Past Deadline

Isn't It Time to Stop Wasting Time on Ann Coulter?

I consider myself reasonably well-versed on American history and I've come to this conclusion: If the Founding Fathers had known about Ann Coulter there would have been an asterisk by the First Amendment.

Coulter, who turns out rightwing books the way a chicken lays eggs, has a long history of saying brainless things. To promote her previous book, she asserted that four widows of 9-11 enjoyed their husbands' deaths. She referred to former Sen. John Edwards with a gay slur. Once, on Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes," she said, "God gave us the earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said, 'Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It's yours.'"

The list of Coulter's offensive and stupid remarks could fill a book the size of a phone directory but, then, who would want to plow through all that garbage?

Her most recent verbal hand grenade, made on CNBC's "The Big Idea" and available for all to see on YouTube, is that the perfect America is one in which everyone is Christian.

How's that, asked "The Big Idea" host Donny Deutsch, who happens to be Jewish. You can't be serious, he said. Of course she's serious, she said. If Jews became Christians, they would be "perfected," she explained, echoing one of the most popular rationales of anti-Semites everywhere.

Now, just like Thomas Jefferson, I'm a great believer that free speech is essential for a marketplace of ideas. Coulter is absolutely entitled to her noxious views. She has every right to espouse them. She has every right to publish them.

But she does not have a right to a media platform for them and it's time that cable and network talk shows see her for what she is--a bigoted, insulting loudmouth--and withdraw the welcome mat.

I'm not talking about censorship. But just as a network would not bring a member of the Ku Klux Klan into the studio to opine about race relations or invite someone from the Flat Earth Society to comment on science, it simply makes no sense to have Coulter discuss politics or policy. She has proven time and again that she has nothing to contribute but pernicious bile. It's time to find someone--whether on the left, right or center--who has something  worthwhile to add to the discussion.

If it wasn't clear before, it is now. Any cable or broadcaster that books Coulter in the future is guilty of insulting its viewers and extending credibility to an extremist who is herself a discredit to American ideals of tolerance and civil discourse.

--Posted by Barry Garron

Cultural learnings of the Big Apple

Although frequent readers of this blog may have come to the conclusion that its primary author has been paid serious under-the-table cash by Sacha Baron Cohen, I am here to assure you that he has not.

Otherwise, Ray would have bought the darn HD TV and not been lashed by a billionaire. Which reminds me: I need to work on my reality series pilot, "Lashed By a Billionaire." Mark, are you available?

I digress. It's a long way to go to say that for those of you who are not Borat fans, this is yet another Borat-related post, but in a good way. Because even those of you who don't like Borat will find something wonderful in this news, since a total stranger has expressed emotions you yourself may have longed to express in the recent past, as per Mr. Cohen and his antics.

Using the kind of glorious verbiage only England's "The Sun" paper can get away with (the New York Post comes in a close second), a recent headline read "Borat Spanked By Angry Yank." A bit of a misrepresentation, because it turns out that Cohen, pretending to be Borat despite that he was going out for a drink in the real, non-imaginary world of New York City, tried to prank a local and got punched in the face for it. Fortunately (according to the article) his friend Hugh Laurie was on hand -- they were going out to a bar after a "Saturday Night Live" appearance -- and Laurie helped chase the assailant away. At no time did Laurie produce a cane, start popping pills and claim to be a curmudgeonly, if genius, doctor.

According to the article:

Studio chiefs have warned Cohen to avoid pretending to be the spoof Kazakhstan TV reporter on the streets.

There really is a fine line between being obnoxious and being clever, and I think it's safe to say that Cohen -- as Borat -- jumped that shark a while ago. I'm kind of glad someone finally took a little action, though I'm glad Cohen isn't badly hurt.

Moral of the story? Don't screw with New Yorkers. We will mess you up.

-- Randee Dawn

Make Your Bid On a World-Class Choke Artist

Poor Alex Rodriguez. As part of his measly $252 million contract, the dude is expected to deliver in the clutch for the New York Yankees, as if that's part of his job description. After A-Rod's latest postseason disappearance that helped ensure another early playoff exit for the Yanks over the weekend, however, somebody's had enough and has decided to unload Rodriguez via ebay auction.

The seller has listed Rodriguez under "Antiques," reasoning that the baseball from his last playoff RBI is now officially listed as an antique (ouch). As I write this, there have been 54 bids for A-Rod's services despite his choker rep -- and the current high bid is no slouch: $99,999,999.00. However, standard flat rate shipping is free. Hurry! Bidding ends next Sunday.

UPDATE: The listing had been removed by Monday evening. Too bad. I was just about to post a bid.

