after the lecture.
Craig Albert, a political science instructor at UConn, commented on the aftermath of the lecture.
"I don\'t think liberals take her too sensitively," Albert said. "I think they do it for a purpose, but I also think they are extreme with the protest that went on tonight. I think it goes against liberal cause to preach tolerance and go against hate-speech and they show so much hate toward somebody, which I think is hypocritical. Clearly she says things that makes people upset and she too should be held accountable."
Coulter commented on the reaction some students who criticized her had during her speech.
"Right-wingers are polite," she said. "You would never see that at Cindy Sheehan's speech at a college campus and she calls George Bush the greatest terrorist in the world for Israel for the Jews and America isn't worth fighting for. I promise you no right-wingers would shut down her speech."
David Brewster, a 5th-semester political science major and a Coulter-supporter said he did not find her comments to be racist, "but if you take them out of context, it can make it look hateful, but I don't think she is," he said.
Others differed in opinion, like Jorge Cruz, a 5th-semester psychology major.
"I can't believe we paid to support racism," Cruz said. "She produces hate-crime."
There was some confusion whether or not the media were allowed to take photos of Coulter's lecture.
Lisa De Pasquale, program director of Clare Booth Luce Policy Institute said that Clare Booth did not prohibit photos to be taken but College Republicans made the decision, amongst confusion and misinterpretation.
"I didn't know that until not too long ago," she said. "We want photographers there, we just didn't want video. It is part of our policy that there is no video, so they might have misinterpreted us," De Pasquale said.
