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MN GOP PRESS RELEASE: “AL FRANKEN RAPE JOKE: SICK, SICK, SICK; REPUBLICAN WOMEN LEADERS CALL FRANKEN UNFIT FOR PUBLIC OFFICE”
By Michael B. Brodkorb | June 5, 2008
St. Paul- At a Capitol press conference, leading Republican women leaders today called on Al Franken to denounce another in a series of jokes that target women. In particular, the leaders condemned a joke that Franken proposed for a “Saturday Night Live” skit during the 1994-1995 season where he suggested the drugging and raping of CBS News reporter Lesley Stahl as comedy fodder.
“This is sick, sick, sick. To gleefully propose humor that makes light of date rape drugs and to joke about how one will take a prominent news anchor– – drug her– – and rape her– – and then take pictures of her while she is unconscious – is horrendous and terrifying,” said state Representative Laura Brod. “To the thousands of women in this nation who are raped and sexually assaulted, the prospect that a man who made his living joking about these things would be a United States Senator must be horrifying,” Brod added.
In the New York Magazine article, dated March 13, 1995, entitled “Comedy Isn’t Funny: Saturday Night Live At Twenty—How The Show That Transformed TV Became A Grim Joke” Franken veers off of a discussion of a skit involving Andy Rooney, and proposes a skit involving the drugging and rape of Lesley Stahl.
Franken: And, ‘I give the pills to Lesley Stahl. Then, when Lesley’s passed out, I take her to the closet and rape her.’ Or, ‘That’s why you never see Lesley until February.’ Or, ‘When she passes out, I put her in various positions and take pictures of her.’”
“Al Franken’s election to the United States Senate will send a signal to girls and young women that men who joke about drugging and raping them can aspire to the highest offices of our nation, and be elected to them,” said former State Auditor Pat Anderson. “As the mother of daughters, I will not remain silent while their future safety and security is at risk by a man who thinks jokes about rape is about to be endorsed by a major political party in Minnesota.
Rape Victims Are Not Satire!
“It is estimated that one in six American women have been victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetimes.”
“Every two minutes in America, it is estimated that someone is sexually assaulted.”
“In 2002, there were an estimated 247,730 rape, attempted rape or sexual assault victimizations in America. (2002 National Crime Victimization Survey-NCVS).”
“It is estimated that 88 percent of sexual assault victims are women; 12 percent are men.”
“It is estimated that three percent of American men are victims of attempted or completed rape in their lifetimes.”
“It appears that youth are particularly at risk for sexual assault. The rape/sexual assault rate for ages 16 to 19, was nearly twice as high as all other age groups, according to national survey data completed in 2002.”
“In Minnesota, there is a sexual assault every 83 minutes.”
Source: Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Justice Programs, Statistical Analysis Center, December 2003, Accessed June 5, 2008
Available online at:
http://www.ojp.state.mn.us/cj/publications/FS-2003-001_Sexual_%20Assault.pdf
Topics: Uncategorized |
June 5th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Yes. Once again, we get it. Laura Brod and a collection of former and never will be elected republican women do not like Al.
I guess he will have to make due without their votes.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Leroy, (and others)
I don’t understand how you can simply ignore this. Is politics that important to you that you are willing to cast aside all decency and compassion?
Rape isn’t funny you Neanderthal.
Setting aside all of the other reasons not to vote for Franken, making light of drugging and raping woman should give pause to all but the most partisan of partisan Liberal women in this state.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Yeah, Leroy…maybe Angry Al can make some “jokes” about barbequing aborted fetuses? That should be a topic with some good yucks in it, huh?
June 5th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Naa Steph, weak minded liberal fools like Leroy don’t care. They’d vote for Hannibal Lecter so long as he had a (D-Minn.) behind his name. Actually, they’d vote for a cardboard cut out of Hannibal Lecter. The only thing that matters is the “D”… they don’t bother checking for a pulse, and idiots like Leroy are incapable of discernment.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Yeah, they might even vote for a vulgar, un-funny “satirist”, ultra socialist, carpetbagger, hothead, tax bungler, failed talk radio host if it had a D-MN behind the name.
