Lately there has been a spate of pies and salad dressing thrown in the faces of notable conservative pundits and authors at speaking engagements.

Yahoo News

Chicago Tribune

Indy Star

Ann Coulter, David Horowitz, Pat Buchanan and Bill Kristol have had the cream filled cross hairs placed on them lately.


Can throwing pies, or anything at someone on purpose be considered assault?

Is this an effective tactic for voicing disagreement with someone over political idealology?

Is this an immature or an effective ploy to show disdain for these speakers?

Ann Coulter is a joke, so is throwing a pie. I wouldn't go as far to call her a conservative pundit.


Can throwing pies, or anything at someone on purpose be considered assault?
Oh please, it's just like throwing rotten tomatoes. Now if you want to say "anything" well, that's a bit different.


Is this an effective tactic for voicing disagreement with someone over political idealology?
Of course not. But these people need a political ideology to disagree with first other than saying whatever sells books. I think they're trying to say, "Don't take these people seriously". That's why they pick something of comical value to throw. If they meant to hurt the person, then they'd pick something else and then it could be considered assault.

Is this an immature or an effective ploy to show disdain for these speakers?

How mature is saying something like, "How to talk to a liberal....if you must"? (sorry to pick on Ann so much, she was at our school recently and I still haven't recovered from the insatiable urge to jam a pencil in my ear.)

I agree everyone has a right to express his or her opinions, however some people (and they're on both sides of the political fence) play the Hollywood/ TV/book game and manage to get into the spot light and then spew nothing of cogitative value and Americans just eat it up. These people just need to go away because they're not doing anything to help politics in America.

Can throwing pies, or anything at someone on purpose be considered assault?
Of course. It's a petty assault, but it's still assault. I wouldn't haul them off to jail because it's pretty hard to demonstrate significant injury. The political motivations of the pie thrower are irrelevant to the issue. Indeed, I would argue that doing so for political reasons is even worse than doing so for other reasons, because such actions dampen the spirit of free inquiry.

Is this an effective tactic for voicing disagreement with someone over political idealology?
Absolutely not. You voice disagreement with your voice, not your throwing arm. If a great majority of people considered it funny, then it would be effective, but most people consider it wrong, and so it merely discredits the pie-thrower's position.

Is this an immature or an effective ploy to show disdain for these speakers?
It seems immature enough to me. Certainly most of the practitioners seem to be young.

Can throwing pies, or anything at someone on purpose be considered assault?
Yes, of course. Psyclist, do you think anyone should reserve the right to throw eggs and/or rotten tomatoes anytime they want to at you? A man was recently convicted of assault for throwing an egg Mcmuffin at the McDonalds manager. He was fined 600 dollars and put on probation. Sounds about right.

Is this an effective tactic for voicing disagreement with someone over political idealology?
No..not in my opinion, though I must admit I'd like to see Anne hit squarely with a pie! But such behavior certainly isn't acceptable for an adult...it wouldn't even be acceptable in preschool. Extremely immature.

Can deliberate pie throwing be equated with assault?

Absolutely. I mean you are assaulting someone. Although it would be hard to get hurt with a pie it is still an unsolicited attack on someone.

Is this an effective tactic?

Of course not. In a free speech society it reflects poorly on those (I assume on the left) who try to stop someone from expressing their opinions no matter how personally disagreeable (or in Coulter's case) laughable they are. Then again I do not think it would be far fetched to stage this event. To make it look like conservative commentators were being attacked by liberals against free speech. Crazier ruses have happened EX: "Democrats trying to ban the bible"

Immature or effective ploy?

I think it's an immature prank by punk kid's (coming from a fellow punk kid). these kid's are political idealogue's and younger kids especially the firebrand, anarchist variety are often liberal's. It certainly is not effective and if anything is counter detrimental to liberals.

PS: Just to add it. I do not have a problem with Anne being the target of a pie toss because I think she is a dishonest propagandist windbag. In fact I find the possibility of her or say a Michael Moore getting hit by a pie to be an enjoyable thought and generally in the best interests of people who care about the ABUSE of freedom of speech.

