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Al Franken: Cheney "Had Been Drinking" or is "An Amazing Jerk, or Both"
Scarborough Country/NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

Posted on 02/15/2006 8:03:01 PM PST by governsleastgovernsbest

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To: A CA Guy
A note of sanity!

Thank you.

41 posted on 02/15/2006 10:10:48 PM PST by Churchillspirit (Anaheim Angels - 2002 World Series Champions)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest; All

Scarborough is a useless Robert Kennedy Jr. groupie/crony.


42 posted on 02/15/2006 10:12:59 PM PST by faithincowboys
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To: Darkwolf377

f franken


43 posted on 02/15/2006 10:13:04 PM PST by RIGHT IN LAS VEGAS
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To: M1911A1

http://www.nndb.com/people/476/000022410/


In real life, Franken has been a member of Al-Anon, a support group for the families and friends of alcoholics, since 1987. His wife Franni's alcoholism is said to be the basis for Franken's ongoing interest in the subject. Davis is also said to have had substance-abuse problems, which may have contributed to the eventual break-up of Franken & Davis.


http://www.lyingliar.com/media/drugrush.htm

Franken the Coke-head

When Al was on MSNBC's "Donahue" show, in response to a charge that Bernie Goldberg took a statement out of context in his book, a man named Phil called in and asked Franken: "Are you back on cocaine?" As Newsmax noted: It seemed like a cheap shot, but a little research has revealed that "Phil" may be on to something in an effort to explain what Franken was saying.

A Feb. 25, 1986, article by TV writer Tom Shales in the Washington Post discusses two books about NBC's "Saturday Night Live," where Franken was a writer, co-producer and performer. Noting that "drugs were everywhere," including an abundance of cocaine which Franken has admitted to partaking in. Shales also says "Franken used LSD on the premises while writing a Nixon sketch."



Just a druggie - Not an addict?

In a Feb. 23, 1995, interview in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Franken said, regarding his use of drugs when he was with "Saturday Night Live":

"I did my share of recreational drugs. I was lucky in that I never became addicted to anything. There'd be cocaine around the show, and if it was 3 a.m. in the morning (in midweek) and I wanted to finish something I was writing, I'd do some. But for some reason, toss of the dice, I was not addicted, at least not to drugs."

Very interesting. If Franken was telling the truth (which one can never tell) the following is twice as interesting:



12 Step Program

In an October 1991 interview he did for The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Franken was questioned about Stuart Smalley, a (to be polite) not so much 'funny' character he created for Saturday Night Live. The probing questions about Stuart’s origins seemed to have touched a nerve, as Franken is reported to have said,

“There's sort of a personal story behind this that I actually don't want to talk about....I am a member of a 12-step program.”

If Franken was being truthful in saying he didn't get hooked on cocaine when he was hitting it, what did he get addicted to? Alcohol? Masturbation? It's none of our business. Just as Rush's addiction was none of anyone's business. So why does Franken relish in ridiculing Rush's problem, when he's gone through a similar situation and didn't even have the guts to come clean with a full disclosure?

UPDATE: A viewer mails in and said that Al is/has been active in AlAnon, which is a support group for the families of people with addictions, not for those who have active addiction themselves. This complicates things further as, it puts Franken's Stuart Smalley character in an entirely different light, since Smalley is a ridicule of the ridiculousness of the hacky, touchy feely programs that AlAnon and others routinely put their members through. Whatever the case: it's none of our business, and Franken shouldn't have been ridiculed for wishing not to talk about his involvements with addiction any more than Rush should be for having the guts to come clean and get help with his medical ailment.



Franken's Excuse:

The Oct. 5, 2002, Dallas Morning News quotes Franken as saying that when he was with "Saturday Night Live":

"I only did cocaine to stay awake to make sure nobody else did too much cocaine. That was the only reason I did it. Heah-heh."

How cute. But this is hypocrisy plus 10 here. As Ben Shapiro says: "Unlike recreational drug addiction, prescription painkiller addiction belongs squarely in the medical arena. Recreational drug addiction is just that -- recreational. A junkie first picks up marijuana, cocaine or heroin in order to have a good time. No one prescribes heroin for back pain. But for many who become addicted to prescription painkillers, the dealer who gets them hooked is their family doctor."


http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2001/11.29/04-franken.html


Franken gave some history about one of the creations he's best known for, the "Saturday Night Live" character Stuart Smalley, who he said arose from Franken's experience in Al-Anon, a support program for people with family members who are alcoholics. When he first arrived, Franken said he didn't take some of the people in the program seriously, but as things went on, he realized they were saying some important things.

