So apparently the College Republican club invited Coulter to come for a Q and A with their members. However this did not go down well with many of the other University students, nor with the President of the University, Father Joseph McShane, who wrote the following:
The College Republicans, a student club at Fordham University, has invited Ann Coulter to speak on campus on November 29. The event is funded through student activity fees and is not open to the public nor the media. Student groups are allowed, and encouraged, to invite speakers who represent diverse, and sometimes unpopular, points of view, in keeping with the canons of academic freedom. Accordingly, the University will not block the College Republicans from hosting their speaker of choice on campus.
To say that I am disappointed with the judgment and maturity of the College Republicans, however, would be a tremendous understatement. There are many people who can speak to the conservative point of view with integrity and conviction, but Ms. Coulter is not among them. Her rhetoric is often hateful and needlessly provocative — more heat than light — and her message is aimed squarely at the darker side of our nature.
As members of a Jesuit institution, we are called upon to deal with one another with civility and compassion, not to sling mud and impugn the motives of those with whom we disagree or to engage in racial or social stereotyping. In the wake of several bias incidents last spring, I told the University community that I hold out great contempt for anyone who would intentionally inflict pain on another human being because of their race, gender, sexual orientation, or creed.
“Disgust” was the word I used to sum up my feelings about those incidents. Hate speech, name-calling, and incivility are completely at odds with the Jesuit ideals that have always guided and animated Fordham.
Still, to prohibit Ms. Coulter from speaking at Fordham would be to do greater violence to the academy, and to the Jesuit tradition of fearless and robust engagement. Preventing Ms. Coulter from speaking would counter one wrong with another. The old saw goes that the answer to bad speech is more speech. This is especially true at a university, and I fully expect our students, faculty, alumni, parents, and staff to voice their opposition, civilly and respectfully, and forcefully.
The College Republicans have unwittingly provided Fordham with a test of its character: do we abandon our ideals in the face of repugnant speech and seek to stifle Ms. Coulter’s (and the student organizers’) opinions, or do we use her appearance as an opportunity to prove that our ideas are better and our faith in the academy — and one another — stronger? We have chosen the latter course, confident in our community and in the power of decency and reason to overcome hatred and prejudice.
Joseph M. McShane, S.J., President
Wow, that is a pretty powerful and well reasoned statement.
The letter from Father McShane was posted just yesterday at Salon, and by that evening the College Republicans had decided that Coulter was NOT the sort of conservative representative that they wanted to be associated with, and took back their invitation, while also issuing THIS statement:
The College Republicans regret the controversy surrounding our planned lecture featuring Ann Coulter. The size and severity of opposition to this event have caught us by surprise and caused us to question our decision to welcome her to Rose Hill. Looking at the concerns raised about Ms. Coulter, many of them reasonable, we have determined that some of her comments do not represent the ideals of the College Republicans and are inconsistent with both our organization’s mission and the University’s. We regret that we failed to thoroughly research her before announcing; that is our error and we do not excuse ourselves for it. Consistent with our strong disagreement with certain comments by Ms. Coulter, we have chosen to cancel the event and rescind Ms. Coulter’s invitation to speak at Fordham. We made this choice freely before Father McShane’s email was sent out and we became aware of his feelings – had the President simply reached out to us before releasing his statement, he would have learned that the event was being cancelled. We hope the University community will forgive the College Republicans for our error and continue to allow us to serve as its main voice of the sensible, compassionate, and conservative political movement that we strive to be. We fell short of that standard this time, and we offer our sincere apologies.
Ted Conrad, President
Emily Harman, Vice President
Joe Campagna, Treasurer
John Mantia, Secretary
Personally I was stuck by the civility demonstrated by both sides in this matter, which of course goes to illustrate just how poor of a choice it would have been to introduce the hateful rhetoric of Ann Coulter onto their campus.
It also gave me a little hope that perhaps this 2012 election may result in a beneficial side effect that impacts our political discourse moving forward.
As identified by David Frum yesterday, and of course pointed out by jubilant progressive pundits every day since the election, the conservatives have allowed themselves to be so completely cut off from information which contradicts their rigid point of view that, despite binders full of information to the contrary, they had convinced themselves that Mitt Romney was going to win Tuesday's election in a landslide.