Can throwing pies, or anything at someone on purpose be considered assault?

Well, THREATENING, or taking a swing at but not contacting, in most states is considered assault- battery is usually when there is actual contact. So yeah, it is assault, probably lands very close to the edge of civil disobeidiance, so it is still breaking the law.

I thought that this started in Europe or some such, aimed at the uber-wealthy and CEOs? Am I wrong here?

Is this an effective tactic for voicing disagreement with someone over political idealology?

Well, define what they are trying to do and I will decide if they are effective. Anything done to Ann Coltier would be funny to me, and I may even admire the guts of the poeple doing it, while in my head saying "tsk tsk, we still can't have that, slippery slope and all"- but I might be tempted to send a donation to thier defense thier way.

So, what are they trying to accomplish? Notoriety? Well, mission accomplished- making someone stop voting Republican? Not very effective LOL

Is this an immature or an effective ploy to show disdain for these speakers?

Hard to say- depends on what thier goals truly are (whatever thier stated goals are)- like I said, I would be very tempted to send this group some money, but with qualms thinking perhaps this organization may go violent. The poeple mentioned that have been pied certainly deserve this treatment, perhaps even worse, as poetic justice, but in a society of laws, we need to try to follow those laws LOL

Ain't freedom of expression grand? While not specifically expressed in the First Amendment, I think the freedom to prove oneself an idiot should be protected. This is particularly true in the case of the pointy-headed liberal moonbats out there who are so devoid of actual ideas and thoughts, their only response is to throw food. There is little even Annie could say that would better demonstrate the current state of the hysterical left in this country today - they say it far better with their own childish actions.

Can throwing pies, or anything at someone on purpose be considered assault?

On purpose? One wonders how someone could throw a pie "by accident".... But yes, I suppose it could be considered assault. "Might take someone's eye out" is what mom used to say. For sure it was a clear intent to infringe on someone else's First Amendment rights, so there's probably a Civil Rights violation going on there somewhere, except Annie is not a liberal, therefore not a victim.....

Is this an effective tactic for voicing disagreement with someone over political idealology?


No, but since when has that ever stopped the moonbat fringe? Any parent who has ever raised (and endured) a 2 year old recognizes the progression. First they whine, then they cry, then they scream and stamp their feet and finally when they don't get any attention, they throw their food.


Is this an immature or an effective ploy to show disdain for these speakers?


Ummmm.... gotta be careful here, never know where the pies are.....

Let's just say with a 2 year old, it can be effective if that 2 year old needs their diaper changed.

I did enjoy Annie's comment........




Waiting to hear screeches of "child abuse" from the wacko left......

Of course, in typical Ann fashion- it appears to be a fabrication- no mention of any injuries to the pie throwers, even by the victims- and of course, she is not 110 pounds, and of course, not female either, but that is for another thread LOL

But really, I need to find out who to send the money to ....

Can throwing pies, or anything at someone on purpose be considered assault?

This is a misdemeanor assault, as opposed to throwing something like a .357 bullet from the muzzle of a handgun, propelled by expanding gas. It could get dangerous if the pie target were to get seriously hurt, like falling off a stage.

Is this an effective tactic for voicing disagreement with someone over political idealology?

The message is clearly an expression of disagreement, like raising a single digit salute (like the pre-Iraq war demonstrators got). It doesn't say anything further as a demonstration, as with the half victory/peace sign; however, the message is effectively delivered in both cases.

Is this an immature or an effective ploy to show disdain for these speakers?

Throwing pies is a part of slapstick comedy. Slapstick appeals to our immature sides -- yet adults still laugh. Check out any physical comedy routine.

I guess those in agreement with the pie targets are mature enough to fight in wars without protest. Fine and dandy. Those tossing the pies might be immature, but the single message does get across without causing much physical harm to the targets, unless this triggers a fall or something similar. And the targets have a very difficult time dismissing the expression, as opposed to glancing over an opposing oped piece, book or movie, then dismissing the opposition as un-American, communistic, devil spawn and so on.

