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Michael Fitzgerald Record columnist @Stocktonopolis

Ann Coulter, the conservative provocateur whos been called a hate crime in heels, is coming to Modesto to speak to the Republican Central Committee. Big Stink.

I cant imagine why. She is the sage who said:

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

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.

Theres a cultural acceptance of child rape in Latino culture that doesnt exist in even the most dysfunctional American ghettos. When it comes to child rape, the whole family gets involved.

liberals are always against America. They are either traitors or idiots, and on the matter of Americas self-preservation, the difference is irrelevant.

Which is why a comedienne recently said of her, Ann Coulter has written 11 books, 12 if you include Mein Kampf.

Equally funny to me is Stanislaus County Supervisor Jim DeMartini, who also chairs the Republican Central Committee: I dont think Ann Coulter is that divisive.

Right? DeMartini, a farmer, employs Latinos. Ask them what they think, sir, about being called peasants whove never flushed a toilet. Just stand clear of the hoe.

Coulter is a rare bird. Shes whip smart. But she foregoes thoughtful conservatism for shock talk. Despite her books, shes less of an intellectual than an entertainer. Only instead of the Borscht Belt she plays the conservative circuit.

Shes a symptom of our times, not the disease. The disease is the urge to caricature and hate people who disagree. Even to hold them to be as Coulter does less patriotic, even treasonous.

Here are a couple responses that made the Modesto Bee. First, two outraged guest editorialists, Debbie Avila and Rebecca Ortega-Harrington.

Jim DeMartini is encouraging the criminalization and dehumanization of communities of color. He is helping to perpetuate a culture of hatred that can, and has, led to violence.

Next, a conservative letter-writers rebuttal.

The real hate speech is coming from the likes of Debbie Avila and Rebecca Ortega-Harrington. Their opinion piece encourages violent protests as we saw in Berkeley last month.

So, bringing Ann Coulter to Modesto can lead to violence, while opposing bringing Ann Coulter to Modesto encourages violence.

Either those hotheaded Modestans easily go beserk, or people fear the polity has become so polarized, the American mind so narrow, that it can no longer withstand provocative speech.

The northern California ACLU sent me a refresher on free speech. You may criticize the President, the Congress, or the chief of police without fear of retaliation, it says. But this right doesn't extend to libel, slander, obscenity, 'true threats,' or speech that incites imminent violence or law-breaking.

It adds, If you grab a megaphone during a riot and yell 'shoot the cop' or 'loot the shop,' you may reasonably expect trouble.

Coulter doesnt do that. She just throws red meat to Republicans, for which she will receive $25,000.

I personally believe forgive me if I can only come up with something trite that America is neither conservative nor liberal. America is the argument between them.

So it helps to listen. Even if the speaker is a genius at pushing your buttons. And when all is said, to distill the shock talk to the serious underlying ideas, if there are serious underlying ideas, and offer better ideas if you have them.

If you dont, read the Federalist Papers, Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville and biographies of the founding fathers. Read a few things by people with whom you disagree.

In any case, enjoy the show. Youre a part of it.

Contact columnist Michael Fitzgerald at (209) 546-8270 or michaelf@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/fitzgeraldblog and on Twitter@Stocktonopolis.

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Fitzgerald: Don't lose your cool over Coulter - Stockton Record

President Trumps second travel restriction was blocked by two federal judges - District Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii and District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland.

In Maryland, the judge is believed to have ruled that the government had not offered enough support to show that the ban was a matter of national security.

It is thought that the Presidents restriction discriminated against Muslims and separated people in the US from loved ones in the six affected countries.

Ann Coulter, a dedicated supporter of President Donald Trump, insisted the Republican party were not supporting their leader following the decision.

Speaking on The Hannity Show, she said: On most things, I am disappointed with the Republican Congress, first of all they should be impeaching those two travel ban judges, it is outrageous, it is against the constitution.

GETTYFOXNEWS

Looking at the massive resistance of a pro-American president we finally have, looking at the resistance he is getting, he could use an assist from Republicans in Congress, other than a handful of them, hes not getting it.

Next the notorious supporter talked about how difficult it was for the country to control its borders following the ban being blocked.

She said: Things can turn overnight. When you are bringing in these masses of people who come from very very different cultures, and make it a hate crime to ask them to assimilate.

They have no intent on assimilating.

REUTERS

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U.S. President Trump and German Chancellor Merkel hold a joint news conference in Washington

I am disappointed with the Republican Congress

Ann Coulter

What are we getting out of this? Its one thing if we are bringing in nuclear scientists, or engineers, I dont think we are getting a lot of those.

