Posted on 05/04/2005 7:33:16 AM PDT by Flightdeck
Arrest made at Coulter speech
Student arrested, charged with disorderly conduct after offensive question
By Yashoda Sampath
Incessant heckling and shouting culminated in an arrest Tuesday night during a speech by Ann Coulter, an extreme right-wing pundit, at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
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 marriages where the man does nothing but f--- his wife up the ass?"
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 masturbatory gestures as he exited."
Hardigree said that Cheryl Wood from the Office of the Dean of Students spoke with some of the protestors before the event, and assorted members of the Distinguished Speakers Committee asked them to sit in the back if they had signs and to leave quietly if they wanted to leave.
According to Jeffrey Stockerwell, a friend of Raj, officers violently seized Raj and illegally searched him after his question.
Police have charged Raj with disorderly conduct, a Class C misdemeanor.
Representatives of the Austin People's Legal Collective were taking statements from everyone at the scene, in case it should be taken to court.
Raj worked at the Texan on a volunteer basis for a brief time in March.
Before the speech began, the International Socialist Organization protested outside of the library, with about 12 people holding up signs with slogans such as "Racist, sexist, anti-gay, right-wing bigot go away" and "Stop the new McCarthyism."
The booing began early into Coulter's speech, when she issued a joke to pro-choice advocates.
"I wonder why those 'I Heart Partial-Birth Abortion' T-shirts aren't selling better," she said, followed by a combination of cheers and jeers.
Coulter went on to decry the conservative media bias she said liberals complain of, and she challenged the undemocratic actions of liberals with respect to Iraq and to the judiciary.
"They're always trying to act like they're oppressed," she said. "So let's do it. Let's oppress them."
One student asked Coulter why universities and institutions place microphones in front of Coulter when she advocates terrorism against liberals, prompting Coulter to mention the strength of her book sales. Coulter has had four New York Times best sellers.
The $30,000 event was co-sponsored by the Texas Union Student Events Center and Student Endowed Centennial Lectureship Committee.
TMI!!!!
"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 masturbatory gestures as he exited."
Howard Dean has some competition waiting in the wings. This guy could really push the New Left agenda forward.
Took me a while to decipher "TMI". I make poor joke, solly! ;-)
That is a misstatement by the author. I assume he meant, "Conservatives accomplish the same result when they wax apoplectic over Michael Moore.
After all, conservatives don't "do the same thing" the brainiac students in Texas did to Coulter. The result may arguably be the same, or similar, but what they do is decidedly different.
Bingo! If you look at any of those red/blue county by county maps from the 2000 or 2004 election, Austin (Travis County) is that little blue dot in the center of Texas surrounded by a sea of red.
note:
"Before the speech began, the International Socialist Organization protested outside ... "
do you see any reference to their being extremely left wing? (and no wimping out, Texan, with 'the name says it all')?
Sounds like my daughter - at least when she doesn't have classes!
She is a very gutsy lady - and can dish it out far better than the lefty wankers can.
"Should be surrounded by 10 large men with baseball bats walking the aisles"
I volunteer, I am 6'1, 255 lbs and I'll bring my own bat.
copy it to the UT Austin Student Judicial Services dept. here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1396518/posts?page=126#126
Well of course: he IS a leftist piece of crap after all.
The Daily Texan.
Another example of your hard earned tax dollars being worthlessly spent on aspiring rift raft anti-American socialist studies.
I'm sure the University of Texas would like to be known for something other than political correctness gone bad.
Has a Michael Moore event really been disrupted? Other than clever signs in the back, I can't imagine that one has.
If I had to guess, Raj is (a) natural-born or came to the US as a very young child and (b) an embarassment to his parents on a number of fronts, not the least of which is his major.
lol
I hear you! It's fortunate I was always an early riser - my dad thought the day was "half gone" if we slept in until 7! I can't sleep late, but I do enjoy a weekend nap! :-)
The Left is never called extreme anything although the shout, scream and throw things.
I recognize them as idiots. Never argue with idiots.
Nope. Never heard it. Clearly, Ann Coulter is a conservative, not right-wing -- and certainly not "extreme right-wing." But left-wingers play this language game well -- better than we do, at least for now.
I believe David Horowitz wrote something on the subject in one of his more recent books. If I remember correctly, he suggests using such terms as "leftist" when dealing with, well, the Left. It's something I make a point of doing now. (Leftists are so shocked when you go tit-for-tat with them -- give them a "left-wing" for every "right-wing" they give you.) I think it's important. The Left has controlled the language, and thus the debate, for too long.
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