I'd say it's more mature to throw the pie than the bullet. Neither is my preferred method of expression, nor is slapstick my preferred comic expression. Throwing a pie is foolish -- it can result in serious harm on both sides. But then I think the targets are a bunch of fools too, so maybe this has a karmic justice to it.

All the players are immature. A mature person does not start wars that others will fight, then hide in denial when things don't go right. A mature person is honest with him or herself, admitting to weakness and failure -- and growing stronger from the introspection. It's too bad that our present leadership and pundant supporters of the leadership are so foolish. The pie throwing is immature, sure. It seems appropriate though, at a low level of irony, and at least the college kids aren't shooting anyone.

Can throwing pies, or anything at someone on purpose be considered assault?
I suppose it can, just barely. My middle school assaulted the principle in a pie-throwing contest for giving x-amount of money to a charity. Nowadays calling someone a fruitcake can be interpreted as a verbal indicator that physical harm is next. Why not pie?

Is this an effective tactic for voicing disagreement with someone over political ideology?
Uh... no. But this question is a great way to build consensus on AD!

Is this an immature or an effective ploy to show disdain for these speakers?
Yes. I think it was unfortunate Buchanen got lobbed with salad dressing. I'm not too sure about poor Annie, though. She's made mock of the physical abilities of liberals before. That's as good as asking for a demonstration, if she was lobbed with pie or a tomato or whatever. Sure I'm being biased. I don't think Annie deserves the same respect as Buchanen, and even Perle, when you earn your daily bread by incensing people using outrageous rhetoric and baneful metaphors.

The general theme I'm seeing from our more liberal members (who share similar political affiliation with the pie throwers) is this:
If you say things that we find offensive, we have the right to throw coconut cream pie at you.

I'm a cynic, but I have a hard time believing that if the targets were Franken, Moore, Boxer, Nader....whomever.....if would be laughed off as 'well they deserved it, just look what they say'

The left proclaims itself as the defenders of free speech, but in fact they are more aggressively opposed to speech they disagree with than those on the right. From pie throwing, booing, disrupting and assaulting conservative speakers on campus's, stealing all copies of right leaning college papers......
Instead of engaging opponents in the arena of ideas and discourse, there is an active campaign to stifle any speech or thought that they disagree with. Sure there are occasions where the right does this also, but not nearly on the scale as the self proclaimed 'big tent, tolerant, diverse, independent minded' liberals.

I'm not advocating capitol punishment for these confection hurlers, but I think it's obvious to most clear thinking people that this activity does a cause more harm than good.
I actually hope they continue, they'll be the ones with egg on their faces ultimately.

Well, I can't speak for other "more liberal members," but I believe I what I was getting at was if you go out of your way to insult certain people, don't be surprised if certain people do more than talk back.



I wouldn't be surprised if Moore, even Franken, were lobbed with pies one day. I'm curious why you mentioned Nader. Democrats did everything they could to keep him off the ballet in states, that's true, but he doesn't rise to the level of disdain that pseudo-political entertainers do.

The general theme I'm seeing from our more liberal members (who share similar political affiliation with the pie throwers) is this:
If you say things that we find offensive, we have the right to throw coconut cream pie at you.

DTOM, that's the classic straw man argument. Nobody is saying anyone has a right to throw anything at anyone. My classification is a misdemeanor, which is of course against the law. If something is against the law, you don't have the right to do it.

Well, in some debaters' minds, you have the right to do anything if you're willing to put up with the consequences. I don't think that way.

I'm a cynic, but I have a hard time believing that if the targets were Franken, Moore, Boxer, Nader....whomever.....if would be laughed off as 'well they deserved it, just look what they say'

Yes, interesting that no pies have gone toward these people. Why do you suppose that is? I guess I could say that maybe bullets will come their ways if they keep up with their liberal things -- like Kennedy, King and Kennedy again.

The left proclaims itself as the defenders of free speech, but in fact they are more aggressively opposed to speech they disagree with than those on the right. From pie throwing, booing, disrupting and assaulting conservative speakers on campus's, stealing all copies of right leaning college papers......
Instead of engaging opponents in the arena of ideas and discourse, there is an active campaign to stifle any speech or thought that they disagree with. Sure there are occasions where the right does this also, but not nearly on the scale as the self proclaimed 'big tent, tolerant, diverse, independent minded' liberals.

