reports that liberal political cartoonist Ted Rall is not happy about remarks made by conservative commentator Ann Coulter. At the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, Coulter stated, "Iran is soliciting cartoons on the Holocaust. So far, only Ted Rall, Garry Trudeau, and The New York Times have made submissions."
Garry Trudeau, creator of "Doonsbury," does not want to sue, but Ted Rall said on his blog that if enough people vote in favor of it on his online poll, and if readers give him $6000 for court costs, he'll sue Coulter in New York.
Says Ted Rall on his blog:
She lied. I have not submitted anything to any Iranian publication. I have no intention of doing so. And I have said that in public, repeatedly.Obviously, in making such a statement, Coulter crossed the line into outright libel--she intentionally stated a mistruth intended to harm my reputation. And obviously a libel suit is called for. Problem is, it costs many thousands of dollars to file such a case, much less pursue it through the courts. (I know this from personal experience.)
So what do you, dear readers, think I should do? Should I do what no liberal has been willing to do as of yet--hold a lying neoconservative to task for smearing them? I'll do it with your support--but I need your help to decide.
A later update reports:
Votes are currently running 3-to-1 in FAVOR of suing Ann Coulter. And people are putting their money where their mouths are! Pledges already total more than $1500; since it costs about $6000 to draft and file a libel lawsuit in New York, where both she and I live,
Ted Rall has made a number of controversial statements reported by NewsBusters.
Rall: US Soldiers are Poorly Paid Contract Killers
Ted Rall: Assassination by Joystick
Rall: US Military No Different Than Terrorists
Cartoonist Ted Rall: "We Do Not Owe Our Liberties To The Military"
Ted Rall: Iraq War Vets are Sadistic Torturers
Ted Rall Slanders The US Military Again
