LETTER TO THE EDITOR

I acknowledge that even loathesome, hateful, wretched human beings have a right to free… I acknowledge that even loathesome, hateful, wretched human beings have a right to free speech, but there is something unseemly in the expenditure of student activity funds to bring right-wing extremist loon Ann Coulter to speak at the University.

Ms. Coulter thrives on the attention she receives from those who recognize how damaging her vicious and incendiary remarks are to society, and who rightfully condemn her. With the passage of time, she becomes increasingly outlandish, pushing the envelope further so that she will continue to garner ire.

Let us call to mind that this is the woman who referred to presidential candidate John Edwards as a “faggot,” a comment which, at the time, was met not with the derision it deserved, but by hoots of approval and laughter from her Conservative Political Action Committee audience. She also told us that widows of those who perished on Sept. 11, 2001, are “enjoying their husband’s deaths,” this because they do not agree with Ms. Coulter on political matters. She has condemned the widows for profiting from their loss, but apparently, Ms. Coulter becoming a multi-millionaire from spewing hatred and vitriol throughout the land is the legitimate achievement of the American dream and not to be challenged.

It is outrageous but amusing that Ms Coulter touts her purported “Christian faith” in guiding her life. Christian faith is rooted in tolerance, kindness and charity. If Ms Coulter is a Christian, then I am Methuselah.

It is individuals such as Ann Coulter who serve to embarrass and humiliate honorable Republicans and to drive us from the party. Shame on any serious, responsible person who believes that she is worth listening to and who values her message. She is emblematic of all that is wrong in our increasingly coarse, vile, hateful culture.

Oren M. Spiegler Upper Saint Clair, PA ospiegler@gmail.com