VIDEO: Ann Coulter prepares human-rights complaint

By GottaLaff

Yesterday I posted about Ann Coulter's speech being canceled out of concerns for public safety (hers or theirs?). The Madam's Apple would have none of that.

It might have been more interesting had the University of Ottawa just let her shoot her mouth off and then had her arrested, but now we have a new wrinkle:

Right-wing firebrand Ann Coulter, who cancelled her speech to the University of Ottawa Tuesday night over fears for her safety, says she’s the victim of a hate crime under Canadian laws.

She said she’s hired Canadian conservative activist Ezra Levant to prepare a human-rights complaint that will test how equitably these hate-crime laws are applied.

Although one does have to qualify as human first, one would think. And when it comes to hate, well, I suppose we have to admit, she is an expert.

In an interview with The Globe, Ms. Coulter suggested the University of Ottawa’s provost, Francois Houle, is partly responsible for the angry crowds that opposed her speaking Tuesday night. He is the official who warned her in advance to watch what she said lest she incur criminal charges for hate speech.

The Madam had a few choice comments to make, as she's wont to do:

“I would like to know if any Muslim has been treated this badly, at least since the Reformation, because I am drawing a blank” [...]

“You guys used to be so cool. You were smokers. You had epic hockey fights. We had half our comedians from Canada. Now you’re all a bunch of girls named Francois.”

That ought to win over a few Canadian and Muslim hearts and minds.

Gosh, Ann, you're right as usual. Muslims have been treated like kings and queens. They have been put on pedestals and revered. They are never, ever treated "this badly".

By the way, the feminine, aka "girl" version is Francoise.

Via a comment from one of our Canadian readers:

Here in Canada, we do not justify hate speech in the name of freedom. When we pay thousands of tuition to our public institution, we expect them to uphold the law of the country and foster an environment that does not encourage empty headed bigots like Coulter, albeit an entertaining one. This is the same woman who stated on national tv Jews need to be perfected by accepting Christ into their life. Talk about fascistic believe in the name of religion.

Now, when America can send us a conservative with a political and intellectual discourse beyond the dark ages of Christian v. Muslim enemy dogma, we might let one speak in our universities.

Inciting hate and encouraging disenfranchising is her specialty. However, it's also worth noting that she has faded into the background some since Sarah Palin and the Tea Tantrumers started monopolizing the airwaves.

Extremism and vitriol have been amplified of late. That kind of freedom of speech is stirring up debate, which is the silver lining. It sure beats sweeping it under the carpet.

H/t: Ursula (who lives in Canada)

RNC purity test designed to 'stick it' to Steele, ally claims

By GottaLaff

Those durned Purity Rules are becoming a bit of a sticky wicket for Michael Aluminuminum.

Yes, stickin' it to Steele is quite the little hobby these days. Maybe someone will start a Steele's Been Stuck Magazine or a new cable Stick It to Steele Channel:

"You've got a few backbenchers who are unhappy," said Shawn Steel, an RNC member from California and one of the chairman's top supporters on the committee. "They don't have the power they once had under the previous chairman, and that's what motivating this. This is an attempt to stick it to Chairman Steele by the losers."

Awww, poor widdle Mikey. He's been officially stuck... and by losers! He is the King of Stickitude. The Stick Dude. The StickMeister. StickaLickaDingDong.

Citing e-mail exchanges with his fellow committee members, Steel estimated that almost 80 percent of the RNC opposes the purity test. "This resolution will fail," Steel told CNN. "It will absolutely fall on its face. The resolution was just to stir the pot. It's for reporters."

And, indeed, the reporters are lapping it up. Mikey has been reduced to a stick figure, but he managed to do that all on his own. Stick Man Steele:

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the effect Rushpublic purity has on the Chair of the RNC. Or should I say, the Stick Chair.

TV violence vs. women up 120% (400% against teen girls)

By GottaLaff

Some progress, huh? What ever happened to "You've come a long way, baby"?

The Parents Television Council reports that women and girls are victimized more often and more brutally in television programming than ever before. The study, "Women in Peril: A Look at TV's Disturbing New Storyline Trend," reads in part:

"Incidents of violence against women and teenage girls are increasing on television at rates that far exceed the overall increases in violence on television. Violence, irrespective of gender, on television increased only 2% from 2004 to 2009, while incidents of violence against women increased 120% during that same period."

