Al Franken Tackles Dean Heckler

[Monte Smith]

Now this is comedy:

AL FRANKEN KNOCKS DOWN DEAN HECKLER
By Vincent Morris
NY Post

January 27, 2004 -- EXETER, N.H. - Wise-cracking funnyman Al Franken yesterday body-slammed a demonstrator to the ground after the man tried to shout down Gov. Howard Dean.

The tussle left Franken's trademark thick-rim glasses broken, but he said he was not injured.

Franken - who seemed in a state of shock and out of breath after the incident - was helped back to his feet by several people who watched the tussle. Police arrived soon after.

"I got down low and took his legs out," said Franken afterwards.

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.

"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."

The trouble started when several supporters of fringe presidential candidate Lyndon Larouche began shouting accusations at Dean.

Franken emerged from the crowd and charged one male protester, grabbing him with a bear hug from behind and slamming him onto the floor.

"I was a wrestler so I used a wrestling move," Franken said.

###


He's good enough, he's smart enough, and gosh darn it, don't get in his fucking way

[stonemonkts]

Originally posted by Monte Smith
"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."

The trouble started when several supporters of fringe presidential candidate Lyndon Larouche began shouting accusations at Dean.

I guess shouting down people isn't a form of free speech?

[GA Russell]

I've never had sympathy for hecklers. If this were some witty exchange that's supposed to happen all the time in London's Hyde Park, I think, then I might have a different attitude.

But in the US, hecklers try to prevent the speaker from being heard by drowning him out, and think that they should be immune from retaliation. They are uncivil toward the speaker, yet expect that everyone will be civil toward them.

[Root Doctor]

Clearly, Franken is beholden to the Pope, Queen Elizabeth, and Skull & Bones.

[RBS]

I think Franken crossed the line on this one, honestly.

[Monte Smith]

Originally posted by Root Doctor
Clearly, Franken is beholden to the Pope, Queen Elizabeth, and Skull & Bones.

Hahaha. Nothing like Larouche-referential humor.

[Chaz Longue]

I think Franken may well be up on assault charges soon. He would be if he'd tackled me.

However, this sort of agressive heckling, amounting to a denial of the speakers freedom of speech as well as the freedom of listeners to assemble peaceably and hear the speech - is a sort of boorishness that's all too common in the USA. Nat Hentoff has written extensively on this - the denial of the right of an invited speaker to speak at, say, a college campus, if the speaker doesn't toe the idealogical line of the crowd.

A pox on both thier houses. Hosers...

BTW - I'd wager this sort of heckling is a major predictive indicator of voting behavior. I'd bet statistically aggressive shout-them-off-the-stage type hecklers (as a group) seldom vote. Or run for school board, etc etc etc.

I'm particularly attuned to this because a year or so ago I went to hear Thomas Friedman speak. There was a really aggressive heckler outside screaming stuff like "Fascists" at those of us who went to hear Friedman speak. The heckler told me he had never read a single Friedman column...and in fact never read any newspapers. And he claimed to represent one of our better known local peace groups. He'd simply decided "The Media" were beneath his contempt. I didn't tackle him though ;-) I did offer him a couple of newspapers I had with me - but he looked at me as if I was trying to poison him...

Hoser...

Sorry - back to the topic at hand.

Originally posted by stonemonkts
I guess shouting down people isn't a form of free speech?

HAHA!!! This was EXACTLY what I was going to say!

[Monte Smith]

BILL O’REILLY BEATS MAN TO DEATH WITH SIGNED COPY OF WHO’S LOOKING OUT FOR YOU?
By Monte Smith

January 27, 2004 – Long Island, N.Y. – Shocked book-buyers looked on helplessly today as TV news analyst and commentator Bill O’Reilly beat a man to death with an autographed copy of his New York Times bestseller, Who’s Looking Out for You?

The assault allegedly occurred at a Barnes and Noble book signing after the victim expressed no interest in O’Reilly, his views, his signature, or his book.



The incident is just the most recent in a string of bizarre celebrity assaults on members of the public. Earlier in the week, conservative columnist Ann Coulter was arrested for scratching out the eyes of a liberal voter at a Connecticut Dairy Queen, while the FBI and Interpol still have no leads in the Michael Moore case. Moore fled the United States with ten large stuffed crust pizzas after it was discovered that he sat on the chest of a 12-year-boy who liked Charleton Heston movies and never even saw Bowling for Columbine. The boy, who was in a coma for several weeks, is expected to make a full recovery.

[clinthopson]

montebaby,

a big , even from me.

[RBS]

That's good, Monte.

[Derek Taylor]

That is indeed some funny shit, Monte. I’d send it on for publication in The Onion.

[Monte Smith]

Thank ya, thank ya. Kinda makes me wonder though: cain't we all git along?

[steve(thelil)]

Good stuff: I would be happy to share author's credit, if it helps you (us) get some bucks for it.

[GoodSpeak]

[heaviest of sighs]

[frankiepop]

I've never had sympathy for hecklers.

no? i have to admit i really loved the students

who were agnew agitators with the whistles. they were just out of this world.
does anyone else remember them? they would drown agnew out with referee
whistles during his campaign march in 72.. he would yell back ...just give them
their swastika arm bands. undeterred they continued their shrill whistle as if
they were playing in pauline oliveras' deep listening band. fites busted out...
ahh the good ol days..


my favorite had to be the students stomping down george wallace who was just
about the front runner for president at that time. ineffectively, they would chant
'HI---ELLLLLLLL'
while waving their arms out stiffly in a 45 degree angle that
of course was a nazi salute. aggravated, george would yell over the
commotion something like --- i just picked up another million votes,
thanks to you, -------------------- that wprobably was true.