Ted Rall Says He Might Sue Ann Coulter for Holocaust Cartoon Remark

[sabra]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001995932

Ted Rall Says He Might Sue Ann Coulter for Holocaust Cartoon Remark

NEW YORK Columnist Ann Coulter made a provocative remark Friday about "Doonesbury" creator Garry Trudeau and editorial cartoonist Ted Rall. Trudeau is shrugging it off, but Rall is considering a lawsuit.

Coulter reportedly said Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C.: "Iran is soliciting cartoons on the Holocaust. So far, only Ted Rall, Garry Trudeau, and The New York Times have made submissions."

...

Rall could not immediately be reached Monday by E&P, but he had plenty to say on his blog. The cartoonist announced he would take legal action against Coulter if readers of his blog wanted him to -- and if they pledged the $6,000 needed to draft and file a lawsuit in New York.

...

As of Rall's most recent blog entry late Sunday afternoon, people were voting roughly 3-1 in favor of suing and had pledged about $2,700.

[Bluzmann57]

1. Not a big fan of Rall

Not since the Tillman cartoon, but I hope he bankrupts that bitch.

[wtmusic]

5. The Tillman cartoon flipped me on him too

although he was pretty amazing to watch with Hannity recently.

[wryter2000]

8. I'm with you two

The Tillman cartoon was creepy. I wonder if Rall has learned something from it, though.

[brentspeak]

20. Rall admitted he was wrong about Pat Tillman

Me and lot of other people emailed Ted Rall after articles appeared which proved Tillman wasn't the Robo-Patriot Killer that Rall painted him as. Rall wrote a response on his web-site admitting he was way off-base.

Pat Tillman turned out to be something of a scholar-warrior while he was serving. He encouraged his fellow Rangers with their poetry and writings, was known to read Noam Chomsky books (and kept a collection of philosophy books), and let his buddies know that he thought the Iraq War was "a fu****ing illegal war."

He was actually scheduled to meet with Chomsky during a stateside leave, but he was killed in Afghanistan before the meeting could take place.

[rinsd]

22. He was way off base irregardless of Tillman's political leanings...

..."sorry I didn't know he was on our side" is a shitty kind of apology.

[brentspeak]

23. I agree with that

There's no excuse for belittling a soldier, especially a dead one.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[wtmusic]

2. Who gets the punitive damages if they're won?

Do we get to divvy those up too?

Not sure why Rall wants to give Ann all that attention. Methinks Garry Trudeau has the right idea.

[Lorien]

3. It's about time someone made her pay for her slander

and outright lies. I hope he raises the cash and takes her to the cleaners.

[tatertop]

4. Go git' 'em Ted!

[bluestateguy]

6. I don't know

While seeing the prospect of Ann Coulter hauled into court, put under oath, tied up in legal proceedings and racking up lawyer fees is nice to think about, doing this could also make her a martyr for the right. And if she wins the suit, then we'll have to endure the sneering and gloating from her and her fans.

[Catrina]

18. I disagree, I think she should be sued everytime she opens her mouth

and slanders decent Americans, like Max Cleland, eg. This may not be the best case to start with, but it's a beginning ~

All money that comes from successful lawsuits against her, should be donated to liberal causes, like the ACLU. That's exactly what the right would have done.

If she had been sued, along with the rest of this disgusting propaganda machine, they never would have gotten the hold they have over the media and their vile 'discourse' would not have become as acceptable as it has today.

So, I hope he goes ahead, puts her under oath, and for once, force the truth out of at least one of them. Rush Limbaugh, Savage/Weiner and anyone else who slimes people, should also be sued. In fact, maybe we need a watchdog group who can sue on behalf of 'liberal's in general, each time these people threaten or lie about them.

It's about time, imo ~ Sean Penn sued when as a result of their attacks, he lost a multi-million dollar contract for a movie. I'm not sure how that lawsuit worked out, but he was right to do so.

Each time the word 'traitor' is uttered against a US citizen for criticizing the government, a lawsuit should be, and should have been filed against those who use this accusation of a crime, where none exists, for the sole purpose of unconstitutionally silences all dissent.

They have been allowed to get away with this for over a decade, while the 'left' did nothing about it. These people are bullies and you don't cave in to bullies. Fight them, and they run, because all bullies are cowards. That's just my opinion ~

....

Edited to add. Recently this woman threatened a SC judge. Nothing was done about it. I would like to know why? Why is there an assumption that this woman is not dangerous, when Cindy Sheehan and others are treated differently, even without ever issueing any threats towards anyone? I wish the judge in question would file a complaint against her ~ their hate speech is to blame for the horrible atmosphere of hate that exists in this country today ~ and that's dangerous, imo.

