- An eager crowd awaits the band’s entrance

If you missed Orgo Night, fret not – the show was recorded and will be available tomorrow on CUMB’s blog. Now, the Bwog review:

After entering to the usual “Roar Lion Roar,” the Columbia University Marching Band noted that, due to the recession, this year’s show would be sponsored by the Columbia University Show. “We also thank the Varsity Show,” a band member opined, “for lowering expectations for the past 35 years.” As the Hillel-distributed stress balls flew in the air over the spectators (one eventually landing in a tuba sousaphone), many were still looking for seats, but the band told them not to worry: “if you can’t hear the jokes, there’ll be plenty seats open by intermission.”

Thus began one of the best Orgo Nights in recent memory, though, in typical marching band fashion, some of the jokes skirted the edge of tastefulness. Surprisingly, the end of the election and the departure did not dampen the band’s taste for political humor- the first two segments focused on Ann Coulter (simply described as “fucking crazy” and Fox News respectively (with “Beat It” and “More Than A Feeling” mixed in), and mostly had fun at “Coultergeist’s” expense, including asking “If she thinks kindergartners are being taught fisting in kindergarten, what are they being taught in high school? Read more…

Never shying away from a potential stage storming, the Bwog staff attended last night’s speech by Ann Coulter.

As the crowd shuffled in through the long security lines for Ann Coulter‘s visit to Columbia, the same  question was on everyone’s mind–would it get crazy in Altschul? Outside the event someone had dropped leaflets instructing the audience to start singing a new version of “We Shall Overcome” (no joke), and inside students chattered excitedly. The event organizers were apprehensive as well, urging students to “keep an open mind and show her the respect she deserves.”

Well, no pies were thrown, and, aside from a few shushed heckles from the back, the audience didn’t lose its mind too much.“I never expected a welcome as warm as Ahmadinejad got at this University!” she said after striding on stage. But the “radical” denizens of Columbia appear to have learned their lesson from two years ago. Rather than drown out Coulter, students went so far as to shush hecklers, leading to a surprisingly entertaining evening of sharp exchanges.

Rather than the traditional harangue typical of controversial speakers, Coulter took a different approach, delivering one snappy anti-liberal witticism after the other. After chiding Obama for his Special Olympics joke, she followed with, “you think he’d be more sensitive…with Joe Biden as his Vice President.” And calling out liberals for taking offense at any mention of Obama’s middle name while mocking Dan Quayle for the middle name Danforth, she finished with, “Clinton’s name was Jefferson, so he should have had a black mistress.” Read more…

Image via Salon.com

The hidden forces around Columbia are readying themselves for the arrival of that mistress of madness Ann Coulter on Monday.  But oh, twist!  Conversio Virium, the BDSM campus group known for its sex toy demos, will be hosting author Kate Bornstein starting sixty minutes after the Coulter debacle.  She’ll be talking about when “the way you express yourself makes other people queasy.” Quite the back-to-back billing.

That touchy-feely liberal “victimization” might raise Coulter’s hackles a little bit.  The last time she sparred with Conversio Virium was two and a half years ago, when Fox News invited Coulter to comment on a report that Columbia has a lot of sex. A lot of kinky sex. Coulter told Fox, “[S]omeone who needs to join a club at college to find a way to have sex, probably not your lookers…probably something a little wrong about them.”

It’s so on. Bags and signs are forbidden at the Coulter event, but students do have a history of creative protest.

Ahmadine-who? There’s a new controversial speaker in town. You can now pick up your tickets at the Lerner Ticket Center for the upcoming Ann Coulter talk. 

CUCR Executive Director Lauren Salz informs us that students must buy the tickets in person (meaning no online ordering – suck it up and put on some pants), and that on the event date, May 4, no posters, signs, food, drinks, or bags will be allowed inside. So keep your #1 Ann Fan foam finger or rotten tomatoes at home for this one, kids. 

The Ticket Center is open from 1:00 to 8:00 for the rest of the week.

Photo via cuarts.com

You wake up in your 30th floor Park West Village apartment before having breakfast at Whole Foods downstairs.

You think about riding the subway to work, but economic hardship has forced the city to cut your local line.

You instead hop into your green-roofed, solar-powered, bamboo car and take off for Columbia.

You park near Bollinger’s office in Furnald, since Low Library was damaged in the Coulter Riots of ’09.

You’re meeting with PrezBo to encourage his support of Palestinian academic freedom. You’re the latest in a long line to try, but no luck today. Maybe next year.

Let’s be honest: this semester’s been pretty lacking for controversial speakers. Until now, that is. Yes, famous author, commentator, and hater-of-all-latte-sipping-liberals Ann Coulter is coming to Columbia this May 4th.

Coulter is being brought by the Columbia College Republicans and the Columbia Conservative Forum, with assistance from Young America’s Foundation and the Clare Booth Luce Policy Institute (Coulter’s speaking fee is typically $20,000), and will speak at 8 p.m. in Altschul Auditorium in IAB. Her speech will be followed by a signing of her latest book, Guilty: Liberal “Victims” and Their Assault on America. No doubt many measured repartees will accompany the signings.

Not surprisingly, the event will be ticketed, with passes available starting either Sunday or Monday at the Lerner Box Office and at CUArts online. Should be a blast (photo from Wikimedia Commons).

- JCD

Ann Coulter has written a column that somehow, someway uses the tragic death of Columbia grad student Minghui Yu to insult Barack Obama and Obama’s grandmother and grandfather, whom Coulter refers to as “racist” and “worthless and lazy”, respectively.

Coulter goes on to paraphrase a story about Obama’s grandparents in which his grandmother wanted a ride to work and his grandfather told her she should take the bus instead. Turns out, this is because Grandma Obama saw an unfriendly black person on the bus, who frightened her. Grandpa Obama took young Barry Obama aside and explained that Grandma was a racist. Or something.

Anyway, directly following the story, Coulter proceeds to make fun of Obama for being offended by his allegedly racist grandmother. Logically, Coulter asks: “If Obama is sent reeling by the mere words of an elderly white woman, how is he going to negotiate with a guy like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? What if Ahmadinejad calls him ‘booger-face’? Will he run crying from the table?”

Oh also, in the last paragraph, Coulter manages to refer to Obama’s grandfather and Barack’s plan to hold talks with Iran “a loser” and “stupid”, respectively.

Thank you, tipster Christopher Duncan!