The back and forth between conservative writer Ann Coulter and the University of California at Berkeley has undergone some twists and turns. UC Berkeley had withdrawn an invitation to speak on campus on April 27 citing security concerns. Then Coulter vowed to show up anyway to deliver her addressed, regardless of the university’s wishes, in effect daring it to stop her. Then uc berkeley reinstated the invitation but rescheduled for May 2. Coulter responded by stating she is coming on April 27 regardless.
According to the Washington Times, Coulter retorted on Twitter “not fall for b.s Berkeley press release claiming they ‘rescinded’ cancelation.
They added NEW, more burdensome condition on my const rts.” Coulter did not elaborate on what those burdensome conditions are.
Apparently, Coulter believes that she is on a roll and is pressing home her advantage. It is clear that UC Berkeley wishes that righty speakers such as Coulter would just go away and leave it alone. However, she has decided to invite a confrontation to make a point about free speech and the lack of the same on many American college campuses.
The university now is caught in a no-win situation. Either it accedes to Coulter’s demands and accommodates her on the date certain, or it tries to ignore her and let things develop as they will, or they summon law enforcement and try to physically bar her from campus.
The first option invites humiliation and will serve as a model for other conservative speakers to deal with campus radicals seeking to shut them down. The other two options encourage an ugly spectacle that will be lovingly played on cable news channels and the Internet for years to come.
Coulter is an unlikely 21st Century version of Rosa Parks and no doubt many on the left will be triggered to rage by the comparison.
The analogy is more exact than many would be comfortable with. Coulter, regardless of how one feels about her opinions, has a perfect right to speak at a public university. The excuse about security concerns is just a subterfuge to shut up conservative speakers. UC Berkeley and local law enforcement are perfectly capable of imposing order, stopping the black-clad Antifa rioters from attacking the speech venue, expelling any students found to be involved in rioting.
They just do not have the will to do so.
Coulter is forcing Berkeley’s hand. Either the university does its job and maintains law and order, or there will be blood in the streets. Such is what happens when civil rights are under threat.
