Coulter talk attracts crowd, protest

They came. They saw. They cheered. And some booed.

Ann Coulter – a nationally known… They came. They saw. They cheered. And some booed.

Ann Coulter – a nationally known Republican columnist, famous for her inflammatory remarks toward liberals – gave a speech and answered audience questions amid both shouts and clapping in David Lawrence Hall last night.

Outside the building, about 20 protesters carried signs protesting the arrival of Coulter, while inside the lecture room, most of the audience members gave her a standing ovation, both before and after her speech.

Lauren Dumm, the president of College Republicans, said the organization estimated about 900 people would attend.

“We had wanted to bring a name that would stir things up,” Dumm said.

Co-sponsored by College Republicans and the Young American Foundation, the event was partly funded by Student Government Board, who allocated $15,000 to the event. The money for the rest of the event – $6,000 which included the prices for security, facilities management and a reception – was raised through fund-raising done by the College Republicans.

Coulter started her speech with one of her many jabs at liberals.

For Christians, today is Palm Sunday. For Jews, Tuesday is Passover. For liberals, this week is just the first week of April.

Referring to her latest book, “Godless,” Coulter talked about how she believed that liberals were not religious – a claim that Coulter said has received little to no protest from liberals themselves.

“The point is that liberals are godless,” said Coulter, later during the speech.

Throughout the speech, jokes about Hillary Clinton, the War on Terror, Jimmy Carter and Iraq fell to some sarcastic laughter but mainly to applause or shouts of agreement.

Although the topics of Coulter’s speech changed, one part stayed the same: “Liberals are godless and hate America.”

“They have been attacking America for 50 years,” Coulter said at the end of her speech. “No, not the terrorists. They’ve only been attacking America for about 30 years. The liberals. And it’s time we hit back. Hard.”

At the end of her speech, Coulter took questions from audience members who filled the aisles in front of two designated microphones.

“How is the War on Terror different from the Crusades?” asked one audience member.

“The Crusades actually weren’t as bad as people think,” said Coulter, who received loud shouts of incredulity and anger.

“Don’t pretend you’d have balls 10,000 years ago,” she said to the disapproving audience members. “We are not, sadly, invading to convert them to Christianity.”

One audience member’s question addressed one of her more recent controversies – when she indirectly called John Edwards a “faggot.”

“I was just wondering if you’d be so bold as to use the ‘n’ word to describe minorities,” the audience member said.

After an eruption of applause from many of the audience members, Coulter countered with, “Anyone who compares the ‘n’ word to the ‘f’ word is a racist.”

After her last question, Coulter threw up one hand in a wave as the crowd rose to their feet – some in disgust to make a hasty exit and the majority to applaud and give her a standing ovation.

The crowd spilled out into the lobby of David Lawrence, where many people continued to discuss Coulter and her comments.

“What scares me is how conservative she is,” Emily Trostel, a Pitt senior, said. “I’m liberal all the way, but in the times we live in, understanding and tolerance are the most important things.”