This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," March 25, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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BILL O'REILLY, HOST: In the "Personal Story" segment tonight: Ann Coulter presently on a speaking tour in Canada. But in Ottawa, her speech was shut down by radical students.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Ann go home. Ann go home.
CROWD: Get Ann Coulter off our campus.
CROWD: No more hate speech on our campus. No more hate speech on our campus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: Now those kids were egged on by the University of Ottawa official who wrote a letter to Ann Coulter saying: "Canadian law puts reasonable limits on freedom of expression. For example, promoting hatred against identifiable group would not only be considered in appropriate, but could, in fact, lead to criminal charges."
And joining us now from Calgary is Ms. Coulter. So you're — wherever you go, you bring brightness and joy, and now we know that. But it must have been pretty frightening.
ANN COULTER, CONSERVATIVE COMMENTATOR: Yes, I do.
O'REILLY: Pretty frightening in Iowa you couldn't even get on the stage? Iowa, in Ottawa.
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COULTER: No, I was no — Ottawa, yes. I was nowhere near the building. I was sitting in a lovely Ottawa club with my bodyguard, waiting for them to tell us it was time to come, because you know, they have to get everyone seated. There was a speaker before me. And the cops called my bodyguard and said it's been cancelled. And then we found out about the commotion. So, among the many crazy things in some of the reports, it wasn't me, my bodyguard, or my people who shut it down. I didn't even know what was going on.
O'REILLY: OK.
COULTER: I was drinking coffee in the Ottawa club.
O'REILLY: Now do you ever fear for your safety when you do these tours and you know that there are people cranking it up? I mean, when the official of the school puts out a statement like that, you know there's going to be trouble. Do you ever fear for your safety?
COULTER: Yes, they did. No, but that's because I don't go to college campuses, nor does any conservative speaker go to a college campus without a bodyguard, which is why I think I have a very strong case with the Human Rights Commission here in Canada for the letter that was sent to me by that provost at University of Ottawa informing me that I might be committing a hate speech crime before I've even stepped foot in the country. That was publicized to half a dozen people. And it was immediately after his letter was sent…
O'REILLY: Yes.
COULTER: …that suddenly the University of Ottawa…
O'REILLY: So by telling you not to incite, he incited. That's an interesting point.
Now we had a guest on last night from Canada, a columnist. And she said that you said all Muslims should be on a no-fly list and that's hate speech. And you say?
COULTER: For one thing, that's one of the strange things about Canada. It's like when you go to Europe and they're still playing rock and roll songs from 10 years ago. This is so old. I mean, I think I made very clear my position on airport security in probably every column I wrote for two years after 9/11. I fly a lot. I wasn't even talking about that. That was nearly 10 years ago.
O'REILLY: Right.
COULTER: I didn't even mention Muslims in my speech. But no, I don't think I have used that phrase. I've made it very clear that I think it's insane when you have limited resources to be searching every single person at airport security, and…
O'REILLY: But do you believe all Muslims should be on a no-fly list?
COULTER: No, I've never said that.
O'REILLY: Good. And let's put it to bed.
COULTER: I think they should be looked at.
O'REILLY: OK, looked at. Fine.
COULTER: You know, funny that a lot of my most hateful speech are things I never said.
O'REILLY: OK. We want to just put it to bed.
COULTER: Or they're jokes. That's what it usually is.
O'REILLY: Now you had an interesting back and forth.
COULTER: Well, OK, but I do think they should be given an extra look. And you know, I did write after the seven imams case. I don't know if you remember that one. The seven imams were threatening to boycott Northwest Airlines after they…
O'REILLY: Sure, after they were…
COULTER: …engaged in behavior that frightened the passengers.
O'REILLY: …given — right. OK, well, let's move ahead.
COULTER: Yes. And I just pointed out how ironic it is that the imams were threatening to boycott an airline, and that if all Muslims would boycott airlines, we could dispense with airport security all together.
O'REILLY: Oh, man. All right. You know, I try — I gave you a way out and you won't take it. Now here's a little…
COULTER: Indisputable point I just made.
O'REILLY: …all right, with a Muslim student.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Should I be converted to Christianity? Since I don't have a magic carpet, what other modes do you suggest?
COULTER: At least on American college campuses…
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Answer the question. Answer the question.
COULTER: What mode of transportation? Take a camel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: Take a camel. Yes, they didn't like that.
COULTER: I just complained, by the way, to CNN for running that clip, that incredibly deceptive clip. There was about 10 minutes between the question and what I said. I began to give this student, snippy as she was, a serious and somber answer. But they didn't want a serious answer. And the hecklers started yelling "Answer the question." Well, in her parade of horribles of, you know, these collection of quotes in 10 years of commentary, the only question contained in there was what should I do if I don't have a flying carpet? And so, I was responding to the hecklers, not to her question.
O'REILLY: OK, but it was a wise guy comment.
COULTER: Skip the 10 minutes between her question.
O'REILLY: All right, but here's the serious question.
COULTER: Yes, I'm responding to hecklers. It was better than what Kramer said to hecklers.
O'REILLY: It's a wise guy comment.
COULTER: And that's a totally deceptive way to play it.
O'REILLY: But you know as far as I do…
COULTER: That is a deceptive way to play it.
O'REILLY: You know as well as I do, a wise guy comment like that is going to be used from people who hate you to brand you as a hater. That's what it's going to be used for.
COULTER: No, no, no. That is not what's going on here. What's going on here is what "60 Minutes" used to do for 20 years, until people like you came along, Bill. And that's interview someone for two hours and then use a 10 second quote, change what the question was. But if they put a question in and then eliminate the 10 minutes before I respond to the hecklers…
O'REILLY: I got it, I got it.
COULTER: Not to the girl. That's deceptive.
O'REILLY: All right, now…
COULTER: And by the way, if it's not deceptive, why don't they show the full answer?
O'REILLY: Why…
COULTER: Because I prefer to go with what I said.
O'REILLY: How many more speaking engagements do you have in Canada?
COULTER: One more tonight here in Calgary and then I go to California. And I'm speaking at a Las Vegas Tea Party this Saturday night.
O'REILLY: Wow. All right, well…
COULTER: And then UCLA on Thursday if you'd like to know the full schedule.
O'REILLY: All right, OK. So you're OK in Calgary. You won't have any problem there. Vegas, you will be okay and L.A., you should be all right.
All right, Ann. Thanks for coming on. We appreciate it. Stay safe out there.
COULTER: Thank you.
O'REILLY: OK? And make sure your bodyguard's doing the job they're hired to do.
COULTER: I'm just fine. I'm in Calgary now.
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