I think you're getting off topic here, and in fact ranting.

I'm not advocating capitol punishment for these confection hurlers, but I think it's obvious to most clear thinking people that this activity does a cause more harm than good.

Not nearly as much harm as the targets cause. Confection versus war, hmmm, what do you think?

I actually hope they continue, they'll be the ones with egg on their faces ultimately.

I think the pie throwers get their due punishments -- fine, time, suspension or all. Meanwhile, the targets make money hands over grasping fists for encouraging war. I see that as ironic on the high level, the pies in the face as irony on the low level.

Buchannan isn't for the Iraq war and warns about the neocon threat, so the irony isn't there for him. Coulter and Krystal, yes. The pie tossers might have egg on their faces, but C & K have blood on their hands.

Just desserts?

Several other people have been pie'd as well including bill gates, Sir Mark Moody Stuart of Shell Oil, SF Mayor Willie Brown, and Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman

http://www.satyamag.com/jul00/rosenbeger.html
(link includes pro-pie advocacy as well as what looks like a tasty recipe)

A line certainly needs to be drawn in the meringue....

I support the Pie-ing of Coulter and Buchanan but oppose the creamy lick of poetic justice for Horowitz and Kristol. Buchanan and Coulter make their living by being hyperbolic and over the top, hence a little pie is in line with their style. Kristol and Horowitz on the other hand are serious political analysts that deserve respect even for those that disagree with their political agenda. For example, I would totally support pie-ing Micheal Moore or Al Franken but would oppose it for Seymore Hersch.

Can throwing pies, or anything at someone on purpose be considered assault?

Strictly speaking, yes it is. The legal boundaries for assault correctly cover things that don't physically harm someone. This may sound crazy but a pie could be injurious, what if the rim caught their eye? If they catch the pie thrower and the pieee wishes to look like a stick in the mud then I totally support a mild fine. It should cover the cost of dry-cleaning suits plus 100 or so dollars. Deep down, I'm rooting for the person to get away...

Is this an effective tactic for voicing disagreement with someone over political idealology?

I've heard that pie throwing as a political statement has been around since the 60's but gained popularity in the late 90's with the Biotic Baking Brigade. It's too bad their website is down as I like get the motivation from the source rather than people who think they know what they're talking about. Anyone in the PR industry will tell you that generating buzz is all about being over the top. In that respect hurling pies instead of invective can spark debate and political inquiry which is certainly fruitful. So I think that it does have some very small level of political merit. It can bring attention and it will make a thinking person say, "Well why would someone want to throw a pie at nobel prize winning economist Milton Friedman? What's not to like there?"

Monsanto Corp. CEO Robert Shapiro has also been pie'd. In my opinion he's the perfect target. Shapiro should be in prison and his company is a striking example for how our system regards crime. IN THE VERY LEAST he should be pie'd right before he's hauled in for a life sentence and his personal assets divided among the millions that his company has knowingly killed or injured. I support just about anything that would bring attention to his crimes so long as it's coupled with a campaign that involves serious attempts to change the political system. An effort to revoke Monsanto's corporate charter would be in order.

Is this an immature or an effective ploy to show disdain for these speakers?

Pie-ing is a practice that while perhaps immature, humorously appeals to our sense of universal justice. Almost everyone (including the conservatives) wanted to see Coulter get one in the eye.
So like many other posters I think that it's an immature prank that is sometimes warranted in rare cases.

Also, I think it morally wrong to waste a cherry-rubarb pie by throwing it at someone.

And of course, if at first you don't succeed, pie, pie again......

This is a grand generalization unsupported by fact. Yes, there are left-wingers who throw pies. There are also right-wingers who murder of doctors who perform abortions and firebomb abortion clinics. Seen in this light, the throwing of pies seems much preferable.

Anecdotal evidence based on a handful of nut cases does not justify grand generalizations about those who embrace a particular political philosophy. If you will provide us with more substantive statistical information, we can take your hypothesis seriously, but the factual foundations you rely on at the moment are entirely too flimsy.

