Let Them Eat Pie

On Wednesday a student at Earlham College, a Quaker school in Richmond, Ind., with a world-famous "peace studies" program, hit neocon pundit William Kristol in the kisser with an ice cream pie, while Kristol was trying to deliver a speech on U.S. foreign policy. The student faces an expulsion hearing. Kristol, after wiping pie off his face, finished his talk. No word on how much he was paid.

Also on Wednesday, right-wing ego-artist Anne Coulter was heckled so badly during a speech at Kansas University that she suggested vigilante action: "Could 10 of the largest College Republicans start walking up and down the aisles and start removing anyone shouting? Otherwise, this lecture is over." That suggestion was followed by several people leaving their seats and comfronting hecklers. (Coulter is planning to have brown shirts for such volunteer help at her next engagement.) The confrontation followed these remarks from Coulter: "I think there are some people in the audience who meant to be at the sexual reorientation class down the hall." Coulter was paid $25,000 for her appearance.

And last night at Western Michigan University, Pat Buchanan got a faceful of what appeared to be creamy Italian or Roquefort salad dressing, hurled by a 24-year-old student at Kalamazoo Valley Community College. Buchanan was paid for the indignity, but we don't know how much. (These guys don't give free speeches.)

Both Kristol and Buchanan are gentlemen, despite what we think of their political views. Coulter's a trash-talker who's been goading Democrats as "traitors" and calling "liberals" pussies, so what does she expect?

These are signs of the times, a kind of barometric reading on atmospheric pressure. What with El Presidente throwing citizens out of his staged pep rallies for privatizing Social Security -- events paid for by the taxpayers -- throwing them out PRIOR to any disruption -- may we not expect more and escalating acts of impertinence?