When that did not happen they tried to attack the media, the Obama campaign, and essentially reality itself for denying them the victory they simply KNEW was coming their way.
And it was people like Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, Dick Morris, and Rush Limbaugh that told them those lies, and tricked them into looking like idiots.
So maybe, just maybe, (After exhausting every possible conspiracy theory of course) the Republicans will start to move away from the conservative spinmeisters, and bullshit artists, employed by Fox news and Right Wing radio and start to actually pay attention to something we progressives call "facts." I know it helps progressives to win elections when these people are all hopped up on stupid, but it DOESN'T help us to move this country forward. And in the end isn't THAT far more important then simply putting numbers on the scoreboard?
Great news! This is one step closer by Republicans and religious institutions in regaining integrity. I'm not saying that Fordham contributed to the lack of integrate in the past, but Father Joseph McShane certainly made a respectable stand with his statement re. Coulter. I know there are other reasonable voices out there and I hope you are correct Gryphen that we start to hear more of them in the near future.
ReplyDeleteAs a former Dem Student Club member of Fordham, Rosehill, I can safely say that I expected no less from Father McShane and the students of my proud alma mater! Our institution has always been and will always be one on integrity, service, pride and compassion. BTW, the Dems on campus has always outnumbered the Repubs by a huge margin.
DeleteThis article is surprisingly from a conservative website. Reading the comments by the conservative base/electorate was interesting. Some are still making excuses and being their regular ignorant selves. But, seems this guy got his eyes opened:
ReplyDelete"I donated to the Romney campaign. Not much, but it was what a could afford. I think it came out to about $300. That's grocery money to feed my family. That's gas money to get my kids to school and for me to get to work. And this is how it was spent? To line the pockets of wealthy charlatans? Words can't describe how angry this makes me. And this "good man" allowed this to go on right under his nose. Mitt Romney owes me and a lot of other Americans a huge apology."
http://www.redstate.com/2012/11/09/campaign-sources-the-romney-campaign-was-a-consultant-con-job/
I just heard that Rove's Crossroads spent zero dollars of 103 million on candidates.
DeleteHope this guy doesn't go to church anywhere..he would really be upset if he could see how his donations were spent there.
DeleteFor the record..I have NO sympathy for him. If he was stupid enough to fall for Romney, he deserves to lose his money.
PollyinAK 10:27 AM
DeleteI thought the article was revealing,too. Some nuggets are included in the comments were a snapshot of where the Coulters, Wests, Palins, Limbaughs, et al. have pushed the dialogue in many impressionable people who are looking to the wrong leaders for solutions, IMO.
FYI, I was a College Repub back in the day as an undergrad, and it was all about networking, politics, job referrals, and business. The themes of those days were entrepreneurship, "growing business through growing your people", and other pro-business/pro-community themes. I can't imagine promoting hate-mongers and con-artists, but wherever there is money, scam-artists will be on the fringes, and The R party has become synonymous with greed and grift over the past generation, while trying to maintain a veneer of piety and respectability.
The GOP is only a shell of what it once was because of the shift in power to the hard right fundies and the plutocrats. I got off the GOP boat when we invaded Iraq, but it was only at that point I realized that the Neocon movement had already hijacked the party. IMO, the pain of those choices isn't over for the Republican party by any means, because they are still in bed with the same institutions that have yielded these results. That strategy worked pretty well from about 1968-2008, as far as giving power to those forces, but finally there is beginning to be an awareness among those who are supporting the party who are not among beneficiaries of that power shift. That comment that you cited caught my eye, too. I'm seeing those "Aha" moments occurring in my own family, finally, but it is satisfying when someone learns the difference between 'believing' and 'knowing'.
There will be many more that exit the GOP, but there will be those that double down rather than lose their power base. Unfortunately, there is much more ugliness in our future, but these acts of decency by good people like Fr McShane standing up for what is right are signs that we have turned the corner toward progress. Change is hard and often painful, but it does come.
