Monday, February 13, 2006

The Madness of Queen Ann

Thanks for the Memory to Ace of Spades HQ.

Apparently, during the recent CPAC, Ann Coulter is reported as being heard to make the comment,

I think our motto should be post-9-11, "raghead talks tough, raghead faces consequences."
Now, aside from Sean Hackbarth, no one else is confirming that they heard it. But if she did say it, it disturbs me deeply, and for three reasons:

The first reason is both obvious and obviously the most important: It's just wrong. I know that the context was the GWOT, but the term "raghead" is a generalization of all Arabs, not specifically the terrorists and their apologists. It's racist. I would have had no problem with "Jihadist" or "Tango" or "Islamicist", but "raghead" paints too broad a brush.

Secondly, it disturbs me that someone who is accepted as a leading spokesperson for the side of the political spectrum to which I belong would so cavalierly toss around such a phrase. It does not reflect the real sentiments of myself or most conservatives I know, and it does us a disservice.

Finally, while I don't read her columns or watch her being interviewed, I've read two of Ann's books, Treason and Slander. And while I'm not as quick as Ann to ascribe certain motives descrived in the books to all Liberals, I thought they made some excellent points, and were well-documented and interesting. Furthermore, the only responses I have ever seen from Liberals to either book was to question her motives, inpugn her character, and excoriate her as a waspish, hateful right-wing harridan (ironically enough, this reinforces the point of Slander). I've yet to see a comment from a single Liberal or Leftsist who will cop to having read either book and offer any refutation of the facts and sources Ann offers in support of her assertions. And the more strident and comabtive and intentionally offensive Ann becomes, the easier it becomes for her detractors to employ this Ad Hominem technique. Nothing Ann ever writes or ever has written will be given a fair consideration, because it will be considered tainted by her reputation. "Oh, Coulter wrote it? Well, it must be false". And that's too bad, because sometimes she makes a good point.

Don't shoot the message just because of the messenger.

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