Oh wait…
June 5th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
I’d vote for a guy who made off color jokes in his past, and has a vision for the future well before I would vote for a guy who has collected over a million of our tax dollars, and has not shown one iota of ability to do anything productive for the state.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
GOP RAPE JOKE: NIMBY, NIMBY, NIMBY
NIMBY = Not In My Back Yard
—————————————-
~We support the WAR in IRAQ.
~We turn a deaf ear to the RAPES in Iraq.
~We turn a deaf ear to the USA female soldiers in Iraq who are terrified of being RAPED by USA soldiers and/or USA civilians working for private USA firms.
Bush’s War In Iraq: SICK, SICK, SICK
June 5th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Say, Leroy?
Which was the most painful Democrat initiation rite…was it when they stuck a straw in your ear and sucked out the half a brain you were born with or when they replaced it with sh*t?
Seriously, we’d all like to know.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Wow, Leroy. You really do have a problem seeing “one iota of ability”. Seems to me Coleman was mayor of St. Paul for 8 years and that city actually THRIVED under his leadership.
As senator, he’s not my favorite cup-of-tea, but he has been helpful in:
Express-passage of the 35W bridge funding
Federal road dollars
Flood response money for SE Minnesota
Angry Al, on the other hand, has nothing to so for his time in Minnesota. NOTHING. Show me ONE issue he has successfully lobbied in St. Paul or Washington for. ONE! All Angry Al has is his bitter sarcasm. And hatred of women.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
If Leroy is indisposed, perhaps “el p” could answer that last question for us.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
el presidente now calls our soldiers rapists-in-waiting. Congrats! I thought you could not go lower than low. You surpassed my expectations!
Even hinting that ANY of our soldiers want to rape their fellow soldiers is THE MOST DESPICABLE POSTS EVER WRITTEN. PERIOD.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
You saw it here first, folks. Democrats like el presidente think our soldiers are nothing but a bunch of rapists.
Just remember that one when you hear Obama the Mesiah or any other Democrat mouth words about supporting our troops. You’re all just a bunch of rapists in their eyes.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
D? Don’t ever forget; “el p” is a Democrat.
We should be thankful that he (and his pals, dolts #1 through 4) is spending his time here amusing us with his amphigory instead of sending pipe bomb care packages for our guys and gals in harm’s way.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Nice to know Brod can still blow hot air. If she actually was serious about these issues, why has she voted against support for domestic abuse victims in the past?
June 5th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Yes, all you soldiers are over there in Iraq to rape the women. You aren’t there to help build schools or help create safe drinking water. You aren’t there to help train the Iraqi security forces and root out terrorist cells.
Nope. You’re all a bunch of rapists, on the prowl for your next victim. This view brought to you by the Democrat Party. Sleep well.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Democrats do sometimessupport the troops
June 5th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
“…ANY of OUR soldiers…”
——————————–
Yes, it comes as rude shock to some of our female soldiers also.
That is why, in part, I think that national military service might help prevent some things as being so shocking to some people.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Yeah, we should force our sisters and mothers into military service so they can be raped.
Great idea “el p”, you should send that one in to Obama. Keep those Democrat ideas coming.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Easy Geralo,
the issues or past voting records are not considered fair game on MDE. This is purely a smear website.
June 5th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
El P,
you are dead on with your analysis:
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/31584/
http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2007/alcohol-problems-among-us.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/13/world/middleeast/13alcohol.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast&oref=slogin
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/03/07/women_in_military/
I guess my thoughts are actions speak louder than words, instead of spending all of these resources on someone who made a joke about rape, why can’t Norm in his over site position actually do something about this festering problem amongst our women soldiers serving in Iraq?
June 5th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Gee, if only we let the UN handle Iraq their would be no rapes … Oppsie wait a minute.
June 5th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Say, Yoni?
Is Norm’s “over site” position in a helocopter, fixed wing aircraft or baloon?
How long have you guessed your thoughts were actions?
Can you answer the question I posed to Leroy? It seems he’s been put down for a nap and it looks like “el p” is going to think it over for a few days.
