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Whiney Liberal Cartoonist Ted Rall's Self Esteem Shattered by Ann Coulter Joke - May Sue!
Ted Rall Says He Might Sue Ann Coulter
Ted Rall is asking readers to help fund a potential lawsuit against conservative commentator Ann Coulter.
By Dave Astor
February 13, 2006
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."
Giving her remark another twist is the fact that the conservative Coulter has the same distributor -- Universal Press Syndicate -- as the liberal Rall and Trudeau.
When asked Monday if he wanted to respond to Coulter's comment, Trudeau told E&P via e-mail: "Nah."
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.
"If enough 'yes' votes come in with enough serious pledges, I'll see Ann in court," wrote Rall. "If not, well, chalk up another victory for the Right."
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.
Coulter "lied," Rall wrote. "I have not submitted anything to any Iranian publication. I have no intention of doing so. And I have said that in public, repeatedly. ... As a student of history who specialized in World War II, I am not only completely aware of the monstrous scale and unique place of the Holocaust in modern history but terrified that genocide could happen again -- if ideologues like Coulter manage to seize the complete power they crave. Call me straight, call me gay, call me an asshole, but if you call me a Holocaust revisionist I won't take it lying down."
Rall said there's obviously a chance he could lose a lawsuit if it was filed. But the cartoonist doesn't think a "just funnin'" defense by Coulter would be the reason for such a loss. "I doubt her claims of 'humor' or sarcasm will fly with a jury," he wrote, "since she's not funny and her audiences take her literally and she knows it."
Submitted by Justine
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