AL FRANKEN KNOCKS DOWN DEAN HECKLER

The New York Post ^ | January 27, 2004 | VINCENT MORRIS

[Alberta's Child]

"I got down low and took his legs out . . . I was a wrestler so I used a wrestling move."

I think Mr. Franken is going to wish he just kept his mouth shut. I'm guessing he's going to have to write a few more books to pay off the cost of the civil suit he's going to be facing after this.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

[Protagoras]

So I guess he would have done this to allow GWB to speak?

He should be arrested for assault.

[birdsman]

Franken said he's not backing Dean but merely wanted to protect the right of people to speak freely. "I would have done it if he was a Dean supporter at a Kerry rally," he said.

But would he have done it if he was a Dean supporter at a Bush rally?

[Lizavetta]

Franken said he's not backing Dean but merely wanted to protect the right of people to speak freely. "I would have done it if he was a Dean supporter at a Kerry rally," he said.

Perhaps, but you know damn well you wouldn't have done it had it been a heckler at a Bush rally.

And as a previous poster has said, how can one protect the rights to speak freely after knocking someone down who was speaking freely?

[Tacis]

Al is a fairly small guy. But, I watch COPS a lot and they alsways say that the dope can give a person almost superhuman strength. Got to assume that Franken is still using.

[robertpaulsen]

Yeah. I wonder if Mr. Neutral is going to hang around any Bush speeches and tackle hecklers?

[RandallFlagg]

But, have ya seen the size of his rear end?? It's HUGH!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

It Came From the Left ***AL FRANKEN HOPES he's good enough, and smart enough, and that--doggone it--people will like him. The "Saturday Night Live" comedian and creator of the classically co-dependent Stuart Smalley plans to host a talk show on the new Progress Media radio network. Slated to air in the prime noon-to-3 Eastern slot opposite Rush Limbaugh, the politically liberal show will be a mix of listener calls, comedy routines, and interviews.

Mr. Franken forthrightly seeks to affect the 2004 elections. He states, "My goal is to change the political landscape in this country, get rid of the radical right-wing president, and serve as a beacon of hope for Americans who work hard and play by the rules."

Alas, Mr. Franken himself is occasionally rule-challenged. He recently apologized to Attorney General John Ashcroft for writing a letter on "borrowed" Harvard University stationery asking for Mr. Ashcroft's personal premarital abstinence story for a nonexistent book titled "Savin' It!" Ethics, anyone?

But the real question is whether Progress Media and Mr. Franken can mount a credible liberal challenge to the con-servative jabberfests that have dominated the airwaves since Mr. Limbaugh hit the big time. With a following of 20 million at-least-occasional listeners, Mr. Limbaugh has been Numero Uno since 1991, setting the pace for other conservative talkers such as Sean Hannity and G. Gordon Liddy. The tone of these shows is contentious and often lowbrow. Incivility is rife, and the hosts seldom admit to gray areas or explore nuances.

But that technique may be inevitable. A Western Washington University professor, John McClendon, tried in 1994 to establish a serious, liberal talk show that would, incidentally, provide a forum for reasoned debate. Two months later, he threw in the towel, telling the online newspaper NorthWest Citizen that "on talk radio, dialog doesn't work, tirades do."

Thus, Mr. Franken may make a go of his show. Certainly he pulls no punches: One of his best-selling books is titled "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot," and he calls President Bush a "lying liar who tells lies." But will his program advance the truth? Can he offer substantive commentary in addition to his usual no-boundaries satire?

Democracy works best when citizens have access to a wide range of opinions and ideas. If Progress Media enriches the mix, kudos. The liberal position ought to be heard on the AM dial. But if Mr. Franken merely frees his inner child and fails to discipline his wit, then Listenerland simply will be getting a different flavor of junk talk.

Date published: 1/25/2004

[Aggie Mama]

Doesn't the person that he body-slammed have freedom of speech too?

[Gargantua]

"I'm neutral in this race but I'm for freedom of speech, so I tackled a guy for voicing his opinion..."

Yeah... makes sense to me (?). I guess Democrat exremists believe in a one-sided form of "freedom" of speech.

What a brain-dead loser. Franken should get his ass sued off for this.

;-/

[onedoug]

And he did it without first consulting the UN. Outrageous!

[kenth]

"I'm neutral in this race but I'm for freedom of speech, which means people should be able to assemble and speak without being shouted down."

He's for freedom of speech, but uses violence to prevent someone from exercising theirs. Typical leftists - "Let's all be equal, except for me, because I'm the important one." Help the leftist attacker up, but no mention of the victim.

Why wasn't he stomped into a leftist grease spot? Why wasn't he at least arrested for assault?

[Skywarner]

"Doesn't the person that he body-slammed have freedom of speech too?

The guys he knocked down is going to have a HECK of a lawsuit against this guy if he chooses to do so. I can't even imagine this kind of thing happening at a conservative event from a fellow conservative. Someone call Johnie Cochran!!

[KellyAdmirer]

I guess violence is fine if practiced by liberals. Sounds like cut-and-dried assault and battery to me. His admission would seal the case. Why hasn't he been charged? There were plenty of witnesses.

[TheDon]

LOL! 2 AM PST. :^)

[RandallFlagg]

Something tells me that the Buck-Toothed Idiot is actually TRYING to become a "Victim" of the conservatives by provocation. BTI assaults heckler. BTI chases and harasses Hannity. BTI gets into shouting match with O'Reilly and Colmes. This might not be a case of a disturbed moron. BTI just MIGHT have a plan. In which case, we have something he doesn't have: BRAINS. I'd love to take this loser on to the point where he'd come after me. I wouldn't even have to lift a finger; just keep dodging until BTI's momentum from that HUGH rear end throws him into a frenzy of flailing blubber and he seriesly hurts himself -as the crowd laughs on...

[TheDon]

I like to browse for interesting articles in the order posted. It's much too tedious to search for every article that may be of interest. Like who is going to search for Al's latest attempt to get publicity? But it does make for fun reading if you happen to come across it.

When posting, it is good to see if the article has already been posted, but if it was posted at 2am pst, it seems like some allowance should be made as it is likely very few people will ever read it.

[MattinNJ]

What say the two of us show up at a Dean rally where Franken is and heckle Dean? 50 bucks to whoever can inflict the most damage on Franken. I've been dying to "Rock Bottom" someone through a table for a while now.

[Made In The USA]

Not sure who buys the crap, but the Franken has sold quite a lot of books. Great opportunity for a lawsuit. Hope they clean him out.