June 5th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
In Iraq under Saddam, if you are a woman, you could face:
Rape. The Iraqi Government uses rape and sexual assault of women to achieve the following goals: to extract information and forced confessions from detained family members; to intimidate Iraqi oppositionists by sending videotapes showing the rape of female family members; and to blackmail Iraqi men into future cooperation with the regime. Some Iraqi authorities even carry personnel cards identifying their official “activity” as the “violation of women’s honor.” (U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices-2001, March 2002; Iraq Research and Documentation Project, Harvard University)
Torture. The Iraqi Government routinely tortures and kills female dissidents and the female relatives of Iraqi oppositionists and defectors. Victims include Safiyah Hassan, the mother of two Iraqi defectors, who was killed after publicly criticizing the Iraqi Government for killing her sons after their return to Iraq. Women in Saddam’s jails are subjected to the following forms of torture: brutal beatings, systematic rape, electrical shocks, and branding. (U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices-2001, March 2002; U.S. Department of State, Iraq: A Population Silenced, December 2002)
June 5th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Yoni,
First, thanks for listing the sites. I knew the info was there from my conversations with military families and my contact with military personnel and FORMER MILITARY RECRUITERS.
Second, thanks for the syntax “dead on.” It reminded me that I was doing something with MBB’s “dead tired,” [I think] my “dead ringer,” and someone else’s “dead __?___.”
I can’t recall the context in which I was using it. Perhaps you can recall the context.
June 5th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Sexual Assault in Minnesota
“From 1960 to 1993, Minnesota’s rape rate was lower than the nation’s. Since 1993, Minnesota’s rape rate has been higher than the national average.”
“National Surveys suggest that household income is negatively related to sexual assault/rape victimization rates, families with the lowest incomes (less than $7,500) have the highest victimization rates and families with incomes of $75,000 and over have the lowest victimization rates.”
Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Fact Sheet
Mary Ellison, Executive Director
December 2003; accessed June 5, 2008
June 5th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Yoni: This is your one and only warning. Don’t ever leave a comment like that on my blog again. I will ban you for one year if you do it again.
June 5th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Eagan contrasted to St. Paul & Minneapolis
So then the 2003 pattern would seem to be that generally the wealthier women [EAGAN residents] would have a lower incidence of being raped than the less wealthy women [ST. PAUL residents].
Betty McCollum, 4th District, United States Congressional District Representative, and Kieth Ellison, 5th District, United States Congressional District Representative, would then probably have a greater percentage, and a greater number of rapes in their Districts based on the demographics provided on the Office of Justice Programs, Statistical Analysis Sheet.
June 5th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Michael,
yeah, i went overboard, it won’t happen again. I do appreciate the warning it was terribly generous of you. (totally serious)
June 5th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Since Senators are the commander and chief of the military…oh wait a sec. No, no they are not.
So, el presidente’s “point” is a non sequitur. And Yoni’s suggestion is a bit daft because Senators actually have a defined role to play in our government.
He certainly could talk about it a lot if he thought that would be effective, or instead he could take his opponents tack on the subject and make a joke of it. I, for one, would rather he say nothing on this subject rather than joke about it. If I’m not mistaken, el presidente and Yoni think differently.
June 5th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
“So, el presidente’s “point” is a non sequitur. ”
Yes, most of his “points” are non sequitur…
June 5th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Hey D:
If Norm truly was a popular mayor, why did he fail to carry a single precinct in the city six years ago? NOT ONE.
In this country, when we dislike a politician, we vote against them. St. Paul hated Norm, and made it known. Now he has represented the whole state. You know what that means…
June 5th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
I forwarded your request for more info to Two-Putt Tommy at MnBlue. My request is on-line if those of you who have access to google [and eventually MnBlue] would like to review it.
June 5th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
“St. Paul hated Norm, and made it known. Now he has represented the whole state. You know what that means…”
Let’s see.
Under Norm Coleman, Saint Paul enjoyed 8 years of no tax increases, a thriving business climate and many successful projects (such as the Excel).
