Al Franken laughing at Arafat's dying screams

Was anyone else kind if offended at the skit they did yesterday where Al was interviewing the pillow that was held over Arafat's face as he was murdered.

The had someone playing the part of arafat's muffled dying screams.

If this is funny, then is it also funny to interview the bulldozer that ran over Rachel Corrie? Should we be laughing hyserically at her dying screams too?

Just who is Franken representing? Because it isn't me anymore.

:wtf:

...other stuff he has done lately. To me it was so absurd that I kinda laughed a bit. I think he was making a statement about the media coverage and how everybody is so off the mark with the eulogizing of Arafat. How Arafat's life was surrounded by death and intensity, etc, etc. Anyhow, it's nice to see a satirist with occasional balls these days...if the people listening to Al don't like it...they can always switch to NPR and lake Woebegone.

At face value, that just doesn't sound like Al Franken to me.

And if he really did fuck up, he'd probably be the first to apologize.

that doesn't sound like Al Franken to me.

it off.

a joke. He wasn't smothered, he died in a coma, not screaming and he was a bloody old man. Perhaps Franken is representing those of us who remember the Munich Olympics.

like...please give a description with a context of some sort.

I was going by the original description above.

there are people who also remember the ethnic cleansing of 1948 Palestine and the massacres of Palestinians then.

the skit was in very bad taste.

...timeless.

--IMM

His insistence at how there is nothing wrong with the vote count and all his freeper friends that he continues to interview on AAR - what is with these guys? are they bipolar or what?

Whose side are you on.....whose side are you on....

We need to start with us or against us and that starts with him, Terry McAuliffe and that ditz brain Donna Brazile...

Jeesus H. Christ... no wonder democrats can find their asses with both hands, one hand never knows what the other one is looking for.

I am finding less and less to like about the man and I admire nothing he is doing. First the election monday morning quaterbacking now this.

Death is never something that should be laughed at. Arafat was a complex man but he was a Human being. His family and his people deserve some respect at this time, and so does he.

12 years ago?

Arafat does not desrve respect...neother does Sharon....they are all terrorist and that is why the middle east is a mess!

why do they love him so much?

And how do such an oppressed people get billions of dollars to steal from in the first place.

ummmm....you can say the same thing about Bush...he is tolen billions from our treasury for his crimes and 59 million people love him so much....people are ignorant...in the middle east and the USA!

Exactly

Bush has about 50 million people ga-ga over him. Hell, Hitler made people cry out of love for him. (And I just broke my rule about never using Hitler as an example, damnit. I call Godwin's Law on myself).

And for the record, hundreds of millions a year come into the West Bank via various agencies. The US alone donates somewhere in the neihborhood of $80 to $100 million demanding on how you manage it. And most of it gets channeled back to Arafat who then distributes it. It's pretty easy to skim when you are the only one who looks at the books.

poor love him so much

as Arafat. GOD! Arafat claims the headdress he wears on his head shows the actual map of Palestine and the land that belongs to the Palestinian people. Never heard anyone say he showed it to them, just he said it. Kind of like Bush. He invokes the name of God every chance he gets.

Same sort of psychology.

aprillcm wrote:

Death is never something that should be laughed at.

If you can't laugh at death, what can you laugh at?

Frankly, I never was real impressed with Al Franken. The longer I listened to him, the less I liked him. Luckily, I did not hear this program the other day. It is just plain disrespectful to someone that is now deceased and no, it isn't funny IMO.

:kick:

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but this whole I-P situation and the discussions about it drive people insane, I believe.

Just from what I read, the more you think about it and talk about it the more brain cells get lost.

understand I am pro-Israel, but I also recognize the problems on both sides, and I do know what is right and what is wrong

Because I find it ludicrous. HOW STUPID DO YOU HAVE TO BE NOT TO GET OUT OF THE WAY OF A BULLDOZER WHEN IT REACHES YOUR FACE??????????

You know, the worst thing about a mugging is not the theft, it's the blow to the self-esteem. How could this person, this robber, not see how special you are? What is supposed to happen is that the robber looks, sees you, and says, "Oh, I can't rob you. You're too rare and irreplaceably fine. Take your money back and I'm sorry I bothered you." That's what you FEEL is SUPPOSED to happen. But it never does. Rachel really thought it would. Which is pitiful, I suppose. But, my god, the idiot just stood there!

imagine the laff-riot if the tanks in Tiananman square didn't stop for that guy! You'd still be wetting your pants.

spoiled brats must report to the bulldozer. Aquart!

