>>>>
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/Washington_Post_franken/2008/06/18....
>>>>html
>>>>Washington Post Shreds Al FrankenÂ’s Porn
>>>>Wednesday, June 18, 2008
>>>>A Washington Post columnist has ripped Democratic Senatorial candidate
>>>>and comedian Al Franken for his “Porn-O-Rama!” article in Playboy
>>>>magazine, calling him a “vulgarian at the gate.”
>>>>Michael Gerson, George BushÂ’s former chief speechwriter, declares in
>>>>his Post column that “Porn-O-Rama!” is “a modern campaign document
>>>>every voter should read — the Federalist Papers of lifestyle
>>>>liberalism.
>>>>“It has the literary sensibilities and moral seriousness of an awkward
>>>>adolescent nerd publishing an underground newspaper to shock his way
>>>>into campus popularity. But, in this case, the article was written in
>>>>2000 by a 48-year-old man.”
>>>>In his article, Franken wrote that it is an "exciting time for
>>>>pornographers and for us, the consumers of pornography."
>>>>The Internet, he stated, is a "terrific learning tool. For example, a
>>>>couple of years ago, when he was 12, my son used the Internet for a
>>>>sixth-grade report on bestiality. Joe was able to download some
>>>>effective visual aids, which the other students in his class just
>>>>loved."
>>>>Franken also used several crude or X-rated words in his Playboy piece.
>>>>But the article is far from the only instance in which Franken
>>>>resorted to vulgarity or bad taste. He once proposed a television
>>>>sketch about a female CBS reporter being drugged and raped, Gerson
>>>>noted.
>>>>At an event hosted by the Feminist Majority Foundation in 1999,
>>>>Franken said: "Why don't we focus on what Afghan women can do? They
>>>>can cook, bear children and pray. As I recall, that was fine for our
>>>>grandmothers."
>>>>Gerson equates Franken’s political “satire” with the “vulgarity” of
>>>>“The Jerry Springer Show” or misogynous rap music, saying it
>>>>“generally expresses contempt and cruelty.”
>>>>And he observes: “Franken is not content to disagree with Karl Rove;
>>>>he calls him ‘human filth.’ He is not satisfied to criticize Ari
>>>>Fleischer; Franken terms him a ‘chimp.’ The objects of Franken's humor
>>>>— including political opponents and women — are not merely mocked but
>>>>dehumanized. His trashiness is also nastiness.
>>>>“Rather than lampooning the emptiness and viciousness of our political
>>>>discourse — a proper role for satire — Franken has powerfully
>>>>reinforced those failures.”
>>>>The flap over FrankenÂ’s Playboy article and other disclosures
>>>>evidently does not sit well with voters in Minnesota, where Franken is
>>>>matched up against incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman.
>>>>A SurveyUSA poll taken last week after press reports about the Playboy
>>>>article found Coleman leading Franken by a margin of 52 percent to 40
>>>>percent — the largest lead Coleman has held in any recent poll.
>It's pretty obvious that Franken was being satirical.