I do not know much about Fr McShane, but the lesson he is providing is timeless if people will open up their hearts and minds and learn. My Dad used a similar approach to teaching and leading us. He wanted to make us all self-sufficient so we could do the right things for the right reasons. He didn't impose his will, but he was a great resource for advice and analysis and made known what the ramifications were for making different decisions, if asked beforehand. And of course, he was always there for debriefing after I screwed up and either didn't ask beforehand or made the wrong decision after counsel. I made a lot of those until I finally figured it was "easier to measure twice and cut once".
"Romney owes me an apology"
DeleteHeh,
Good luck with that, Buddy!
Ann said Rafalca left you a steaming present...
My husband and three of our children are Fordham University graduates. We know Father McShane personally.
ReplyDeleteThis level of civility is not surprising to those of us who are Fordham family: Fordham specializes in developing men and women for others.
Great job, Joe, and Fordham students, too!
I am a graduate of a Jesuit U and I knew some of McShane's mentors-- men of great intelligence and integrity. I'm happy to see McShane is living up to standards set by some remarkably fine teachers scholars, and human beings.
DeleteThis is when the hate monger spoke here in Canada
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mBKQEiA6p4
You know, I really wanted to show up and ask Coulter how she felt about Palin making 10 times the amount of money for her screeching engagements.
DeleteShe is a pig, however if you read the comments below the youtube video she seems tame.
DeleteWhat is wrong with people?
That video was of Coulter's appearance I believe in London, Ontario. That next night she was to appear in Ottawa, Ontario but said appearance was cancelled due to that appearance in the video as there was a protest.
DeletePrior to the Ottawa cancellation, she was sent an email advising her of free speech limitations which she didn’t take kindly to. From a Canadian media site: “The private email, which was leaked to conservative news organizations, noted that Canada Charter of Rights meant that “promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges.”
Coulter, in typical Bagger fashion, played victim - victim of a ‘hate crime’ and threatened to file a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/coulter-speech-cancelled-over-fears-of-violence-1.494773
“promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges.”
DeleteThis country could use a law like that. It's too bad we'd need one, but it's obvious lately we should.
I've often wondered how she got accepted at and how she graduated from the U. of Michigan Law School. Coulter is one mean human being.
DeleteBeaglemom
This has made my day! Hell, why not-- it's made the rest of my year. You're right, the civility on both sides is commendable. A significant influence on my decision to abandon christianity was repeatedly witnessing, even on international levels, the polar opposite of this story-- the refusal of believers to divorce themselves from the reprehensible ideology of the political conservatives. I'll be damned-- maybe standards of decency are becoming vogue. I'll still be damned though. I haven't been to confession in years.
ReplyDelete"Crazy...toys in the attic she is crazy."
ReplyDeleteYou know, I have long believed that the re-election of Mr. Obama would also double as a referendum on FOX News and its brand of ignorance. I hope (suspect) that this is the just first snowflake in the avalanche of enlightenment.
This is indeed good news, and Fr. McShane's letter a gem. If I have to ever hang out with RCC types , the Jesuits are this atheists choice. But, also knowing College Republican types - that letter is complete bullchithis it takes quite a bit of planning for something like this. So no, they didn't decide on their own and were just looking to save face.
ReplyDeleteThey failed to properly research her? I don't fucking believe that. That woman should be banned in the states of NY and NJ for the disgusting things she said about 9/11 wives. She's a disgusting pig. Can you imagine, losing your husband in a terrorist attack BECAUSE HE RAN UP A SET OF STAIRS TO SAVE LIVES and then having your character attacked by this pig? Because you DARED to question the war in Iraq?
ReplyDeleteHonestly, that should have been the last draw for her and the fact that we are still talking about her, even eight years after that just goes to show how fucked up our media is.
STOP HAVING HER ON YOUR SHOW -- MORONS!
It doesn't say much for those students that they didn't spend a little time on the internet researching her before inviting her to speak. I would think most grade school students would know to do that.
DeleteI agree with you that she should never, ever, be paid money to speak anywhere. I always wonder who buy all those horrible books she writes.
She and Sarah Palin should be put on display (alive!) in Time Square for all the disgusting, hateful, racist, lies they have told (and written) during the past recent years. Both of them have committed treason as far as I'm concerned and should get their just 'comeuppance'!