AM, if I'm ranting because I'm speaking of a trend by one side of the political spectrum to stifle free speech that they don't agree with, in a thread that is primarily about throwing pies at speakers who aren't greed with......aren't you ranting about liberals being shot and people making money off of war??

Off topic perhaps?


Well, 4 of the ten who have posted thus far support to some degree, the pie-ing of at least Ann Coulter. If you have some database of pie incidents at your fingertips, please share with us. We're debating something that has been in the news lately, not something that has been in the cirricula at Yale.

If that's your standard of evidence, then I can prove that the 2004 election was stolen -- to a degree of confidence far greater than you have with the pie-throwing hypothesis. However, I do not claim that the 2004 election was stolen, because I adhere to higher standards of evidence. So I put the question to you: which would you rather do: accept the hypothesis that the 2004 election was stolen, or reject your pie-throwing hypothesis?

Um....this might be news to you, but the general theme that I noted, is my opinion. Surely you have those too?
I'm not defending a thesis here, go right ahead and believe that the election stolen, and please come back when you have a point.

Would you feel bad for Moore if he was pied or admit you had more than a passing thought that the guy got what he deserved?

Pieing may legally be considered assault like TD asserts, but this is one of those classifications that I feel are exaggerated, similar to my response in your P.E.S.T. thread. And just as in your Minutemen thread I don't think your pieing incident should garner public sympathy if you put yourself in a position to antagonize listeners and why I made the distinction with Coulter. They can drag the pie throwers away and charge them with battery and distrubing the peace, but don't expect me to be sympathetic towards the pieed regardless of who they are.

I didn't believe I was trolling for sympathy for any of the pied, if you think I was, please point out where I implied that. I don't think Moore should be pied for his statements, for his 'documentary' or for irony's sake. Throwing an object at a person, with the intent of hitting them is assault. It doesn't matter who the target is.

The Minuteman thread was started by Fife and Drum, BTW.

Yes but you're making a pretty bold claim that the Left (all of us?) are trying to stifle free speech. You are entitled to your opinion but if you're going to make a claim such as that, one would hope you'd have strong support other than "the left is throwing pies" and booing people.

Don't think stuff like this doesn't happen on both sides. I was at Ohio University for their huge Halloween party this past year and Moore happened to be there to "rally" students to vote. (Honestly I didn't know Moore was going to be there, I was just there for the party ) During a moment of silence for those soldiers who had fallen in battle, of which all the names were written on a long banner, many students in the "conservative section" (they were all kind of huddled in their own group) yelled: "You're fat", "Your movies suck!", "You're a liar!". Ok sure, this isn't assault but it's immature and very disrespectful.

DTOM I don't see why you're getting in such a huff over this, read your profile again...


What do you expect from "the entertainment"?

My bad about the Minutemen thread.



Defensive much? Can you answer the question, DTOM?



If it's the latter you might understand why some statements from liberals sound ambivalent.

psyclist
Who's getting in a huff?? I'm also not the one making this thread about me......

If you read what I've posted, I did say: Sure there are occasions where the right does this also. But I would love to see someone come up with more examples of righties doing this more than lefties.

How is what I'm saying any more baseless than when you state: however some people (and they're on both sides of the political fence) play the Hollywood/ TV/book game and manage to get into the spot light and then spew nothing of cogitative value and Americans just eat it up. These people just need to go away because they're not doing anything to help politics in America?

Lesly
sigh......OK, I'll play.....

I did answer your question. I said: I don't think Moore should be pied for his statements, for his 'documentary' or for irony's sake. Throwing an object at a person, with the intent of hitting them is assault. It doesn't matter who the target is.

Oh, you want to know my feelings about if Moore got pied. Well, I thought my opinion would be more germane to the topic, but yes, I would feel bad if Moore got pied, because I don't think anyone should be assaulted for speech. I would also feel bad, because since I disagree with Moore politically, the pie throwers who were probably on my side of the aisle, just made us all look stupid, petty and immature.

