Unintentional Irony Alert

Mr. Levant called the cancellation a sad commentary on the state of free speech in Canada. “When you start to intimidate and pose as security threat, there is no longer free speech.”

Some examples of verbal intimidation and threat to security:

"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity."

Or:

"I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East and sending liberals to Guantanamo."

Now how could Muslim students and staff at the University consider that verbal intimidation and threat to their security?

Or there's this gem:

"I don't really like to think of it as a murder. It was terminating Tiller in the 203rd trimester. ... I am personally opposed to shooting abortionists, but I don't want to impose my moral values on others." --on the murder of Kansas abortion doctor George Tiller, FOX News interview, June 22, 2009

Now how could doctors and people who believe in reproductive choice consider this the condoning of violence, even glee taken in violence committed against them? How could this not be considered verbal intimidation and threat to security?

Or we could just listen to her own explicit statement on the subject of intimidation:

"We need to execute people like (John Walker Lindh) in order to physically intimidate liberals."

Freedom of speech doesn't mean freedom from consequences. I'm not a fan of hate speech laws, but its not like there's anywhere with no limits on free speech whatsoever.

You can't shout fire in a crowded theater, you can't threaten people, you can't libel or slander people. These are all examples of speech prohibited by law. And in this country you cannot threaten people or promote hatred against any identifiable group.

I happen to think that last one is counter-productive. I think people like Coulter absolutely exult at the opportunity to put on the veneer of smoking martyr to free speech. Handing her that opportunity on a plate gives a professional rodeo clown far more credibility than she deserves.

And of course we already know just how cynical her current outrage at censorship really is:

"They're [Democrats] always accusing us of repressing their speech. I say let's do it. Let's repress them. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of the First Amendment."