DeleteThey are both the most disgraceful Americans we have in the country and are horrid and embarrassing representatives of women throughout our nation!
And, thank God President Obama and VP Biden were reelected!
This almost starts to give me hope for the Republican party. Maybe they are beginning to learn from their mistakes.
ReplyDeleteOT, but I was wondering if anyone has a link to Bill Maher's complete show last night with Samuel Jackson and Andrew Sullivan? I saw the New Rules and question and answer part, but I would love to see the entire episode.
Times like this, I miss having cable.
Try HBO.com. They have links to his previous shows. It might take a week or so for it to show up though.
DeleteI'm not so sure about Republicans. Some are blaming Geoge Clooney for the election results!
DeleteBeaglemom
It's to be hoped that Bill O'Reilly, Pat Buchanan, and other Roman Catholic Conservatives, will read Father McShane's letter and think about how it applies to them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
I am a strong believer of the importance of speaking up instead of going along with the crowd or justifying
ReplyDeleteIncivility and mudslinging pretending everyone does it giving a pass to blatant lies for personal gain or manipulation to cleanse self smearing another.
It is by rejecting by removing such persons instead of rewarding them or pretense that deceiving self everyone does it that there may be a shift to factual truth.
.
ReplyDeleteit is called civility,
which exemplifies a citizen,
who cultivates civilization.
The three goons you mention most likely hate the Jesuits, you know the scientists and thinkers of the RCC.
ReplyDeleteGreat article about Fordham U. There is indeed hope. Gryphens response is spot on.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the College Republicans rescinded the invitation. That gives me some hope for the future. I don't think the hate mongers will be going anywhere soon. They make tons and tons of money off of their hateful message. They won't change until the gravy train goes away. So, it's up to us to make sure that happens. It's started already with Rush Limbaugh. He's lost a lot of advertisers. Money talks. Maybe Faux will have one less hateful person in their stable come January. It'd be a step in the right direction to not renew her contract!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat news...my hateful bigoted brother loves this bitch. Going to be emailing this to him.
ReplyDeleteBTW want to pass this along...
I just signed the petition "The Petition To Fight GOP Obstructionism In The U.S. Congress" on Change.org.
It's important. Will you sign it too? Here's the link:
http://www.change.org/petitions/the-petition-to-fight-gop-obstructionism-in-the-u-s-congress
It is interesting with all the new criticism of Republicans by Republicans that they didn't see fit to mention these little details before the election. Now everyone is running around in circles biting their own tails. Funny how that worked out.
ReplyDeleteKudos to Father McShane!
ReplyDeletePeople like Bill are the people Coulter targets. Thankfully, it looks like they are going the way of the dinosaur.
ReplyDeletebill at cferp:
"Lets see: We were thirteen, poor, debt ridden, war ravaged states. Among other good practices, we choose to leave individuals free and markets free. We became the most prosperous nation the world has ever experienced, with a humongous middle class, and most importantly - the sure hope for everyone, that hard work may better your lot in life.
I think ‘going back to past practices’ is the only proven answer."
----------------------
uh, your 'hard work' was done by slaves. Women and other minorities were only a few levels higher. We became the most prosperous nation by enslaving fellow human beings to do our dirtiest labor. Do you honestly think we should go back to those 'past practices'? Or are you just an extremely ignorant white male?
It's kinda funny how Palin is never invited to speak to universities..
ReplyDeleteAs for mAnn Coulter: She's a hateful, spiteful, mean, mealymouthed bitch who should never get invited anywhere but to hell.
The people who voted for Romney & donated are pissed off and starting to feel scammed and lied to by him (duh, well we all knew the circular firing squad was coming). Slowly some eyes are being opened to the fact that the GOP will NEVER win anything by trying to take THEIR country back to the 1950's. Those who wish it were a world of black & white Leave It To Beaver TV are realizing that multi-culturalism is here today and we live in a world of living color.