I don't think Moore should get pied either but I can see it happening and I wouldn't necessarily feel bad for him. I don't condone it but couldn't claim surprise if it happened. You got me as far as pie throwers probably making your side look bad. That much is true. I just prefer the public would look at issues/events/POV's individually instead of falling back on generalizations to frame their world view for them.

Thanks for "playing." I'm much obliged.

OK, so you have an opinion, which you acknowledge cannot be defended using methods of logic, and you cherish your opinion. That's absolutely fine with me, and, a la Voltaire, I will defend to the death your right to declare your opinion. My own standards according to which I build my own opinions rely more heavily on logic and evidence.

Can throwing pies, or anything at someone on purpose be considered assault?I have a hard time getting worked up over a pie. Compared to getting gunned down in front of your family and having the killer gloat about it, is it really that horrible. If the object can do harm then obviously you cross the line from being stupid to assault.

Is this an effective tactic for voicing disagreement with someone over political idealology? No.

Is this an immature or an effective ploy to show disdain for these speakers?
Immature of course--but still a pie is not a bullet nor a burning cross. As stupid as the ploy may be--I'm not going to get worked up about it.

If you are really going to be this condescending and judgemental about people you have never met, please provide some backing evidence to support your (frankly ridiculous) claim that these people have pointy heads, are moonbats, or do not have any thoughts or ideas. Please link to (or in the case of off-line sources, adequately quote) evidence which supports your rather mean-spirited claims.



So, you are saying that liberals are unable to view any conservatives as victims? Do you really believe this? Are you capable of addressing an issue without resorting to the wholesale condemnation of people who fit under some ill-defined vague term like "liberal?"



Wow, that's some impressive argumentation. Please define the "wacko left" and explain why you are predicting these people (and, do tell us more specifically who they are) will "screech 'child abuse'."




I love this. Here it is again. Who is "the left" you speak of? Who are they? What proof can you offer to demonstrate that your claims are true? I'm particularly interested in seeing support for this claim: "Sure there are occasions where the right does this also, but not nearly on the scale as the self proclaimed 'big tent, tolerant, diverse, independent minded' liberals."

Really? Show me. Of course to do this would require a MASSIVE research project, in which you looked just as hard for cases on the right and cases on the left. Even then, the result would be inconclusive, because you can't know if you got all the cases, and whether each case is correctly reported and defined.

Given that, I can't help but disregard this argument in its entirety.

I have to agree generally with Erasmussimo. DTOM, you started this topic with some ok questions, but then immediately, along with Aquilla, decided to bring in the kitchen sink. Suddenly "liberals" are wacko. Suddenly liberals are involved in far more efforts to stifle free speech than conservatives. You throw these things out there, outrageous and unsupported statements; surely you cannot be surprised if these are focused on.

an throwing pies, or anything at someone on purpose be considered assault?
Of course it can.

Tribute to DTOM:
Yes, it is assault. Of course, this attempt by a few wackos on the left to stifle free speech is only a drop in the bucket compared to the massive campaign by the loony "Revelations-loving" right to end the protections of the Bill of Rights altogether. Sure, there are some on the right who do this sort of thing, but they are few and far between in comparison.

Now, don't you suppose you might want to question that if I were to really throw it out there?

Is this an effective tactic for voicing disagreement with someone over political idealology?

No, not really. But at least in its origin, this method was related to art and pretention, and did have a very interesting and intellectual motive. To argue, as some here have, that the vacuousness and immaturity of these events is so because pie throwing itself makes it so is not very rigorous argumentation. First you must prove that throwing a pie at someone can only be done by an actual idiot. Otherwise, one cannot say with certainty that the act of throwing a pie at someone is, in fact, idiotic.

Is this an immature or an effective ploy to show disdain for these speakers?

Actually, my opinion is it is both immature and effective.

All of us liberals with saggital crests take offense to that pointy head statement Aquilla.

Anyway I think that conservatives on this thread are reading what they want to read and ignoring what liberals in this thread are saying. We do not think this attack was warranted. We do not condone what happened. We think the thrower's should get what is coming to them.....in some cases (mine being one) we are offended that this happened and think it doesn't reflect well on liberals.....by way of the fact that those on the right will use it as a propaganda tool.