A bulldozer may be slow, but they're expected to stop before killing a girl.

But since she was too self-absorbed in her nobility and her Great Mission, she didn't bother to find out anything about who was driving the bulldozer.

Have you? As you canonize a girl I would happily nominate for a Darwin, have you given the smallest, tiniest thought to the DRIVER?

Tell me, was he young or old? Was he male or female? Drunk or sober? Had he lost friends or relatives in the endless, repeated terror attacks? Had he ever been on a bus that was blown up? Was he being treated for PTSD? Did he need to be treated for it?

The driver to you is ISRAEL, the mighty and cruel. But there was a human being behind that wheel, and you don't give a damn about him. So when you rant about blaming the victim, do you actually know who the victim was?

I assume he's telling the truth.

Not that he was drunk or whatever else you floated.

He know what he was doing. Look - he has a perfect view of the area he is working on.

from shooting at kids all day with customary IDF relish, so he ran over a girl with his tank. So HE is the victim here, although she is the one rendered into hamburger.
Ok.
Uh huh.:crazy:

and humanity also expects that decent people are opposed to ethnic cleansing of the home bulldozing type.

of a Palestinian house by Israel, and a bulldozer ran her over and killed her.

Doesn't she know that they're all evil, and deserve to be oppressed by their occupiers?

funny? awsome? wonderful? just wondering..

I remember uganda, with him hugging and kissing amin, another killer

the terrorists acts directly targeting civillians, NOT military or government

He screwed his people, and the peace process

Tell me WHERE HE STOLE THE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THAT WERE SUPPOSSED TO GO TO THE PALESTINIANS!!!

only dehumanizes the person doing it.

Shame on Al. That was in supremely poor taste.

It also craps upon the mourning of the Palestinians, who don't really deserve that.

I think they couldnt put this monster in the ground quick enough.

is wrong, regardless of how evil the person in question is.

laughing about killing Karla Faye Tucker. Tucker stabbed an innocent woman to death in her bed for no reason at all; yet most liberals found it offensive when * laughed about her begging for her life.

Or does only Israeli blood matter?

Franken's making me laugh.

Go read up on the 1972 Munich Olympics, if you don't remember them. One of Arafat's little masterpieces.

That's enough for me to cheer the death of that bastard.

I'm not sheading any tears over this death.

more useful

the account of how Zionists drove Palestinians off their land and accross the border murdering many of them in the process.

There is plenty of blame to go around for both sides.

On the one hand is was (sorta) the leader of a group of stateless people. On the other hand, he was a nasty prick, a terrorist, and a thief.

It was supposedly the pillow someone used to finish Arafat off. Catherine played the pillow and Franken played a reporter.

It was tasteless and kind of surprised me too. However, it probably had some truth to it. Would you have been so offended if it had been Osama Bin Laden? Because Arafat was a terrorist all his life too. Just look up "Black Sunday," "The Achille Laurel," "Assassination of king Hussein," or just look up Arafat.

Arafat's wife was screaming they were coming to kill her beloved husband to bury him alive. When I heard that, I thought she needed a little more time to move some of the billions that Arafat and she kept in foreign accounts.

I just heard on the news that the Palestinian Authorities have agreed to give this 41-year-old woman who had never lived with their "people" but lived in France the whole time she was married to Arafat. She had not seen him since 2000. Got off track cause I'm so pissed. Anyway, they promised Arafat's wife 22 million a month until she dies or the daughter. They will take over the billions.

Wonder if they will use the money for their people like build some schools, rodes, homes, get them out of squalor, etc.

All of that money Arafat banked was given as aid to the Palestinian people and he banked it.

most of the money designated to the Palestians he stole

the guy being a terrorist doesn't make it any more funny.

figure out how to upload an MP3 file. Anyone know????

I think Al did it not against Arafat so much but because the way it was so obvious with his wife was squealing that the Palestinian leaders were coming to "bury him alive." When I heard that, I knew it was because she had to figure out where to put all the money he had stolen from his OWN people for her and his child (I thought he had like 5 adopted sons too but I guess I imagined that????).

Once she and the Palestinian leaders worked out her 22 million a month living expenses (or 25 million, I guess I was in shock), then suddenly he was dead.

He was probably on a respirator and Islamic believe (supposedly) does not allow anyone to interfere or something of the like. Heck, I know I heard these things but I cannot remember where. Must be getting tired.

