Defending Ann Coulter (I assure you writing this was painful)

I have often referred to myself as a “free speech nut”. I will defend speech no matter how terrible it is. Unfortunately, this stance requires me to defend the likes of the lowest-scum on this planet. Ann Coulter fits that description.
Coulter will soon visit the University of Ottawa. Needless to say, this has caused an uproar among the student body. Some have even gone as far as suggesting she should be thrown in jail for hate speech.

“You will realize that Canadian law puts reasonable limits on the freedom of expression. For example, promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges. Outside of the criminal realm, Canadian defamation laws also limit freedom of expression and may differ somewhat from those to which you are accustomed. I therefore ask you, while you are a guest on our campus, to weigh your words with respect and civility in mind.”

As the article points out, it is unlikely that there exists a legal case against her:
“Hate speech has to be near fully void of relevant comment on issues of public interest. In fact this is written right into the criminal code and anyone charged with promoting hatred has recourse to several defences. The defences include truth, commenting on religious topics, making comments that stem from religious beliefs, and making comments that are on a topic of public interest.”
(http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2010/03/22/throw-coulter-in-jail/)

Ann Coulter may be a deluded fundamentalist Christian psychopath but, what she says is relevant. It is relevant in the sense that it shows the public the extreme right-wing view of issues such as religion and politics.

Universities tend to lean to the side of political correctness. Students are more interested in censoring extreme opinions than encouraging debate. Ironically, the uproar over Coulter’s has already given her more attention than if the student body had not opposed the visit.

I find it unlikely that any sensible student will be swayed by Coulter’s arguments. Allowing her to speak also gives people a chance to confront her. I’m sure she will find a large difference between the intellect of the student body and her fellows at Fox News. Free speech gives Coulter the right to speak in this country. It also gives the students the right to point out what a fucking moron she is.

Update: It's disappointing that she wasn't able to speak out the University of Ottawa. Allowing her to speak would've given the student body the opportunity to debate against her directly.