Posted on 03/08/2005 2:01:10 PM PST by rightalien
Ann Coulter called liberal columnist Helen Thomas an "old Arab" and suggested she may be a security threat to President Bush in a recent column, and Twenty-six members of the U.S. Congress are steamin' mad.
The Detroit Free Press reports that in a letter to Universal Press, which syndicates Coulter’s column, the lawmakers criticize Universal's response to the potential controversy as inadequate.
Exactly what did, and didn't, happen?
Coulter, while arguing that liberal attacks on ex-White House reporter Jeff Gannon, formerly of Talon News, were a response to the "public disgrace and ruin of New York Times editor Howell Raines, CBS anchor Dan Rather and CNN news director Eason Jordan,” also took a shot at longtime Washington correspondent Thomas (who, by the way, called Condi Rice a "monster" and a "goddamn liar").
Coulter wrote: "Press passes can't be that hard to come by if the White House allows that old Arab Helen Thomas to sit within yards of the president.”
Although Universal removed the "Arab" reference before sending the column to Coulter's 110 newspaper clients, the politicians are upset because Coulter kept "Arab" in the version of the column that appeared on her website, AnnCoulter.com. The politicos point out that she also kept the Universal copyright under the column and didn't include a disclaimer explaining that the column was worded differently from the one syndicated by Universal.
They wrote: "Just as we would expect that similar slights against African-Americans, Jews, or Hispanics would not be tolerated, equal disapproval should be shown toward these repeated slanders directed at Arab-Americans," adding, "Loyal Arab-Americans have made heroic contributions to our military, intelligence, and Homeland Security efforts."
As a result of the stir, Coulter and Universal have reached an agreement on removing Universal's copyright from columns on AnnCoulter.com that differ from columns sent to newspapers.
Until now, the line under Coulter's columns said "copyright Universal Press Syndicate." Under the agreement, all columns on AnnCoulter.com will say "distributed by Universal Press Syndicate (c) Ann Coulter" if the print and Web versions of the column are the same.
If the versions are not the same, the line will say "(c) Ann Coulter" only. "This applies to columns that may be of different lengths, with different headlines, and with different copy from the edited version," Kerr said.
Using a Coulter copyright "corrects a longstanding error," said Kathie Kerr, director of Communications for Universal. "Universal does not hold the copyright on Ann's columns."
However, as this story was being posted, Coulter had yet to drop the Universal copyright from the Feb. 23 column on her site. "We fully expect it will be removed," Kerr told E&P.
Kerr added that she knew of no newspapers canceling Coulter’s popular column because of her "old Arab" remark.
Nor should they. It is an "opinion" column, after all, is it not? And this is still America, is it not?
Careful! THAT Ann Coulter is a Dem!
BUMP!
Helen Thomas' face looks like her neck threw up. She could be the poster-child for why women should wear burka's.
Yep, there's a cold wind blowing...
26 members of the HUAC.
'Ann Coulter' is running for Mayor of Chattanooga, TN.
Says you!
If she'd ever answer my calls, the first thing I would do is get her on a diet of cheeseburgers and potato chips.......
I don't get it. Isn't HT old and Arab?
I agree .. and since when is calling someone an Arab so offensive. I thought dems liked the Arabs. It should be flattering to them. Hmmmmm? There's just no pleasing these people.
Oh...... I had no idea who she was but I sure found the sign amusing.
Fleeing in terror from the sight of it lest they all be turned to stone.
Helen Thomas is an obvious radical liberal against this war and she would gladly bring down this President in a heartbeat if her opinion had any weight among any number of Americans, but it doesn't.
I think Helen does feel this is against her heritage as I kind of think Zogby did with all his incorrect polling.
Ann is just making a point, being witty and looking hot as she burns the hides of liberals. Typical Ann.
Good grief, can't these folks understand humor at all? Silly question, of course; libs are the most humorless folks on the planet.
Arabs everywhere will be deeply angered - what has even Joe Jihadi done to justify being compared to the Wicked Witch of the Press?
On second thought, perhaps there is something to the analogy. Thomas does bear a striking resemblance to some of the Arab women at the bottom of the bell curve.
Our family is Lebanese and we agree with Ann that Helen Thomas is old and that Helen Thomas is an Arab. I guess that makes her an "old Arab".
We all love Ann Coulter--all of my cousins send Coulter columns back and forth in email.
We all hate Helen Thomas.
I am sure that Ann Coulter has nice things to say about another Lebanese writer--Joseph Farrah of World Net Daily. The reason for Ann's dislike isn't that Helen Thomas is Lebanese, it is that Helen Thomas is a scumbag.
From one Lebanese to another, Helen Thomas is a fat old scag who should be barred from the White House briefings (and barred from public view).
Ann up against 26 girlie men. Thats not a fair fight.
Exactly, these Congressmen make themselves out to be compkete idiots, more and more every passing day!
Go Ann!!!!
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