I have a blog and thought I might try to upload it there, but I don't know. I may have some space on my Earthlink account to upload the file. If I do, I'll post the URL for you all to listen to him.

I wonder if the Palestinian people know about all the money that was suppose to help them that Arafat just kept putting in the bank. He could have bought them weapons to fight Israel instead of blowing themselves up for their "supposed" cause. (not that I condone any war between anyone . . . just an example). I do not think that a person such as Arafat will be missed. I just wish that the new leadership going in would do right by the people . . . but they won't.

who is being denied burial in his own land?

you can point at Arafat all you want, but its the Israelis who have caused hardship for the Palestinians.

think your post is due to a lack of knowledge of the history of the middle east because you are possibly young.

It's late, and we could get into all kinds of things, disagreements (hopefully, agreeing to disagree would be the harshest). No land was stolen . . . they just claimed it was their land. The British ruled all that land including the Ottoman territories. During WWII and the horrors that the Zionists continued to go through, the British tried to be open and fair and finally put it on the UN'S shoulders.

See here I go . . . I gotta stop.

All I can say is there is no such "being" as a Palestinian. They are Egyptian Arabs or Jordanian Arabs. Suddenly, when the Jews were given the same amount of land that the "Arabs/Palestinians" were given, the Arabs would not have it and there has not been peace there since. Then the 6-day war the Jews kicked the Arabs' asses when they tried to attack and destroy Israel. The Jews ALSO took more of the Arabs land . . . the West Bank which use to be east Jordan and the Gaza Strip, which use to be part of Egypt. Suddenly, we have Arabs who claim they are Palestinians (see, they know Palestine is mentioned in all the religious Bibles, so they were rather genius about it really by calling themselves Palestinians). After giving themselves a name that goes with a particular part of a small country they cannot tolerate the Jews having one inch of, but it was given to the Jewish people by the United Nations and split evenly. They have never really owned their own land either.

Did you know that as soon as the Arabs from Palestine gain some ground, they immediately open a new Department of archeology? Why would that be? I'll tell you why, they want to prove that they were the original "Canaanites," and by doing so will prove it is all theirs. The Canaanites supposedly slaughtered the Jews and took the land for themselves . . . that is until Rome decided they wanted it.

Israel is the size of Rhode Island. They are surrounded by 24 Arab Countries that want nothing to do but to kill each and every one of them. This has been going on since the Crusades during the time of Muhammad. The Christians and the Jews were slaughtering the Muslims in the 600's. That is why Muhammad had such hate for them. This has gone through generation after generation after generation, etc. We have not progressed with anything.

Then we get this arrogant, illiterate pResident from New Hampshire that wants to be a REAL cowboy from Texas (but isn't), who decides that they were part of 9/11, then they have WMD's, then we had to remove Saddam Hussein from power to give these people a Democracy. These people a Democracy???? After 1400 years, we are going to change this country into a Democracy??? That should explain the stupidity and pure greed that Bush, his family and friends, and the ones resigning left and right now. They want in on the big money before it's too late. Government jobs do not pay all that well.

See! Sorry but it comes out every time I hear pity for the Arabs in Palestine. Did you know the Jewish people still allow the Arabs to come into Israel to work so they can feed their families. Arafat has done nothing for his people. He has put the money in bank accounts that total a couple Billion dollars. Instead, his wife stays in Paris to live in unbelievable luxury, while these people live in squaller. He could have built a school, roads, given jobs to the young men of Palestine where they can take care of their families. No, this man watched his people blow themselves up as weapons. He could have purchased weapons if he felt they needed to fight the Israelis in a real war. No, he let them and encouraged them that being a martyr was the ultimate sacrifice for their people and they would be in a higher place in Heaven.

I gotta stop. Sorry.

