Generalissimo Francisco Franco Is Still Dead

Yasser Arafat's illness put me in mind of the old Saturday Night Live chestnut, "Thus just in. Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead." Rantburg posted it first.

It also puts me in mind of the old Steve Martin routine. Some medieval guy suddenly thinks about some modern idea like airplanes or democracy, and then rejects the idea. The Arafat version would go like this:

"Hmm. Maybe we can stop bombing people and sit down with the Israelis like adults, for the sake of our children, make the best albeit imperfect peace we can, and built an Arab Hong Kong or Singapore in the Middle East . . . . [long reflective pause} . . . . but, naaaaah!"

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