Al Franken - Defender of the Freedom of Speech

[spantol]

Meh. Replace the political rally with a movie theater, and the LaRouche supporter with a guy answering his cell phone. Is it still a freedom of speech issue? Or is it just a guy being a dick, and another guy being a little over zealous?

[shartley]

[cphilip]

Yea I think the issue here is certainly the hecklers were wrong to interupt someone elses rights to speak. But then again its patently wrong to assault someone over that. Security should be called and they be escorted out.

Two wrongs do not make a right. Al commited the second wrong. And seems to be gloating over it.

[Zygote]

Maybe they hire nerdy looking comedians as security now.

[shartley]

Originally posted by cphilip
Yea I think the issue here is certainly the hecklers were wrong to interupt someone elses rights to speak. But then again its patently wrong to assault someone over that. Security should be called and they be escorted out.

Two wrongs do not make a right. Al commited the second wrong. And seems to be gloating over it.

[EsPo]

Originally posted by cphilip
Well you shouldn't take him seriously. I mean what has he ever done in his life to make him a expert to be listened to or looked up to? Nuttin! Nadda!

I ask the same question of many political/media figures today.

[cphilip]

Originally posted by EsPo

I ask the same question of many political/media figures today.

And well you should!

[EsPo]

Originally posted by cphilip


And well you should!

The disturbing part is that I get the same answer as you.

[p8ntball1016]

Actually, the hecklers had attacked Dean's security team. They had moved in on the heckler when they were elbowed and punched. Peter Ramsey, the theatre manager was also attacked. As was franken. who was elbowed, causing his glasses to break.

http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=32449

http://www.the-hamster.com/mtype/archives/000211.html

[EsPo]

Right wing owned media ... tsk on you for lying

[cphilip]

Originally posted by p8ntball1016
Actually, the hecklers had attacked Dean's security team. They had moved in on the heckler when they were elbowed and punched. Peter Ramsey, the theatre manager was also attacked. As was franken. who was elbowed, causing his glasses to break.

http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=32449

http://www.the-hamster.com/mtype/archives/000211.html

Interesting because those seem to even differ from what Al himself says he did. Al says HE intitated the contact on them. And AL is not a part of any security team.

I do beleive we can all agree that they were both wrong here. The Heckler and Al. They should allow the security people to deal with this. Al had no business being agressive and he himself says he made a run and lunge at the guy.

[EsPo]

Where did Al say he initiated contact? (not trying to be a jerk, I must have missed it)

[cphilip]

All the accounts linked here and all the others I read from some other sources say Franken approached the man from behind and grabbed him from behind. And that was when Al was elbowed. And then even Al himself is quoted as saying "I got down low and took his legs out" in an interview afterwards. And it was also described as that he "body slammed" the guy. But it was Al who approached and tried to "help out" so to speak by grabbing the guy from behind first. They guy was apparently already struggling with either other people that were trying to remove him or Security as it seems. Its not clear who at that moment was on the guy. But then Al gets into it himself and gets elbowed in the ongoing already tussel and gets knocked back so he then responded with the the "body slam". So.... Thats where I get it all from. His own words.

[MiniMag84]

If I were in Al's shoes I think I would have done the same thing.

[cphilip]

Originally posted by MiniMag84
If I were in Al's shoes I think I would have done the same thing.

Oh I might have too! But doesn't make it right. But sometimes emotions take over and you react without thinking. I think in this case he was trying to help and got elbowed and then got angry and bull rushed the guy. All normal reactions. Not that its right. We often do stuff on reaction and then thinking about it afterwards we kinda wish maybe we had not. Security should have and could have handled it. He should have distanced himself from it all if he had thought it out really well.