They call themselves Palestinians but they've been kicked out by other Arab nations who didn't want them around because they make trouble for everybody. It's not their own land; people forget their history. They have the other countries' sympathy now because it's acceptable to Arabs to hurt Israelis. IMHO they are so transparently hate-filled, regardless of whether the Israelis give them essentially everything they want (Arafat reneged on a terrific deal Clinton brokered...) Don't forget that until recently part of their mission statement was to destoy Israel. They're antisemites, period. Now, that doesn't mean the Israelis' response has been perfect, but I'd like to see what any other country would do if it was being terrorized in this way. Time will tell whether they'll change their attitudes and accept a peaceful resolution. Let's hope so.

main terrorists groups such as Hezzballah (Arafats cronies) and other groups are going to try to take specific areas for themselves. They are already claiming not to follow any new leaders. One can only imagine what could happen there next. I've also read that the "Palestinians" were considered the Arab Gypsies and that is why the other Arab Countries did not want them. When Arafat was in Jordan, he tried to assassinate King Hussein to take over there. With all the killing this man and his followers have done, not one Arab Country would help the Jewish people

I would like to see the U.N. get some of that money back from Arafat's bank accounts. His wife has been promised 25 or 22 million a month for living expenses. That is just purely selfish greed and her crocodile tears for her husband she had not seen since 2000 were not all that convincing. I know he has been held in the area where he was buried, but I'm sure she could have brought his child to him.

She never lived with him. She and the little girl always lived in Europe in the utmost luxury. I would love to see their home in Europe. I had read where she wished she had given birth to sons that she could martyr for the peoples struggles. What a load of crap. You know, suicide/homicide bombers.

These people have been living in squaller because the aid we had given Arafat (like 200 million a year) to help his people as well as the money Europe and Japan has given him, he has banked it all. Also, our governments knew he was keeping the money but every year they continued to give him the aid money. That money was to go for building schools, creating jobs by building roads, building a future for the people. Yet he gave them nothing . . . and they still worshiped this man to a certain extent.

Also, the Jews are still allowing Palestinian Arabs into Jerusalem and other parts of Israel so they can work and support their families. Now I find that amazing, especially since they are murdering innocent Israelis. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria (which is where most of these people belong), and Jordan offer them no support or help whatsoever. Maybe it is because they are aware of Arafat's misuse of the money. That could have been part of the cause.

I wonder if the people know about the money? I wonder if the new government will use it and put most of it to good use for those poor people. Not that I give them any pity, by poor I mean poor to the fact of no running water, sometimes no food. I feel no pity for a people that use the tactics that they do. They get on busses with the bombs, and then add thick nails, among other things, that go out everywhere when they blow themselves up.

Sorry JudyM, I get pretty winded when I discuss anything political.

so that we think the Palestinians are just fighting for basic human rights, and that they deserve our support as a civil rights underdog. Just because they don't have the armaments the Israelis have, the Israelis are viewed as 'oppressors' which is such a load of crap. I have friends-of-friends that feel this way.

What happened?

Rachel Corrie was with several others protesting the razing of Palestinian homes around an Israeli border point, slipped while fleeing as the bulldozers started moving towards the houses anyway, and got fatally crushed. To his credit, I believe that the driver realized what was going on, and backed up; I think he was quite horrified.
A lot of sick fiends were popping champagne corks in celebration over the death.

being played on AAR ad infinitum ad nauseum--I could not stand it and wrote to AAR to voice my disgust at the crassness of it all. It was NOT funny at all. There was a crude reference to "diarrhea" and some bad attempts to imitate an Irish brogue and it just turned me off.

"A pecker has no bigotry." They play that to death to advertise his show. I believe Straum came out today on the radio show.

I heard something the other day and only caught about half of it. Al Franken was giving a speech or something and a lady was hollering in the crowd. He was really angry and shouted back he had the freedom of speech because he had the microphone. Does anyone know where the link is????

seem to "want" to change their name (I mean). I saw the post regarding it by skinner, but I could not access it.

whatever...very disappointing to hear that. It sounds cruel and disgusting.

Comparing Rachel Corrie and Yassar Arafat is a bit of a stretch, no?

Folks need to lighten up around here........I don't let PC get in the way of imagining and laughing about things like how disappointed John Ashcroft is gonna be when the cancer takes him and he finds himself not where he expected to be......

... he represents core Democrats - He's a comedian, not an official mouthpiece for our party

we don't need to turn into Freepers, Al.

Malloy is the only thing worth listening to on AAR

changed after the O'Reilly episode and even more after the Kerry lose/fraud. All I know is Franken has changed tremendously. Just hope he isn't the cause for Air America to go under. In my view, he is beginning to sound like a repug. Something is going on with him, maybe he does not know where to pick up the pieces.

plus a tasteless skit on Arafat indicates that he wants to be the senator from Minnesota.

Yes, he has has been gradually moving rightward. I have never really understood his affection for his dittohead friend, but perhaps they are more alike than not. He has actively belittled those who are insisting that fraud took place. Not to mention that he is less and less funny as time goes by. As another poster quoted, Which side are you on?

