The Interocitor

More stifling of dissent

The NY Post reports that Al Franken assaulted a heckler yesterday at a Howard Dean rally.

"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.

Somehow, I doubt he would have done the same to a Dean supporter -- or even a LaRouchite -- heckling a Bush/Cheney rally. And if a secret service agent did it, he'd be up in arms about the stifling of dissent in John Ashcroft's Amerika.

Oddly, Al is no stranger to heckling, having done so at a Wallace rally in 1968 -- sonething he now says he regrets.

Posted by Kevin Murphy at January 27, 2004 11:57 AM | TrackBack