"[Stuart] wasn't my way of making fun of 12-step programs, it's my way of explaining it," Franken said.


44 posted on 02/15/2006 10:29:54 PM PST by gkm1959
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To: A CA Guy
Cheney is surrounded by law officers 24-7, so there is zero chance he could drink and any of them would allow him to then handle a gun.

In his own words he did drink at lunch, so this is a moot point.

Better question/point would be how much time passed from when he drank till they started hunting again. Sounded like it was a while. Can't say as I wouldn't do the same on a sweet hunting ranch like that, but as many of us know it's still pretty dumb to have even one and then go shooting.

Past that, and barring any further drama, this is all a bit of a non-story story.

45 posted on 02/15/2006 10:36:49 PM PST by mancogasuki (Live Free Or Die.)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
This will never end...
46 posted on 02/15/2006 10:40:38 PM PST by Bender2 (Redid my FR Homepage just for ya'll... Now, Vote Republican and vote often!)
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To: mancogasuki

A beer with food at lunch hours before he went back out into the field to hunt.
He is with law officers who are watching him.

He could NOT have been intoxicated if that is what you are suggesting.
No way his protection (who are law officers) would allow him to be intoxicated with a weapon.
With his condition, I doubt he really ever would want to get intoxicated anyway.


47 posted on 02/15/2006 11:37:48 PM PST by A CA Guy (God Bless America, God bless and keep safe our fighting men and women.)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
Nevertheless, perhaps it's useful for the archives to record one of Franken's remarks this evening in the course of his appearance on MSNBC's 'Scarborough Country.'

What kind of audience watches PMSNBC anymore?

48 posted on 02/16/2006 2:01:10 AM PST by Recovering_Democrat ((I am SO glad to no longer be associated with the party of Dependence on Government!))
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To: governsleastgovernsbest

I heard that Ole Al is getting 2 million dollars a year salary from Air American? Is there a post on this?


49 posted on 02/16/2006 2:44:03 AM PST by Fred
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Comment #50 Removed by Moderator

To: danamco
Kennedy faced no type of any censure or reprimand, much less any legal punishment for this negligent act of manslaughter.

As I recall, the spin on Chappaquiddick at the time was "yet another tragedy" afflicting the star-crossed Kennedy clan. (I do recall a girl I was in school with swallowing it whole -- they didn't call them moonbats then, but they were there!)

51 posted on 02/16/2006 2:57:36 AM PST by maryz
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
Separated at Birth



Gina: Search for Wholeness Separated at birth from her twin Al Franken, Gina the Robot Baby has never given up on her quest to meet him. Al denies the relationship and this only upsets Gina even more as she seeks her roots. Dr. Joanne Pransky (World's First Robotic Psychiatrist) has gotten Jerry Springer to agree to have them both on his show where Franken's DNA and serial number will be validated, but thus far Franken has refused.

Franken is so coldblooded. Most likely, Gina is Al and Hillary's lovechild...
52 posted on 02/16/2006 3:01:54 AM PST by Fred
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
Al Frankin is an amazing weenie! My husband is not even a quail hunter and he has been hit twice. My father in law was out hunting and he exclaimed loudly "Oh no, I have shot my lawyer, my banker and my best cowboy" and he had!
53 posted on 02/16/2006 5:00:51 AM PST by Ditter
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To: governsleastgovernsbest

I saw that last night.

O'Franken is full of male bovine fecal effluvia. His whole point hinged on Cheney not going to the hospital where his friend was being treated as proof of this.


54 posted on 02/16/2006 6:16:13 AM PST by sauropod ("Here Lies Joe Biden, Buried Under His Own Words.")
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To: danamco

Is that for-real? Supposedly this exchange between Rumsfeld and Kennedy?


55 posted on 02/16/2006 8:51:35 AM PST by nfldgirl ("I love a good rant every now-n-then!")
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To: A CA Guy
He could NOT have been intoxicated if that is what you are suggesting. No way his protection (who are law officers) would allow him to be intoxicated with a weapon. With his condition, I doubt he really ever would want to get intoxicated anyway.

That was not what I was suggesting.

56 posted on 02/16/2006 9:10:38 AM PST by mancogasuki (Live Free Or Die.)
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To: Mean Maryjean
Is that for-real? Supposedly this exchange between Rumsfeld and Kennedy?



I heard that snipped on a radio talk show and have never forgot it, and I do believe it was on Rush, and if I'm not wrong, I think it happened in the time span about or during the 9/11 commission farce!??!
With all the media tantrums about the VP's cover up, I went and Googled: Rumsfeld vs. ted kennedy!!!
57 posted on 02/16/2006 9:53:19 AM PST by danamco
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