Janine for TV spots and the such. Of course, Randi said she didn't want to be on TV. Also, Randi can be a real beotch when she has to out scream someone. I think Franken's show has it's own floor (per Randi), and Randi is on the 40th floor in a little cubicle with no air conditioning. They'd have to pay me pretty darn good to work without AC.

Randi has that "I'm never wrong" syndrome but I love her to death. She must have a photographic memory because her mind is like a trap. I wouldn't miss her. This week was reruns, which sucked.

Malloy isn't too bad. He calls the Bush's the "Bush Crime Family." nuff said!!!!

Nothing gets past her. I am becoming more and more fond of Mike Malloy though. "Have I told you yet tonight how much I HATE these people?"

Malloy has no action plan ... only depression. He bums me out and pisses me off. I admire Al for keeping civil to republicans. We will be irrelevant if we can't break through to the moderates of that party. They (moderate republicans) do exist. If we say, "piss on them" they won't hesitate to leave us in the dust.

Let's regroup, work together and win more congressional seats in 2006.

That effort requires NOT a far left or a conservative Democrat but a MODERATE like Al Frankin.

Being civil to the opposition is what got us into trouble in the first place. Remember (to give one very obvious example) our convention where everyone was tippy-toeing around in order not to offend the Repubs? And then they had their convention that was a total bash-fest. Sorry, but the time for compromise is over. Moving to the center is a recipe for disaster - at the risk of being repetitive, to paraphrase Truman, given the choice between Republican and Republican lite, the electorate will choose the Republican every time. Aping the right will get us nowhere - we need to move leftward and redefine ourselves as the party of the downtrodden and forgotten among us. Sorry not very eloquent tonight - it's been a long week.

parroting anything on the posts. We are just stating some of his obvious sayings. Like Al's Strom Thurman, "A Pecker has no bigotry," that they play ad nauseum to advertise for his show. Randi's "It's Friday ya bastards . . . " is another good one.

I could be wrong, but I think Al may be getting ahead of himself a little bit. This is all new to him for the past 6 months. I just do not find his show as entertaining Randi or Mike. What can I say . . . I have an opinion . . .

The Arafat bit wasn't particularly hysterical but I wasn't offended by it. But then again, I'm not shedding any tears over his passing, either.

Edited to clarify title line.

because of it. It is bad enough that DUers say idiotic, tasteless things, but a well-known "liberal" like Franken publicly joking about Arafat's death is even more harmful to public perception of liberals.

for that one. He's running for office.

I only listen to Mike Malloy on Air America. The others are not worth listening to.

but, I had to turn the sound down on him because I found it wasn't funny to me and really kinda gave me the creeps.

In a way, since the end of the elections, I've been finding I don't like listening to him as much and I can't exactly put my finger on why.

I don't like the fact that he seems to be throwing cold water on the idea that there has been election fraud. That could be part of it.

:shrug:

If you want to pick and pick and pick ... the republican party will be the ONLY party in this Country come 2008.

The problem with us Democrats and Progressives is that we're too caught up in our own little worlds to set aside petty differences and work together as a TEAM.

Al Frankin pisses you off in ONE SKIT and many of you are ready to jump ship. Wake up folks, the right wing owns the media - we might as well move on.

If we can stop being pissy and petty with each other, we will only serve "our corporate masters" in the future.

No one OF POWER or SIGNIFICANCE respects Malloy because he has no plan. Listen to Malloy for "emotional support" AND "work with Al and Randi" to make a better America.

What does that mean?

mouth while Catherine gets it from him. Joking about killing himself because we lost an election???? Not funny!

Stewart Smalley, funny. Apolitical, but still funny.

Do you ever watch Bill Mahr's new show, Real Time. I think that is a pretty good show. It's almost exactly the same as Politically Incorrect; however, he is on cable, and when people twist things that come out of his mouth, he does not get fired (like Clear Channel fired him after 9/11. I heard what he said, and he was not calling our troops cowards.)

Bill Mahr even considers Ann Coulter a friend. That's the only think I don't like about him. He's progressive like Franken.

post by electricprincess was a very childish, "Takes one to know one, Salute."

Yeah, It's the rest of us that don't understand it or get it.

So please, share Al's plan for the Democratic Party.

Until they can figure out a way that all the votes get counted and that the machines work right, Democrats will never win. That sounds like a good plan to me.

re-read the original post and I did get the skit right-He was interviewing the pillow.

