Anti-Defamation League Blasts 'SNL' For Unaired Chuck Hagel Sketch

[Ian Iam]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Rhiannon12866 (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: The Huffington Post

By Ross Luippold
Posted: 02/12/2013 5:10 pm EST

The Anti-Defamation League has penned an open letter to "Saturday Night Live" executive producer Lorne Michaels condemning an unaired sketch that they believe perpetuates inaccurate and unfair perceptions about the United State's relationship with Israel.

Watch the sketch here:

In the sketch, which parodied Chuck Hagel's confirmation hearings, senate Republicans such as John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott accused Obama's defense secretary nominee of failing to support Israel properly. Much of the comedy came from the senators attempting to appear more pro-Israel than each other. McCain (played here by Taran Killem) finally said he would not vote for Hagel unless he pledged to perform fellatio on a donkey if requested by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The sketch, which was cut before the live broadcast but was posted on NBC.com, exaggerated the real-life grilling Hagel received from senate Republicans.

The ADL, however, was not laughing. Abraham Foxman, the director of the advocacy group, stated that while they "do have a sense of humor," they think that the sketch went too far.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/12/anti-defamation-league-blasts-snl-chuck-hagel_n_2672364.html

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Really? Didn't such PC nonsense achieve the realm of the ridiculous many, many years ago? The bloody sketch wasn't even aired, for heaven's sake!

Your First Amendment is truly one of the things that makes America 'exceptional.' Please don't abandon it!

[Bucky]

1. I was about to say they might not've aired because it wasn't funny.

Then I remembered it was an SNL skit, so I'm sure that wasn't the reason.

Anyway, the ADL is almost always right. But here they're wasting their time. I'm sure they wouldn't have protested if the skit had stipulated it was a kosher donkey. Ba-doom-BOOM! No, seriously, SNL shouldn't air a skit suggesting that people get irrationally defensive over criticism of US support of Israel and not expect people to get irrationally defensive over the skit. The ADL was practically endorsing the whole premise of the joke.

Which wasn't funny, by the way.

[Behind the Aegis]

3. Have you read the comments on Huffington? Very eye-opening.

[Ian Iam]

4. Not funny? It was a pisser!

But I do appreciate your comment.

[Behind the Aegis]

2. LMAO! The 1st Amendment wasn't abandoned, both SNL and the ADL used free speech.

[Ian Iam]

6. Philip Weiss: More on SNL’s fellate-a-donkey for Israel skit

A "cultural breakthrough" is Sullivan's description of the Saturday Night Live skit in which Senator John McCain challenges Chuck Hagel to agree to fellate a donkey on the orders of Benjamin Netanyahu for the security of Israel:

After being banished from earnest Washington discussion for decades by various press gate-keepers, the absurdly overblown power of the Greater Israel lobby is now seeping into the popular culture.

Good point. Even friends of mine who don't know the issue are fulminating about the Hagel hearing. And remember that those gatekeepers and lobby pooh-poohers included the Atlantic Magazine, David Remnick, Leon Wieseltier, Leslie Gelb, Walter Russell Mead, Jeffrey Goldberg, among other eminent journalists.

http://mondoweiss.net/2013/02/fellate-donkey-israel.html

[Behind the Aegis]

7. Which has nothing to do with your comment about the 1st amendment. Another red herring.

[Ian Iam]

9. A red herring?

Like the accusation of antisemitism fish-slapped across the face of anyone who dares criticize Israeli policy in any way? That's what you need to cast a condemnatory net upon, my friend!

[Behind the Aegis]

11. No like your accusation that the 1st amendment has anything to do with this story.

I don't expect you to try and understand, given this the third time you have posted this skit. Where is the real story? There isn't one.

[Ian Iam]

12. Monitering my posts, are you?

Thus, I simply must ask: Do I pass the AIPAC Designated Test of Proper Fealty?

