[Lizavetta]

"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.

But...but...but isn't that what the heckler was doing...speaking freely, Mr. Franken?

Typical brain-dead liberal.....free speech for me but not for thee.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

but isn't that what the heckler was doing...speaking freely, Mr. Franken?

Typical brain-dead liberal.....free speech for me but not for thee.

I'll give you that Mr. Franken behaved thuggishly, and I'll give you that he said, "I would have done it if he was a Dean supporter at a Kerry rally," rather than, "I would have done it if he was a Dean supporter at a Bush rally."

OTOH if some people exercise the right to peacably petition, and somebody claims a contrary right to speak instead of listen to those who "paid for the microphone," as Ronald Reagan's put it, I think that their right to speak does not extend to someone else's venue.

Mr. Franken's conduct was disorderly, but the heckler doesn't have a right to filibuster either. Police would not be in their rights to heckle a speaker, and--subject to judgement at the time, shouldn't allow someone else to do it in anything remotely approximating a fillibuste.