It was not too funny to me, but I still listen to Franken.

His humor is a bit odd at times, but then so is mine.

... or if he wasn't already a decrepit old man rather than a lovely, idealistic young girl, or if he didn't have such a checkered past.

terrorist is another's freedom fighter. I didn't now the man and I am sure Al Franken did not sit and have tea with him either. People like Franken are hurting us. Speak the truth and quit trying to be be Rush like. Let God be God and if you are a comedian get on stage.
If you are an advocate..be serious ! If you just wanted to get back at O'reilly..Tell him to Shut Up and quit kissing up to the right. Its just so DLC ! Guy James and Malloy are broadcasters. this man is a joke and has lots of money to prove he is just show bizz. Be your own Hero ! You can speak truth to power better than a comedian !

I, similar to Frankin and many others to the LEFT of most of the DLC, shudder when the folks from the far left get pissy. I'm sorry to be so blunt and nothing personal at you in particular VetWife.

If the far left will not stop fracturing in 100 different directions we just may be able to get THOUGHTFUL Democrats together and accomplish something positive.

If all you wish to do is DIS - fellow progressives and moderates then you are not a TEAM player and prepare to settle into one party running this country - the republicans.

I'm going to do whatever works to BUILD my local Democratic party from the grass roots. The far left factions mean NOTHING to me because it's what's left to be reclaimed of the Democratic Party that is our only chance to regain power in the Government.

Please wake up and smell reality? Let's focus on getting Dean as Chairman of the DLC instead of fight among ourselves.

It's our only chance ... and for you left wing Christians = God hates a Quitter. <warm smile>

with all due respect a loyal Democrat

I am for everyone having an opinion but I do consider myself a moderate. I know I am left of center but Al Franken is show business and I know this because my husband and I both have been in show business and I was a broadcaster as well. You talk to any broadcaster who is truly political and they will tell you, when you want someone to speak truth to power and who is a public figure, you choose words carefully. That is BS to think everyone has to walk in lockstep but crossing the line should be called out. Maybe you think he didn't cross the line but I AM A TEAM PLAYER... Millions of people are not listening to me, I am not a public figure. Its a tough line to walk in broadcasting, but you don't want to turn off some of the moderates and as a Christian I feel he had absolutely no right making fun of a death..ANYONE's DEATH ! Maybe he was a terrorist, maybe he made peace before he died but who is Franken to diss all the people who did care about him. He was someone's Daddy, someone's son, and tastesless is tasteless to me. I call them as I see them. I am true to myself ..Not ratings . (warm smile)

All I can say is if everyone in the Democratic party let's loose at will and "calls it as they see it", we'll be forced into ONE party, the republican party.

If we can't set aside our petty differences and "hold our tongue" so KKKarl Rove cant pit us against each other, all is lost.

May God Help the Democratic Party Unite <sincere>

on edit: typo correction ;)

We need someone like Franken to bridge the gap for people who are not ready for Malloy. He's a good gateway show for people who are curious about an alternative to the right.

I don't listen to him much, but he has a broad audience, and he's no Limbaugh, so what the hey?

To get this out of the way: I didn't hear the skit in question, and I personally believe Arafat was a thief and not the leader needed for peace. However, no one's dying screams, real or imagined, are funny. Death is the end of the road; it's when all the lights go out forever. No more chances for redemption or sin; never again will you see the light of day. That's why we are all afraid of death, remember? That's why we let funeral processions pass us on the highway and why we cry when it hits close to home. Ever hold a dead person's hand? That's the chill of the grave, and whether it's Rachel Corrie, Yassir Arafat, or Jesus Christ, when a human dies, all humanity is lessened in strength, even if that particular link in the chain was weak. Arafat will never have the chance to redeem himself now; that is the tragedy of death*.

Getting back to Mr. Franken: It was clear to me from day one that Al is not suited for radio. He wasn't trained to do it (yes, Al, it *is* a skill unto itself) and hasn't improved. Me, I listen to Mike and Randi; oddly enough, I've been listening to Mike for years, and Randi was a DJ for WAPP when I was in high school in the 80's.

*Here's a prophylactic "whatever" to those DUers ready to tell me Arafat would never redeem himself. Maybe so and maybe no. No one knows what goes on in the heart of another.

he died of natural causes, I'm not personally offended. :shrug:

Comedians joke about tabu subjects all the time.