Keith Olbermann ReceIves a Death Threat, and the New York Post Thinks It's Pretty Darn Funny

The New York Post's unctuous Page Six "reported" it, but it's also been independently confirmed that MSNBC's Keith Olbermann -- whose brave commentaries of late taking to task the Bush Administration (and President Bush himself) have invited genuine comparisons to Edward R. Murrow -- opened a suspicious letter with a California postmark that was mailed to his New York City home late Tuesday night and out poured a white powdery substance. A threatening note inside reportedly indicated that this represented revenge for his outspoken on-air views of late.

It turns out the powder was laundry detergent and (thank God) not anthrax or any other toxic substance. But Olbermann obviously didn't know it was harmless until later on and, panic-stricken, called 911 at about 12:30 a.m. ET early this morning, according to the Page Six item. While preliminary tests of the powder confirmed the detergent finding, Olbermann, as a precaution, asked to be taken to the hospital just to be certain.

Now, whom among us would have treated this as a ho-hum, given the anthrax mail attacks of five years back? No one. Yet the famously right-leaning Post (published by Fox chairman Rupert Murdoch) naturally allowed its politics to get in the way while reporting what was in fact a legitimate and frightening death threat against a journalist whom someone was looking to intimidate and paralyze with fear.

Here is the Post item, and I also copy it here in full so you need not stain your computer hard drive by actually having to link to these reprehensible oafs:

POWDER PUFF SPOOKS KEITH

MSNBC loudmouth Keith Olbermann flipped out when he opened his home mail yesterday. The acerbic host of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" was terrified when he opened a suspicious-looking letter with a California postmark and a batch of white powder poured out. A note inside warned Olbermann, who's a frequent critic of President Bush's policies, that it was payback for some of his on-air shtick. The caustic commentator panicked and frantically called 911 at about 12:30 a.m., sources told The Post's Philip Messing. An NYPD HazMat unit rushed to Olbermann's pad on Central Park South, but preliminary tests indicated the substance was harmless soap powder. However, that wasn't enough to satisfy Olbermann, who insisted on a checkup. He asked to be taken to St. Luke's Hospital, where doctors looked him over and sent him home. Whether they gave him a lollipop on the way out isn't known. Olbermann had no comment.

Note the sarcasm and cheeky snark, from the headline on down. They refer to a man who received a serious and authentic warning shot at his home address as "acerbic," "caustic" and a "loudmouth" who "flipped out" and "was terrified," as if being badly shaken after receiving what he understandably presumed was a deadly biological agent made him a wimp. Yeah I mean, gee, what moron would think it was actual anthrax, huh? And what relevence is there in noting parenthetically that Olbermann is "a frequent critic of President Bush's policies"? Because he is, the presumption is that he of course deserved it, right? And that he's a girly-man wuss to boot?

Page Six ought to be completely ashamed to publish a mocking dismissal of what is in fact a serious news story and try to pass it off as journalistic, not to mention putting its contempt for the left above its humanity. But then, it has a long and illustrious track record of being both shameless and inhuman, so this is perfectly in keeping with its style.

UPDATE! UPDATE! -- At 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on MSNBC's "Countdown" show tonight, not only will Olbermann be addressing the powder incident; he will also take time to point out how the NY Post (via Page Six) may have interfered with an FBI investigation of terroristic threats with its mocking item.

Just for fun, my friend Rich Procter crafted his prediction of how a Page Six item would have read had the same thing happened to Fox News personality and NY Post icon Bill O'Reilly rather than Olbermann. I present it here for your indignation and amusement.

TERRORISTS TARGET FOX PUNDIT -- COPS CLAIM AL QAEDA LINK

Beloved Fox news personality Bill O'Reilly was stunned by a terrorist attack in his home mail yesterday. The dynamic host of "The O'Reilly Factor" was wary when he opened a suspicious-looking letter with a California postmark and an anthrax-like powder poured out. A note inside warned O'Reilly, one of President Bush's most vigorous defenders that it was 'payback' for his implacable stance against Islamofascist terrorists. The stalwart commentator calmly dialed 911 at about 12:30 a.m., sources told The Post's Philip Messing. An NYPD HazMat united rushed to O'Reilly's home, but preliminary tests confirmed what O'Reilly himself suspected -- the substance was harmless soap powder. Although Mr. O'Reilly insisted the incident go no further, authorities persuaded him to go to St. Luke's Hospital, where doctors gave him a clean bill of health. O'Reilly, who reportedly has been a "high value target" for Al Qaeda terrorists, had no comment, but his steely glare and determined stride showed reporters he was unshaken by this attempt on his life.