Minnesota Senator Al Franken Isn't Just Funny, He's Pretty Damned Smart, Too.

Most people paying attention know that US Senator Al Franken (D-MN) started out as a funny guy... a Saturday Night Live alumnus who went on to bigger and better things, winning (eventually) a very, very close election against Norm Coleman.

Yeah, Franken started out as a funny guy, but he's proving that he's anything but a clown.

At the Minnesota State Fair on Wednesday, Franken was literally surrounded by people who wanted to talk about health care reform, with some pretty "anti - socialized health care" types in the mix.

Now, the woman who was the main naysayer in the group wasn't as batshit Crazy™ as many I have seen, but still:

Thanks to Senator Franken's style and demeanor, what could have been a volatile situation became an actual discussion of health care reform issues, wherein Franken was able to talk about facts.

Thanks to his style and demeanor, he was able to initiate and sustain a reasonable dialogue about health care, focusing on what desperately needs to be addressed.

He was able to make the case for how he will vote and why he will vote that way:


By being calm and reasonable, Franken was able to articulate his belief about the ways health care reform legislation will benefit the people of Minnesota and the nation.

Minnesotans should be very happy they elected him.

Now, Minnesota:

Can you PLEASE do something about the completely unhinged Michele Bachmann?

h/t to Huffington Post, Media Matters and Dustytrice.com

WWJK? I Guess I Missed The Part Of The New Testament Where Jesus Advocated "Praying For The Death Of Your Political Enemies."

As you may have suspected, I'm a firm supporter of freedom of expression... even batshit crazy expression.

I'm also a firm supporter of every American's right to keep and bear arms.

What I'm not a supporter of is hate speech, or batshit crazy haters bearing arms.

Phoenix Arizona Pastor Steven Anderson seems to fit the description of a member of Teh Crazy™.

He also seems to fill the bill for Teh Crazy Dangerous™.

Anderson's gained some media attention lately for dedicating an entire sermon to "Why I Hate Barack Obama."

One of the good Reverend Anderson's parishioners, after listening to that inspiring sermon, showed up at the President's Phoenix town hall meeting the next day packing an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle and a handgun.

So much for "loving thine enemy."

Apparently, Pastor Anderson doesn't think the concept of fomenting hatred and encouraging his flock to pray for the death of President Obama in any way conflicts with the teachings of Jesus.

Given an opportunity to perhaps walk back his rhetoric, and maybe tone things down a bit, the good reverend instead kicked it up a notch.

Anderson announced to the media "I hope that God strikes Obama with brain cancer so he can die like Ted Kennedy. You know, and I hope it happens today."

You can't make this stuff up.


Wow.

I wonder what The Prince of Peace would say to that?

h/t to Chris, Think Progress, and Image Shack