Conservative commentator Ann Coulter provoked controversy today by calling for the public execution of Coca-Cola's CEO.
In an interview with Fox News this morning, the bombastic author claimed that the company's Turkish-American leader Muhtar A. Kent should be hung for treason over Coke's Super Bowl commercial celebrating diversity.
The advertisement, which featured the song "America the Beautiful" in several different languages, has caused outrage amongst some on the right who argue it somehow denigrates English-speaking Americans.
Several conservative leaders have denounced the ad on Twitter, while others have called for a boycott of the Atlanta-based beverage giant. In the interview this morning, however, Coulter proposed a somewhat more radical solution.
"I wanna see Mustafa or Mufti or whatever his name is in the middle of Times Square with a noose around his neck," she told host Brian Kilmeade. "This guy is clearly working for Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah and the Mexican drug cartels.
"We live in America. We don't speak languages from other continents -- we speak English. If you're the CEO of an American company, using Spanish and Arabic in your TV ads is giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
"I'm not talking about vigilante justice. Let's just put the CEO of Coca-Cola on trial for treason and then have a dozen of our finest Marines carry out his execution in public so the world can see what happens if you disrespect our language and culture."
Fakin' It
Coulter is no stranger to outrageous statements. In the past she has called for America to invade Muslim countries and convert them to Christianity, compared liberalism to the Ku Klux Klan and once used a homophobic slur to refer to presidential candidate John Edwards.
Although some think Coulter is a true believer, most people now recognize that her controversial behavior is a staged effort to increase her book sales using hyperbole.
Although she has achieved great success in the past, Coulter's latest book, Never Trust a Liberal Over 3 - Especially a Republican, has received poor reviews and hasn't gotten as much attention as her previous titles.
When contacted by the The Daily Currant, a representative for Coca-Cola issued a brief statement in which the company offered to pay for Coulter to see a psychiatrist.
"Coca-Cola considers itself a good corporate citizen," the statement reads, "and we just want to make sure this mentally ill woman gets all the help she needs."
