Her presentation:
“The Battle for the Court: Discrimination, Abortion, Capital Punishment, and Freedom Hanging by a 5:4 Vote”
I arrived about five minutes late to Earlham College, and as I scrambled to get to the auditorium, I met several folks leaving the same who told me the place was jam packed, that there was no room, not even standing room, for anyone else. Bummer. I was met at the outside door of the auditorium by a woman who tried to shuffle me off to some remote location where the school was providing closed circuit televisions for the overflow audience.
My thought on this offer-heck no. Not after driving 75 plus miles. NO WAY. So I told the woman I knew ANN ( Well, I sorta do-I did shake her hand at the March for Justice and I did receive a book from her at the House Manager's Dinner in DC, after all :^) and would be satisfied to stand near the door of the auditorium. We stared each other down, she opened the door and I acted as if I knew where I was going. I didn't, of course, but by a fluke I opened the correct set of doors and bingo, I was standing at the back of the first floor of the auditorium. Alright.
Ann was busy speaking. She eloquently discharged her terrific rational regarding discrimination, abortion, capital punishment and the over powering power of the Supreme Court Justices. Dressed in a professional suit, brown tones suitable for a Quaker school, which Earlham is, Ann spoke in her own cadance that we all know so well, making a presentation that every college professor should aspire to emmulate ( and she enlightened a few, just beautifully, during the question and answer period that followed ). You could almost see the hackles rise on the backs of professors and the liberal-heads-overloaded-with-mush kids before her, all anxious for her to stop her presentation and get to the questions so they could nail her on her recent dead-on comments about America and the war, abortion, capital punishment.
The question and answer period brought the auditorium to life.
How can you deny a woman a choice of what to do with her body? Ann-seems to me your leaving someone else out of that equation (paraphrasing). What about that other voice, the one sleeping in mom's womb?
How can you justify capital punishment and not justify a woman's right to chose to end a pregnancy. Don't you consider both lives? Ann-[I LOVED THIS]-If you equate the life of a murderer, the life of someone who has TAKEN other lives, with that of an innocent child, what's the point of continuing this discussion? ( Hehe ) She got a round of applause for this-surprised me.
There were questions on slavery, the constitution where is talks of the black slave in terms of being 3/5ths of a person ( which Ann explained fabulously ), lots more on abortion, only a few on the justices, and a bunch on her idea of a crusade (a Christain Crusade) type of invasion upon Islam. She fielded each with marvelous wit and dead-on directness.
On one occasion a student walked up and handed her a lemon, I think, and walked away. She said thanks. If it was an apple, I apologize, I couldn't see. But the kid reminded me of my hippy days-so I am taking 'assumption license' here. Another kid asked her how she could be so blunt and nasty towards liberals-and she responded 'Because it's FUN!' (Don't ya love her?) Another kid asked her if she meant what she said about liberals because she really believed it or if it brought her some kind of gratification...Ann, without missing a beat said, 'Oh, why, gratification, of course!' LOL This drew solid laughter. Another asked her about insensitivity to liberals and she simply went on to another questioner, saying, let's move on to some REAL QUESTIONS! This brought murmers and oooooh's from the kids, unused to being put right where they belong. Still others dropped paper wads from the balcony every once in awhile, but many others seemed to really like having her there.
I got to ask a question, probably because I was waving my hand like a first grader who knows the answer and wants everyone else to know this fact :^)
I began by saying, 'Ann, I was first made aware of you and your work on behalf of our constitution back during the FreeRepublic.com sponsored March for Justice. At that time, the FreeRepublic organization that I belong to was supporting the congress in the impeachment process of bill clinton.
First I want to thank you for your unending dedication to our constitution, what it does and does NOT represent and state and for encouringing my own personal interest in the precious document.
My question is this-My own kids are not familiar with the words and meaning of this great document. I never studied it in school or college, and I imagine most of the kids, I mean young people, here in this auditorium have never really read it through, word for word, tearing it apart and really getting into what it is all about. Why is this important foundation of our nation breezed over so lightly? Lots of the audience sort of resented my question, but no one took issue, so I assume I was correct. But there were lots of murmurs.
Ann replied by stating (paraphrasing ) she basically agreed, that even our congressional folks are not familiar with it, in fact, even in her own law school they would have to remind themselves to refer back....
After the speech, which ended about 2:15, I went up onto the stage to say Hi to her. She thanked me for my question! (:^) Puffed me right up! I thanked her again for working so hard to keep our Free Republic here in America, genuinely free. I also expressed our great appreciation of her here at FR, and had her sign my copy of our constitution! Unfortunately, the polite but a bit full of herself escort to Ann, the college person responsible for her visit, I suppose, hurried Ann on, and I was unable to get a picture.
I have to run-apologize for all typos and goofy sentence structure (but that's me!) and hope ya all enjoyed my review.
BTW-after the talk-she also went over to what is called the town meeting room and talked Quaker style, informally with the kids until 3:30. I could only stay for part of it.....but I am SO GLAD Dr Raoul informed us of this speech because it was truly great to see someone you admire and cheer for, up close and personal. What a neat lady!
Wish you had suggested to her that next time, she speak in the evening or weekend, so working folks get a chance to hear her. Did you tell her I said "Hi"? ... j/k
Lets Roll!
I, too, got there just as the presentation started, and was turned away at the auditorium doors. However, I overheard the usher tell some students that there was a TV with a direct feed set up in the 2nd floor hallway, so up I went. They couldn't get the TV to work, and all the students gathered there headed off to the other halls to check the broadcast there. Then one of the ushers opened up the doors to the handful of us still hanging around, so I ended up in the hallway for the balcony, looking right down on top of Ann.
I really enjoyed her presentation, and especially the give-and-take (and BOY, can she GIVE!) of the Q-&-A session. I had what I assume to be a professor/grad student standing behind me whispering to his companion that he really wished he could take her on in a one-on-one debate.
Actually, I was pretty suprised by how relatively civil the audience was. The 'paperwads' you saw showering down from the balcony were origami birds (doves?)...a young man sitting about 5 feet from me had a huge box full of them, and would occasionally fling one or two over the balcony...handfuls, when Ann responded to questions regarding her first post-9/11 column (re: converting the middle east to Christianity). And that WAS a lemon the other young man presented to Ann.
Having heard about the nasty turn things took at Cornell earlier this year, I was pleasantly suprised with how today's program turned out. Ann seemed to be truly enjoying herself. I was especially pleased that I happened to spot her as I was walking back to the parking lot, and got a chance to speak with her a moment & got her to autograph her book for me.
A class act with a razor edge!
Convocation:
“The Battle for the Court: Discrimination, Abortion, Capital Punishment, and Freedom Hanging by a 5:4 Vote”
Wednesday, November 14, 1:00 p.m.
Goddard Auditorium, Carpenter Hall
Presenter: Ann Coulter, lawyer, author and writer for George magazine and Universal Press Syndicate
Ann describes the difference between judges who are strict constructionists and those who are judicial activists. She explores issues that will likely be determined by President George Bush’s Supreme Court nominees.
My Alma Mater. Not entirely bad.
Although the Libs tried to stack to deck, they still couldn't get Ann to back down. Wish I was there...
Thanks!!
Norb in Jacksonville
Yours is a MUCH better report. Thank you for taking the time.
The civil reception is so nice to see, especially after the Cornell incident and all the 'PMS' hit pieces directed toward Ann over her September 17th column.