[onenote]

21. there won't be any money from successful lawsuits against her

There just will be money wasted pursuing losing lawsuits. And it would give her even more publicity. The best thing to do about (M)Ann is to ignore her.

onenote

[whalerider55]

29. right wing martyr is an oxymoron, my friend...

when you get five deferments, skip out on nat'l guard service it's hard to claim the martyr's cloak.

besides, they have jeebus.

whalerider

[onenote]

7. I hate coulter, but not sure that the lawsuit is a good idea

Think about all of the statements posted on sites like this, or on various blogs, that are made jokingly (or sometimes not), and then think about the chilling effect if defamation suits became all the rage. Hell, just on the threads involving Cheney's hunting fuck up, I've seen statements to the effect that (a) he was drunk (b) it was intentional because Whittington was hitting on Cheney's wife; (c) it never happened etc etc. Now some of these statements clearly were offered as opinion, while others were offered in jest. But it still costs money to defend against litigation and that's where the chilling effect comes in.

onenote

[noonwitch]

9. Don't sue her, make fun of her in upcoming comics

Suing her will only bring out a martyr complex.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Silverhair]

10. Suit will fail. Coulter's remark is political satire/parody and is...

...protected by the First Amendment. Doonesbury is a highly political cartoon, and therefore has to be able to take punches as well as give them.

[bucklebone]

16. i agree; Political humor shouldn't be repressed through..

the threat of a lawsuit. That would shutdown 3/4 of the humor on television.

[jobycom]

19. Yeah, I don't see how Rall would have any case. It was an obvious joke

there was no attempt to portray it as legitimate. Rall is just trying to get more famous.

It's actually kind of funny, if you can get over the complete acid taste of vomit Ann Coulter creates in your mouth.

[fujiyama]

27. It'll fail - nothing she says is legitimate -

Only the exteme fascists take her seriously.

Slander cases arer very difficult to win in the US compared to Europe. I know they are much easiier to win in the UK for one. THat's why it's easier to get books not published there.

[Ron Mexico]

11. A rotten idea with no chance of success

If Coulter could be held responsible for hurting someone's feelings, she'd be broke by now - as would Jay Leno, David Letterman and anyone else who has ever told a political joke about anyone on an opposing side.

Worse still, this makes Rall look like a wuss who needs to develop a thicker skin. If any Repug sued because of a joke by one of our guys, I'd laugh my ass off at him and probably send him a box of tissues. I do pride myself on being consistent, and I would never let a Repug off the hook for this. As such, if the Freetards are ripping him for this, don't look for me to defend Rall. I'll be quick to defend his work, but not this.

If Rall goes ahead with this, he'll be laughed out of court - and then wannabees in the Graft Ole Party will start suing everyone who has ever speculated or joked about a Repug without unequivocal proof. Sounding like a whiner is bad enough, but opening Pandora's Box would be worse. Better to fight fire with fire and just put Coulter in her place.

[Lexingtonian]

12. best thing for him to do

is to satirize all her actual wacko comments in his strip. Fair use, baby.

[RaleighNCDUer]

17. Yup. She lies about him, he tells the truth about her.

The TRUTH? She can't HANDLE the TRUTH!

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

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[0rganism]

14. Satire is generally immune from slander

Rall of all people should know this; his cartoon has been pushing the edge for years.

He ought to consult briefly with a responsible lawyer before soliciting donations for further action.

[pocket]

15. hell yeah, I love Ted Rall

he needs to sue that bitch into oblivion

[Inland]

24. Poor Coulter. She isn't even worth Trudeau's skewering.

She is trying to get Garry to give her her own character and icon as if she were important. "Please, please pay attention to me!"

[GoddessOfGuinness]

25. Best to ignore her, I think.

Why give even more publicity than this sorry sack of shit deserves?

[ronnykmarshall]

26. Sue that skag.

[Silverhair]

35. Don't know much about law and First Amendment do you?

Read the other posts in this thread. A suit may allow you the very temporary good feeling of venting you anger, but then your anger would come back doubled with a dose of bile when the suit was laughed out of court.

[robcon]

28. Rall's an ass

Coulter's a bigger ass. But threatening to sue Coulter is just a publicity ploy.

[InsultComicDog]

32. Not a winnable case

Just a tasteless joke just like the one about poisoning Justice Stevens. Not actionable.

[Hekate]

33. The pen is mightier than the lawsuit; just skewer her weekly

Although I suppose the job is made harder by the fact that she is already a caricature. Someone memorably called her "Twiggy with Tourette's."

Hekate

[PBass]

34. When has Ann Coulter ever been described by anyone, as a comedian?

When has Ann Coulter ever described herself as a comedian? Answer is "never" AFAIK.

Coulter is supposed to be a political commentator, a pundit. That's not comedy. If there is a good lawyer who thinks Rall has a case, I say sue the bitch. Hit her in the wallet, it's probably the only place it would hurt.