ReplyDeleteWhat gets me is how up until the election GOP & Teabiblican devotees were pointing to Obama for being the divisive one (I guess because of his skin color?). Now a few are waking up to the fact that there are 3 fingers pointing back at them. People like Coulter, Palin, Beck, West & Terry Jones to name a few are the ones who rile up divisiveness to gain fame and a few bucks. Hey Sarah REAL Americans voted for Obama so the country just told the likes of you what we think about your fake ideologies. Go jump in the lake.
HA!!! President McShame did exactly what you need to with a brand new pup sometimes... Slap them around a bit with a rolled-up newspaper... The small difference here was that he used new track shoes.
ReplyDeleteThe new slaves probably had their Daddy or Mama's Publicist wordsmith the response...weak..
IF you're waiting for Colterguist to modify her persona - PLEASE don't hold your breath....
This giraffe-necked horse face is full of lies and
ReplyDeleteunqualified rants.
The only one who was ever successful in swallowing a r(h)ino penis, deep throat Coulter knows the game. Rhetorical bullshit gets her paid. Her fear is people are starting to wake up so she just dials it up a notch, writes more books and counts the dollars roll in from the stupid.
Pompous hag comes off like her "shit don't stink" but she's in the same rectum with Palin, Trump and Malkin as they're all full of shit.
I get the distinct impression Coulter's on the wane, mostly due to simple redundance. I remember back in like 2004, she was the outrageous commentator. The old school lefty blogs like Sadly, No and Hullabaloo et al spent a disproportionate amount of time kneading their foreheads about her.
ReplyDeleteNowadays she's practically a footnote. Oh, wacky Auntie Ann went and called half the electorate filth undeserving of death. How quaint, considering that we gone and fucking elected people to national office that say the exact same thing and can have people nodding along as if they aren't complete lunatics. She ain't an outsider anymore, she's the mainstream. Can't score readers through sheer shock value anymore, because she isn't shocking. Same deal with Michelle Malkin, the poor man's Coulter. The market's glutted with their sort, and they're slipping away.
I find the tone of both letters remarkably kind and authentic. I am troubled by one thing in the second letter. Were the students really ignorant of the hateful speech of Anne Coulter? If they were, what did they know about her that made them think she would be a good speaker?
ReplyDeleteThey are lying
DeleteIt would be a stretch to think the Fox news sheep would finally understand how they are being lied to, but this is a good start. I hope more stories go main stream about how the donations were basically grifted by Rove and consultants and you know Robme must be really pissed about that...money is money, his one true god. Ann Coulter is just one of many that make a living thru hate, they are turds to be flushed down the toilet....Tues was a good start.
ReplyDeleteSarah and Bristol will be next. If they do speak, no big payouts. They really don't have anything to offer anymore. I am sure big tv news media and shows and universities are out. I wonder why they are so quiet since the election. Maybe Sarah got a letter from the FEC or IRS to gather her paperwork...
ReplyDeleteAnn Coulter is a person who figured out early on that one can make a LOT of money if one is willing to get down in the slime and say filthy things that others are unwilling (too classy, dignified) to say.
ReplyDeleteShe doesn't care if or how much or even who her words hurt.
My dad went to Fordham as an undergrad, so I sent him this (even though he has drifted to a very conservative position in his old-er age).
ReplyDelete~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My dad wrote back:
The President of Fordham University, Joseph McShane, sat in the seat directly behind me in Freshman Homeroom Class 1D in Regis.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ain't it a small world?
(the rest of his e-mail pertained to the other Alum made famous; my dad restrains from being political b/c he knows how highly charged I am about, you know, facts...)
College Republicans are notorious assholes.
ReplyDeleteI loved the exchange, it was presented in a civil and rational manner - but this part seemed to not ring true from the College Republican group-
ReplyDelete" We made this choice freely before Father McShane’s email was sent out and we became aware of his feelings – had the President simply reached out to us before releasing his statement, he would have learned that the event was being cancelled."
Why would the onus be on the President to "reach out" to them before making his statement? Shouldn't they have "floated" the original invite to him in the first place?
At any rate, Ann Coulter's brand of bullying has no place anywhere near an institute of higher learning. She's nothing more than a more eloquent Glen Beck/Sean Hannity/Rush Limbaugh/Donald Trump.
Nice Adam's Apple Ann; or is it Andy???
ReplyDelete