AL FRANKEN KNOCKS DOWN DEAN HECKLER

NY Post ^ | 1/27/03 | VINCENT MORRIS

[FormerACLUmember]

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.

[Darksheare]

"...which means people should be able to assemble and speak without being shouted down."

SOooo... why do they send hecklers to Republican conferences to shout our guys down, and how is that okay?
Franken needs to be arrested, and charged with assault.
The left states that dissent is freedom of speech and patriotic.
Franken just infringed the man's rights...

[johnb838]

Isn't it called Aggravated Assault these days? As in, an attack is an assault. If the attack is 'aggravated' by actual physical contact it becomes Aggravated Assault. I think they changed it because "Battery" means the act of battering, whereas A.A. can be any kind of contact. A take-down, grabbing an arm or a shirt, even an unwanted kiss can be considered an aggravated assault.

[Darksheare]

Hook a thumb into one of his eyes and then give him a slap in the throat.
That'll learn him a bit.
After he's done snivelling and crying, you'll own him.

[Kozak]

grabbing him with a bear hug from behind and slamming him onto the floor.

Wow. What a Hero. Just what I would expect from a true "Progressive".

[mountaineer]

They were on the same plane coming back from Iowa, and evidently Franken didn't think he should have to wait in the lines for security and kept haranging the airline personnel to give him special treatment so he could avoid the wait.

That incident has been reported in the NY Post (PageSix) as well:

LEFT-wing shill Al Franken is as big a spoiled brat as any Hollywood star. As hundreds of journalists patiently waited up to three hours to catch flights out of over-packed Des Moines Airport following the Iowa Caucus, a frenzied Franken marched to the front of the line. "He threw a complete drama queen snit," says a witness. "He went up to the security check-in and kept whining, 'I can't miss my flight!' - but the security guards wouldn't even entertain it." The reporters weren't amused: "There were a lot of other players in the line and we were all shouting at him, 'Hey, we're here too!'"

[sweet_diane]

"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."

Really wrestling with that FREEDOM OF SPEECH there aren'tcha Al.

[ShandaLear]

It was Alan Colmes.

[AnAmericanMother]

Aggravated assault is an assault committed in one of two ways: (1) with a deadly weapon (something likely to cause serious injury - can be feet or fists in certain situations) or (2) with the intent to murder, rape or rob. Simple assault is any other assault.

The difference between assault and battery is that in battery actual physical contact has to be made, but in assault you need only attempt to commit the violent injury and need not actually "connect" - e.g. pointing a pistol at someone or winding up with a baseball bat at someone without ever delivering can be agg assault. Aggravated battery is a harmful touching that causes serious bodily injury.

Local laws are different, and your mileage may vary. Any law enforcement types or lawyers out there feel free to chime in.

[NYC GOP Chick]

Wise-cracking funnyman Al Franken

I'm just wondering when that toad was ever actually funny!

Sauropod, I have been using the word Clinton for what you're now using Clark, so I'm now going to have to come up another use for Clinton. Maybe some sort of incurable STD...

[Centurion2000]

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.

And why is he not in jail on assault and battery charges ?

[ShandaLear]

The story as I remember it was Franken confronting Alan Colmes at the White HOuse Correspondants dinner. O'Reilly hates Franken and was in quite a lather about.

[johnb838]

Yeah, Franken may be a lib, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't have too many friends out there. One day he will indeed self-immolate, and his liberal "buddies" will all stand around watching and laughing and none will lift a finger to put him out. IOW, I expect he is a useful idiot to the useful idiots.

[yarddog]

Most bullies carefully select their victims. I suspect Franken has never tackled anyone who appears likely to fight back.

[Johnny_Cipher]

And why is he not in jail on assault and battery charges ?

I smell a setup. Franken wanted some pub for his pathetic little radio show and bought a sandwich for some unemployed ex-WWE wrestler to be his comic foil.

(Of course the local DA could always file charges for disorderly conduct. But then again, pigs fly in my world).

[fly_so_free]

"Franken, who seemed in a state of shock and out of breath after the incident"

So he goes all "Raging Bull" on some guy, but he's the one in shock after "the incident"? Nice attempt to cover up for "Jabba the nut-case" press.

This guy is going to cross the wrong person at some point and end up getting his back end kicked. He was on with Sean Hannity one time, and it looked like they were going to get into a fight as well. Franken is a total moron. I hope the other guy sues him to kingdom come.

[MindBender26]

"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.

.... and if the other side dares exercise their freedom of speech, Al Franken will beat them.

Isn't Democratic logic great?

Who said, "Your respect for the right of Freedom of Speech is not about you being able to say what youwant. It's about the other side being able to say what they want."

[Axenolith]

A wrestler? That Pillsbury Doughboy loser?!?! It would be nice to see him get beaten like a drum after attacking someone like Hannity...

[wtc911]

FROM BEHIND...says it all.

[Irene Adler]

It would be battery "an unlawful touching". Assault is "putting in fear". That is if I remember correctly.

[Ghengis]

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.

Its an old prison exercise yard move. He hit the right in the Dicksville Notch.