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

36. yep- the wallet- and he should EXPOSE the fact she's actually mANN Coutler

a certified trans gender--Google it if you think I'm joking!!

He could just wreck him/her with a "funny" cartoon.

[Hekate]

40. On behalf of my tranny friends -- if she is or isn't one is not the point

Hekate

[Hekate]

39. I said she's a caricature, not a comedian; a grotesque semblance...

I said she's a caricature, not a comedian; a grotesque semblance of the pundit she claims to be.

Ted Rall's job as a political cartoonist is to visually mock people in public life for their hypocrisies, failures, hubris, bad behavior, you-name-it -- Ms. Coulter is a person is public life, regardless of what she calls herself. George Bush calls himself a president; Ted Rall, as a political cartoonist, gets to portray him as a nekkid emporer.

It just occured to me that maybe you didn't get the Twiggy reference. Twiggy was a British model in the 1960s who was shockingly bony. Tourette's Syndrome I'm sure you know about: a neuropsychological disorder in which the afflicted uncontrollably bursts forth with loud obscenities.

Hekate

[superconnected]

38. I'm glad he's going to sue him.

Too bad charges aren't pressed against him for suggesting poisoning a justice of the surpreme court and to kill all liberals.

Wow, him and robertson have a lot in common.

[silverweb]

41. Good.

:popcorn:

[Synnical]

42. Update from Rall's blog

http://www.tedrall.com/rants.html

UPDATE 4 (Tues., 1:20 PM EST): My lawyer is researching precedents to determine whether a case would be legally feasible. In the meantime, I'm declaring the First Ann Coulter Lawsuit Opinion Poll over. Despite votes generated yesterday by right-wing blogs (which, unlike the Florida elections officials, I counted) votes were overwhelmingly in favor of pursuing a suit. Pledges continue to be welcomed, but the vote is final. I will be in touch with pledgers to let them know whether or not we're moving forward,

[thebigidea]

43. sounds like a pretty bad lawyer.

Of course there won't be a lawsuit, its laughable.

[Psephos]

45. Ridicule aided by wit is the proper response...what's Rall smoking?

A lawsuit over an insult says Rall can dish it out but not take it. Or more to the point, that her pen is mightier than his sword. Jeezus, Rall, hit back like a man.

I *want* Coulter to rant like a lunatic; it serves us well to remind people regularly what kind of vitriol spills from the right. As always, sunlight is the best disinfectant.

Peace.

[Mad_Dem_X]

44. Go, Ted!

Like many others, I don't always agree with Ted or his cartoons. But it's way past time that somebody demanded accountability from Anthrax Coulter! I'm on Ted's side on this.

[rinsd]

46. Your idea of accountability is to sue those who disagree with you

politically when expressing their 1st amendment rights?

Rall is baby, a hypocrite and a coward. He regularly is as insulting to his targets for ridicule. He claimed 1st amendment martyr status when he got axed from the WaPo (or NYT I am unsure at this time). Now he wants to sue somone for ridiculing him?

Hey Ted you have an audience and medium. Use speech to fight speech. Its not like a roll in the gutter is so below your standards.

[Mad_Dem_X]

52. Coulter is a venomous harpy

advocating the death of people *she* disagrees with. Sure, Rall would probably lose the case, but it would be awesome to see her having to defend herself and her vicious mindset.

[rinsd]

54. She is a venomous harpy...

But she wouldn't have to do anything. This suit would likely be dismissed on free speech grounds.

Plus if the trial were to commence, you don't think the defense would viciously smear Rall for the sake of proving that Coulter's comments were "truthful".

Think people, even beyond free speech principles(which some seem to only reserve for themselves), its tactically stupid.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

47. It would be nice if she suddenly found herself..

in countless lawsuits! :toast:

[stepnw1f]

48. SUE HER FOR EVERY PENNY SHE HAS

bankrupt the sea hag!

[PBass]

49. Political discourse is way too un-civil. Maybe a lawsuit will help.

What Ann Coulter does (hate speech IMO) does not compare favorably with what Ted Rall does (political cartoons).

As I said, nobody ever described Ann Coulter as a comedian or satirist. But that's exactly what Ted Rall is.

If a lawsuit would send a messaage and help rein in looneys like Michael Savage, then I'm all for it.

[Mad_Dem_X]

53. EXACTLY!! nt

[Texacrat]

50. Well, he's probably gonna lose and will probably be countersued ...

1. He's a public figure
2. Satire is protected speech

[Moloch]

51. Coulter=Rall

They're both dangerous extremists whom the world would be much better off if it ignored. I'm surprised they aren't good friends.

[Hosnon]

55. Boo: Our version of Muslim world's reaction to cartoons. nt