That being said we think it is funny that Coulter (not a jounalist in our eyes) was targeted. The same reason we would think it would be funny if Moore was targeted. These people are deceitful and abuse freedom of speech to distort the truth for propagandist purposes that work at a detriment to this country.

Now do not get this twisted. We are not applauding the "assault" or saying others should do it again but no one cares if Coulter would have been blasted by a pie stress this again a PIE. No one was threatening her life just threatening her freedom of speech a freedom she uses to lie and harm this nation in the eyes of many.

Throwing Coulter in with the other's is the biggest insult in the entire equation as far as I am concerned. It is in insult to Kristol, Buchanon and Horowitz who I may disagree with but who do not distort reality (just misread it ) for their agenda.

So let me summarize. All pie throwing to squelch free speech is wrong and punishable but I personally could care less if someone like Ann Coulter or say Michael Moore was hit........hit with a pie. In fact I would find that amusing and possibly deserved...but still advocate that the thrower be punished.

PS: Sorry Aquilla to put gorilla features on a human. Being conservative you probably think anything that equates any lower form of primate with a human is blasephemous.

I've got big problems with unruly behavior by the audience. When a speaker is invited to a forum he should be allowed to give his speech relatively unharrassed. Silent signs of disagreement, such as turning your back to the speaker or wearing clothing or holding up posters that protest the speakers view should be acceptable. Pie throwing is I believe in most cases legally an assault and it risks an escalation of violence, as the girly-men who tried to pie Ann evidently found out the hard way. What happens when a pie thrower is confronted by an armed bodyguard? How do you know something deadlier is not concealed in that pie?

Can throwing pies, or anything at someone on purpose be considered assault?

Sure, yeah. Acts of civil disobedience - even those that take the form of pranks - often have legal consequences, whether it's throwing a pie or dumping tea in Boston Harbor. The perpetrators of such acts should be (and generally are) prepared to face the consequences. I would not however, think of confectionary attacks as serious assaults - and would hope that, in most states, they would be considered misdemeanors.

Is this an effective tactic for voicing disagreement with someone over political idealology?

For voicing disagreement? No. For drawing attention to disagreement? Yes. Pieing someone is not done to engage in discourse or to enter into dialogue with the speaker on any level - nor is it an attempt to "silence" anyone or "deprive them of First Amendment rights" as some of the more hysterical (on either side) like to claim when its one of their own being targeted.

This is done for the larger audience, for publicity, as means of publicly expressing disagreement in a ludicrous, if high-profile, manner. I wouldn't be surprised if Kristol was being picketed outside the auditorium. Did those people get any coverage? Of course not. As a result of a well-aimed cream pie, people were made aware of the fact that someone disagrees with or disapproves of William Kristol. Some people may even have bothered to find out who Kristol is - and why someone might disagree with him. Had his address gone without incident, no one would even have known he'd spoken. And, to an extent, the pie incident may have benefitted Kristol as much as the pie-wielding student.

I know there are many who would find the harmless public humiliation of Michael Moore or Terry McAuliffe or Molly Ivins or George Soros or Noam Chomsky extremely satisfying, even cathartic - as I did the pie-ing of Kristol (and near-pieing of Coulter). And, so long as no harm was done, I would defend the right of anyone to take any such public target down a peg or two - so long as they're willing to face the consequences - whether I was delighted that the target got creamed or merely rolled my eyes.

Is this an immature or an effective ploy to show disdain for these speakers?

It's not the most mature, but it is one of the most effective - at least in terms of getting one's disdain covered in the media. As to the whole conservative/liberal debate which has been raised here, it is quite possible (despite the pieing of people like Luca Cassarini and Willie Brown) that this is a prank more frequently practised by liberals. Can anyone tell me which half of the political divide is more likely to lynch someone, ban or burn books, murder doctors, bomb clinics, overthrow democratically-elected governments, fund death squads, and start wars of aggression? Damn those liberals and their pies!