The report also says, "Although female victims were primarily of adult age, collectively, there was a 400% increase in the depiction of teen girls as victims across all networks from 2004 to 2009."

The reports can be found at www.parentstv.org

If your family casually watches brutality and accepts it is as "entertaining," then you are part of the problem.

What is the situation in your home? Are you allowing women and girls to be "virtually" beaten, raped and threatened in your family room? Are sex acts and violence taking place in front of a vulnerable audience of ... your own children?

Gee, at least today women can kill themselves with cigarettes just like their male counterparts. Pfft, what are we complaining about? We're nearly equal to the men folk now! Who needs to be victimized when we have all that and more?

Identity politics is harmful to democracy, unless you're a white male

By GottaLaff

Today's Daily Dose of BuzzFlash:

Identity politics is harmful to democracy, unless you're a white male

Playing the "victim" card works a lot easier when you actually are the victim. [...]

Since Gingrich claims to work from history, let's dazzle him with a historical context. There have been 110 Supreme Court justices in the history of the court: of those 110, 106 of them have been white males. In case Gingrich isn't good at math, that is a healthy 96.4%. That is privilege.

There have been two women on the court for 1.8% of the court. Given that make up slightly more than half of the population, that mark falls a little short. [...]

Watching Gingrich, Limbaugh and the other social Luddites freak out isn't just about being a white male. It's about the loss of identity -- they grew up sheltered in an era where role models in a wide range of fields were white males, just like them.

They are afraid of change of any kind, whether it be gay marriage or immigrants of a different color from themselves or women in powerful roles lording over them. The chagrin of having a Latina woman sitting on the highest court of the land is almost more than they could stand. [...]

The answer is that once you've had privilege, it can be difficult to give that up. And if you have privilege based in part on discrimination, you might feel like any sort of "loss" is due to reverse discrimination.

Once again, I've butchered the original piece in order to provide excerpts. You can read the whole thing here.

9/11 victims' families happy with today's meeting with President Obama

By GottaLaff

I'm watching a 9/11 victim's relative on MSNBC right now, and she is saying that she was more than pleased with her president when they met today. President Obama will investigate all the cases thoroughly, he told her, and she feels very reassured.

He answered their questions for 45 minutes and assured them they would get "swift and certain justice," says a firefighter who was working that day (I believe I got his identity right; please correct me if I didn't).

Update by Paddy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Obama to Meet with Terrorism Victims and Families

By GottaLaff

Compassionate progressivism:

President Obama will gather tomorrow with victims and families of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and U.S.S. Cole bombing for a face-to-face meeting as his administration struggles to decide how to handle detainees at Guatanamo Bay, Cuba, several of those invited said.

The previously undisclosed meeting at the White House tomorrow afternoon will give the new president a chance to explain his decision to close the controversial prison facility where the U.S. has placed many suspected terrorists since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. [...]

One 9/11 activist, who declined to be identified talking about the meeting, said "fireworks" are likely at the gathering because it will include both relatives who oppose and those who support Obama's plan to close Guantanamo Bay. "There's been some noise that some families don't like the idea and others do, so this is a chance to discuss that," the activist said. [...]

Jim Riches, a retired New York firefighter whose son, Jimmy Riches, died in the 9-11 attacks, said in an interview Thursday that he wants to hear directly from President Obama what the government intends to do with the prisoners.

"I want to know, are they going to drop the charges? Are they going to try them in another court?" he said. "I want to let them know that these men are dangerous."

Riches praised Obama for agreeing to a meeting so soon after taking office. [...]

The administration may want to impress on families that they are not dropping charges against alleged terrorists, including Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks who is facing capital charges in Guantanamo, and that he and others will be brought to justice. [...]

The president may also want to explain some possible alternative to military commissions, including moving proceedings to federal court or military courts martial.

Whether the families agree with his decisions or not, it's impressive that President Obama is meeting with them after only two and a half weeks in office, and oh yeah... there's that whole listening thing. That was about to become a lost art.