[Behind the Aegis]

13. LMAO! Hard to miss them in the V&M forum, which is quite slow moving.

Where's the story? The event took place two days ago; hardly "latest breaking news."

[leftynyc]

15. Can't you just admit you were WRONG

about what our first amendment covers and this was in no way an example of it? If you're going to reference our constitution, perhaps you should understand it more.

[Katashi_itto]

22. Hmm the real story...?

2010 list

Here are AIPAC campaign contributions to congressmen, highest first, full list at link...
http://maplight.org/...

Top Senate Recipients Funded

Joseph Lieberman $1,226,956
John McCain $750,368
Benjamin Cardin $487,572
Mitch McConnell $415,710
Richard Durbin $376,387
Carl Levin $366,378
Arlen Specter $338,080
Debbie Ann Stabenow $329,053
Bill Nelson $324,691
Jon Kyl $312,358
Mary Landrieu $291,609
Frank Lautenberg $260,333
Robert Menéndez $219,135
Daniel Inouye $197,750
Harry Reid $179,640
Sheldon Whitehouse $170,421
Ron Wyden $163,771
Maria Cantwell $162,598
Mark Udall $161,173
Christopher Dodd $158,132
Barbara Mikulski $152,050
Kent Conrad $150,410
Susan Collins $139,518
Mark Pryor $138,250
Jeff Merkley $136,130

Top House Recipients Funded

Mark Kirk $458,979
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen $141,507
Howard Berman $122,600
Eric Cantor $119,350
Ted Deutch $104,031
Steny Hoyer $100,050
Shelley Berkley $98,501
Gary Peters $94,522
Ron Klein $88,550
Nancy Pelosi $83,400
Steve Israel $77,000
Nita Lowey $68,600
Paul Hodes $65,950
Ike Skelton $64,049
Kendrick Meek $57,601
Deborah Halvorson $56,622
Gabrielle Giffords $56,000
Eliot Engel $54,600
Brad Sherman $53,500
Janice Schakowsky $53,195
Roy Blunt $47,550
Dan Burton $47,350
Alcee Hastings $46,150
Mary Jo Kilroy $46,135
Bill Foster $45,550
Debbie Wasserman Schultz $45,060
Robert Andrews $43,825
Patrick Murphy $41,000
Gary Ackerman $39,950
Brad Ellsworth $38,850
Silvestre Reyes $38,750
Lincoln Diaz-Balart $35,775
Steven LaTourette $35,325
Allyson Schwartz $33,625
Jerry Moran $33,300
Melissa Bean $33,150
Mike Pence $31,700

FULL LIST

http://maplight.org/us-congress/interest/J5100/view/all

[AtheistCrusader]

5. I don't see the problem.

This doesn't blast Israel in any way, but rather specifically attacks the US-side of our relationship with Israel, and our legislators grandstanding to 'support' Israel in ways that actually injure Israel's sovereignty over the long haul.

This was a non-issue, but from a 'critic' viewpoint, I think maybe it dragged on a bit too much.

[Behind the Aegis]

8. It is a non-issue, but the non-issue is that it wasn't aired and the complaint came AFTER.

So what?

[DeSwiss]

10. K&R

"....while they do have a sense of humor, they think that the sketch went too far.''

- Because when Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu requests donkey fellatio, it's nothing to joke about. The man knows what he likes.....

[whistler162]

14. Looks like the ADL has create a very

popular skut... Internet hit wise!

[Behind the Aegis]

18. Not the ADL, but someone sure did.

[Katashi_itto]

16. Awesome!

[Ian Iam]

19. Then DURec!

[Katashi_itto]

20. kk :)

[EastKYLiberal]

17. Awesome skit. Awesome Sanders impression. Don't see the problem. nt

[Ian Iam]

21. Then DURec

People speaking out are needed today!

[Rhiannon12866]

23. Locking, sorry, this is background/analysis

Please consider reposting in GD. Thanks for your understanding.