Now, under Chris Coleman those same citizens are enjoying:
23% tax increases in two years and the promise of more to come.
Snivelling like a bitch for more state aid every legislative season.
Closed businesses.
Empty office buildings.
Potholes in the spring and unmowed boulevards in the summer.
All topped off with a nice, big expansion of a government that is already bleeding red ink.
Which one of those are you suggesting that the rest of the state wants, Nick?
June 5th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
How many precints did Norm win?
June 5th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
I’m guessing that the citizens of St. Paul wish that Norm was running for Mayor again.
June 5th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I’m with Nick in guessing that a mayor who deserved credit for doing any of the things you listed would have garnered at least one precinct.
Norm rode the good fortune of Clinton’s economy and when things started to go south, he sought employment elsewhere, lest the people figure out that it is easy to govern when the economy is on track.
June 5th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
“the good fortune of Clinton’s economy”
I’m nearly in tears I’m laughing so hard. Damned Leroy, you should publish those jokes.
The Clinton economy was a facade. It blew up. It was in recession before Clinton left office.
Good one. You’re a funny, but incredibly stupid, person.
June 5th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Some one please tell Laura Brod to campaign in her own district. I’d like to keep Republican seats in the MN House. She’s not running against Franken. In 2 years when she runs for state wide office (or 4 years against Amy for the Senate) will anyone remember this?
Enough with this Al Franken stuff already!
June 5th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
I’ll answer Enough Already’s question, in a language that Laura Brod probably understands: snad
For as long as I spent in the environment, I’m sorry to say that my vocabulary is almost close to nil, or is nil.
However, the experience that I had was and still is priceless.
June 6th, 2008 at 8:56 am
I’ll answer you, el pee:
When Coleman was a mayor, he ran with out a D or R behind his name on the ballot. When he ran for senator, he had a party designation.
All this goes to show you is that the idiots that live in the cesspool of St. Paul vote first for a party and not for what the candidate stands for. The DFL is populated by mind-numb robots. Period.
June 6th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
D: “I’ll answer you, el pee:”
el presidente: That is somewhat strange in that I did not write you a question.
——————————————–
D: “When Coleman was a mayor, he ran with out a D or R behind his name on the ballot.”
el presidente: I think that he also “ran” from serving in the U. S. military during the time of the Vietnam War. From your earlier posts you seem to have been somewhat irked by the fact that U. S. military personnel are sometimes not the shining examples of VIRTUE that they are sometimes portrayed to be.
As one used to hear one of the higher-ranking military personnel state, “I’ve got a couple of things to say to you. Grow up.”
July 9th, 2008 at 10:01 am
[...] Now, remember, this is from Franken’s “Air America” show – not his Saturday Night Live days where Franken thought jokes about drugging and raping women were funny. [...]
July 14th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
[...] With a strong female DFL candidate whose resume focuses on her efforts with M.A.D.D. and women athletics, Franken’s going to have an interesting time debating her with his past history of sexist joke…yes, like the one about drugging and raping a women. [...]
July 18th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
[...] it was. I doubt that most Minnesota would agree that Franken’s humor, filed with jokes out rape, murder and drunk driving, is desperately needed in Washington [...]
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:10 pm
[...] Given that Lord Faris is a well-known, well-respected female attorney and business person, I’m more than a little surprised to learn that Franken is going to blow her off given the hits he has taken for being more than just a little insensitive to issues related to women… [...]
August 27th, 2008 at 8:51 am
[...] video from the Minnesota College Republicans poped up on YouTube of people being asked if Al Franken’s joke about drugging and raping Lesley Stahl was funny. Franken’s rape joke doesn’t go over very [...]
October 27th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
‘Naa Steph, weak minded liberal fools like Leroy don’t care. They’d vote for Hannibal Lecter so long as he had a (D-Minn.) behind his name”
Yeah, I would certainly vote for a serial killer because clearly his values would line up with my belief in tolerance and non violence. I think you would vote for Ted Bundy as long as it said (R-colorado) behind his name. As long as he claimed everybody to the left of him as a “communist” and “terrorist”