Melville House Books

She was two and a half hours late, but the author of the current bestseller How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must), Ann Coulter, isn’t known for being polite, and that probably isn’t why two men tried to hit her with pies while she gave a speech in Arizona last Thursday night. According to a report by J.D. Wallace for the website of television station KOLD, Coulter was speaking to a crowd of 2400 people at an event organized by the Arizona College Republicans, with a crowd of undescribed size outside protesting her presence, when, “As Coulter addressed a question about terrorism, she stopped mid-statement: ‘You take away the terrorism and liberals would hate . . .’ at that Coulter gasped as she looked to her left, and began backing away from the podium. Two men ran by, on-stage, and each threw a pie a her.” They missed, however, and “were mobbed as they tried to exit the auditorium.” A police spokesman says “We’re looking into all the charges that could apply. We have assault, criminal damage to the screen and floor and all the manhours it will take to clean it.” Coulter, meanwhile, was apparently terrified and says she is considering travelling with a bodyguard. “It’s a crazy time and liberals are out of their minds,” she explained.

• MORE: . . . An Associated Press wire story has a few more details, such as where the event took place (at the University of Arizona in Tuscon); the names of the attackers (William Zachary Wolff and Philip Edgar Smith); what kind of pies they were (custard); and the fact that they didn’t miss Coulter entirely—one of the pies hit her in the shoulder.

Dennis Johnson is the founder of MobyLives, and the co-founder and co-publisher of Melville House.