Letter to the Editor

Sent the following letter to the Editor of the Liv. Cty. Press and Argus-April 25, 2007 7:45pm
Dear Editor,

After reading Dan Meisler's column: "Coulter speech still on" and the Guest Column April 22nd by Tom Sullivan explaining the executive committee of the Cleary University Board of Trustees deciding not to intercede to uninvite Ann Coulter to speak, the following thoughts occured to me:

Ann Coulter's speech is not "free speech." She is being paid $30,000.00 to speak.
200 tickets have been sold as part of the $150.00 speaker series of 3 speakers which includes lunch. An individual ticket to hear one speaker costs $60. The speaker venue at the new Johnson Center on Oct 1st allows between 400-500 available tickets to be sold. After subtracting the cost of lunch, the Livingston Economic Club? or Cleary University? will make a sizable economic gain. $50 X200= $10,000.00 and $60 X 200=$12,000.00. Total monies spent: $30,000 (speaker fee) + $22,000.00 (ticket sales)=$52,000.00-(cost of the lunches at $10 x 400=$4,000.00). That is around $48,000.00.

A person, institution, company, business, etc. spends its time, money, and energy on what it values. Cleary University and the sponsors of its speaker series are demonstrating that they value Ann Coulter's commentaries. Since there isn't any topic associated with her speech, I'm concluding they value the way she speaks and her critical analysis of the issues? I've gone to her website: www.anncoulter.com to read her March 14th column about the Walter Reed Veteran's Hospital. I invite the reader to go and read that column and evaluate the rhetoric for yourself. I would suggest to those persons, institutions, companies, businesses that have already purchased the series tickets to contact Cleary University by phone, 734-929-9107, or by e-mail: lec@cleary.edu and ask for an individual refund for this particular speaker. I was assured by the polite and helpful woman there that if a purchaser of the series ticket wanted a refund that she would take it up with the Advisory Committee as to what the university could do in that regard. If unable to get a refund, there is still the possiblity of asking those who want to hear the speaker and have not yet bought their ticket to sell them yours. Donating the money from the ticket refund or resale, to Military Moms of Livington Cty would be a good way to show that you value their sons and daughters sacrifice, that you care about their medical care, and that you're putting your money where Ann Coulter's mouth is not.

Sincerely,

Mares Hirchert
2641 Sun Terrace
Hartland, MI 48353
810-632-6396



"We can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us, and make us kinder. We always have the choice."--Dalai Lama