Coulter’s line didn’t deserve commentary

Tim Rutten is one of my favorite columnists, but his star has dimmed a bit after his column on Ann Coulter [“Comment Too Perilous to Ignore,” Oct. 13]. Tim should have gone with his first reaction -- that Coulter is a creation whose celebrity is fed by calculated media exposure.

Her comments on Christians versus Jews are not really different than previous rantings, but part of the same continuum. Like professional wrestling, you don’t succeed if today’s stunt is not more outrageous than yesterday’s.

It’s expected that news-starved cable TV would take the bait, but Tim should not have bitten.

John Vasi

Santa Barbara

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Ann Coulter’s distasteful comments seem no less desperate than Britney Spears’ misguided attempts to stay in front of cameras. Both seem to have an uncanny ability to turn the ludicrous into opportunity. But is it completely fair to turn our disdain toward them when they do something stupid? After all, it is the media that feed it to the public. But only because the public is willing to eat it up buffet-style. We are all accomplices in this little drama.

Gary Huerta

La Crescenta

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Tim, you are a bright guy. Stop it already. Ann Coulter did not say anything regarding Christianity that is not the sincerely held belief of most Christians since the days of the New Testament. Ask them. They believe that Christ is the way and everyone would be better off if they embraced him.

This is not to say, however, that they also believe Jews and Muslims and newspaper columnists should be forced to share that belief. Coulter did not suggest any such thing in the interview. Donny Deutsch asked her to describe her ideal world and she described it as everyone embracing Christianity. What a shocker! Deutsch’s indignation appeared ignorant or, worse yet, disingenuous. Would not you, when pressed, state that your ideal world would be everyone subscribing to The Times? Would that make you dangerous?

Puuuleeeze! Quit the hyperventilating, Tim. The dangers of Ann Coulter rank up there with the dangers of Michael Moore.

Gary Thornton

Montebello