Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

Syndicated columnist to speak at USC

"Seeking Civility in America's Political Discourse" will be the topic of nationally syndicated newspaper columnist Kathleen Parker, who is speaking Thursday at the University of South Carolina.

Parker's appearance, free and open to the public, will start at 7 p.m. in the 383-seat Belk Auditorium at the Darla Moore School of Business.

"I don't know if she will talk about Joe Wilson or not," said Charles Bierbauer, dean of USC's College of Mass Communications and Information Studies.

Wilson, R-S.C., was recently reprimanded by the U.S. House of Representatives for shouting "You lie!" during President Barack Obama's speech about health care proposals.

Bierbauer will introduce USC President Harris Pastides, who will introduce Parker. Bierbauer said Parker's appearance was scheduled months ago, long before Wilson's outburst.

Her columns appear in high-profile positions in Wednesday and Sunday editions of The Washington Post and are carried by papers nationwide.

For years, Parker's columns were known for their staunch conservatism. But in the past year or so, she has become less predictable and was one of the first nationally prominent conservative voices to spell out serious doubts about whether former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was qualified for the vice-presidency in Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.

- John Monk

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