But the vast amount of refugees, instantly coming in, sucking up welfare, thats meant for our people.

The Trump administration denies that the ban discriminate on the basis of religion and argues that the President has the power to suspend immigration to protect the national interest.

It argues that the ban is an extension of former President Barack Obamas screening of travellers from the same six countries.

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Ann Coulter hits out at own Republicans for blocking Donald Trump's travel ban - Express.co.uk

BERLIN Senior German officials cast doubt Saturday on Turkeys chances of joining the European Union, amid growing tensions with Ankara over human rights and Turkeys claim that its being treated unfairly by countries in western Europe.

In an interview published by Hamburg weekly Der Spiegel, Germanys foreign minister suggested that for now the most that Turkey can hope for is to one day achieve a privileged partnership with the bloc.

Turkey is further away than ever before from EU membership, Sigmar Gabriel was quoted as saying.

Gabriel said he was always skeptical of the idea of Turkish EU membership. He told Der Spiegel that upcoming negotiations about the EUs future relationship with Britain might provide a blueprint for Turkey in the long term.

Thomas Oppermann, the parliamentary caucus leader of Gabriels Social Democrats, said Turkeys chances of joining the EU would be gone for good if the country reintroduced the death penalty, as Erdogan has suggested.

(Erdogans) announcement makes clear that he isnt interested in joining at all, said Oppermann. Erdogan is clearly on the wrong path and hes harming Turkish interests.

Relations between Berlin and Ankara have soured recently over a German Parliament resolution labeling the 20th century killing of Armenians as genocide, Turkeys crackdown on the opposition and civil society following a failed coup last summer, and appearances in Germany by Turkish officials campaigning for constitutional change in an upcoming referendum.

A German satirists poem poking fun at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the arrest of a German-Turkish journalist in Istanbul have further fanned tensions between the two countries.

Erdogans call Friday for Turks living in Europe to have at least five children, as a response to Europes injustices, has also angered German nationalists who responded by renewing calls for an end to dual citizenship.

Ankara, meanwhile, has accused Germany of allowing the banned Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, to hold rallies in Germany. Kurds make up a sizable number of the over 3 million people of Turkish origin in Germany.

About 30,000 Kurds gathered in the central city of Frankfurt on Saturday to protest against the constitutional reforms sought by Erdogan, which would give the president greater power.

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Turkey won't be joining European Union any time soon - Press Herald

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is not worried about other EU countries leaving the bloc after Britain because Brexit will make them see it is not a good option, he said in a newspaper interview.

Asked by Bild am Sonntag newspaper if other member states would follow Britains example in quitting, Juncker said: No. Britains example will make everyone realise that its not worth leaving.

He added: On the contrary, the remaining member states will fall in love with each other again and renew their vows with the European Union.

The EUs 27 leaders plan to declare Europe is our common future during a meeting in Rome next week to mark 60 years of the bloc.

Juncker said Britain would need to get used to being treated as a non-member.

Half memberships and cherry-picking arent possible. In Europe you eat whats on the table or you dont sit at the table, he added.

Juncker said more countries would join the EU in future, although not during his time in office, which runs until 2019, because none of the candidates fulfils the conditions yet.

Read the rest here:
'No other country will quit European Union after Britain' - Hindustan Times

Ireland will not be following the UK out of the European Union, Enda Kenny has insisted.

The Irish Taoiseach also said he was more confident about the EU's future in the wake of the centre ground victory in the Dutch election.

Mr Kenny told an event in New York that the "cornerstone" of much of Ireland's social progress in the last generation was due to the EU.

"To continue to succeed as an open economy and welcoming society, we must and we will remain at the very heart of Europe," he said.

In terms of Brexit, he said: "It is not a trigger for Ireland to follow suit and leave the European Union with the United Kingdom - we will not do so."

Asked if he was more confident about the EU after the Dutch result, he said: "I am.

"At the (European Council) meeting in Valletta in Malta, which holds the presidency at the moment, there was a genuinely renewed focus from leaders to say 'well we better deal with this politically and begin to listen to people and begin to act in the interest of people and not have a situation where either the European Union or the government involved are removed from the people'.

"I think there is a mood at the European Council level to focus really to having outcomes to political decisions that will impact on our people."

Read more:
Ireland will not follow UK out of European Union - Enda Kenny - Belfast Telegraph