| 00:00:00 | AND I THANK THE CHAIR. |
| 00:00:05 | A SENATOR: MR. |
| 00:00:06 | PRESIDENT? THE PRESIDING OFFICER: THE SENATOR FROM MINNESOTA. |
| 00:00:11 | MR. |
| 00:00:12 | FRANKEN: MR. PRESIDENT, I PLAN TO SPEAK ON CYBERSECURITY TOMORROW, AND I THANK CHAIRMAN LIEBERMAN, CHAIRMAN ROCKEFELLER, CHAIRMAN FEINSTEIN AND SENATOR COLLINS FOR THEIR WORK ON THIS VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE, AND ALSO ALL THE OTHER SENATORS WHO HAVE WORKED SO HARD ON THIS, INCLUDING THE PRESIDING OFFICER. |
| 00:00:32 | BUT I ASK TO SPEAK THIS EVENING AS IF IN MORNING BUSINESS. |
| 00:00:38 | THE PRESIDING OFFICER: WITHOUT OBJECTION. |
| 00:00:41 | MR. FRANKEN: I RISE TODAY TO TALK ABOUT LOSS. |
| 00:00:43 | I KNOW I SPEAK FOR ALL MINNESOTANS WHEN I SAY HOW SHOCKED AND SADDENED WE HAVE BEEN BY THE LOSS OF LIFE IN COLORADO. |
| 00:00:52 | OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO THE FAMILIES AND FRIENDS OF THOSE WHO DIED AND FOR THOSE WHO WERE WOUNDED IN THAT MASSACRE. |
| 00:01:01 | ANYONE WHO HAS LOST BEFORE CAN ONLY FEEL OUTRAGE, HORROR AND PROFOUND SADNESS. |
| 00:01:07 | SO MANY OF THOSE WHO DIED WERE SO YOUNG. |
| 00:01:12 | A NUMBER DIED HEROICALLY SHIELDING A LOVED ONE FROM THE MAD MAN'S BULLET. |
| 00:01:19 | SO MUCH GRIEF, SO MUCH SUFFERING IS JUST UNSPEAKABLE. |
| 00:01:23 | THE ONE HOPEFUL LESSON WE CAN DRAW FROM THIS TRAGEDY COMES FROM THE STORIES OF COURAGE AND SELFLESSNESS WE'VE HEARD ABOUT THOSE WHO WERE IN THE THEATER AND THE FIRST RESPONDERS AND THE OUTPOURING FROM THE COMMUNITY OF AURORA AND THE REST OF THE NATION. |
| 00:01:44 | MINNESOTA UNFORTUNATELY HAS ALSO SEEN ITS SHARE OF SENSELESS VIOLENCE, SOMETHING NO STATE IS IMMUNE TO. |
| 00:01:50 | HOPEFULLY OUT OF THIS TRAGEDY WE CAN DRAW LESSONS THAT WILL MAKE THIS, THESE KINDS OF TRAGEDIES FAR LESS COMMON. |
| 00:01:57 | BUT TODAY I'VE COME TO THE FLOOR TO TALK ABOUT A PERSONAL LOSS TO ME AND TO SO MANY OF HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND FANS, A MINNESOTAN WHO BROUGHT SO MUCH LAUGHTER, SO MUCH JOY TO HIS FELLOW MINNESOTANS AND TO MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF AMERICANS. |
| 00:02:17 | MY FRIEND, TOM DAVIS, DIED LAST THURSDAY AFTER HE WAS DIAGNOSED THREE YEARS AGO WITH CANCER. |
| 00:02:24 | I HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO BE TOM'S COMEDY PARTNER AND BEST FRIEND FOR OVER 20 YEARS. |
| 00:02:31 | WE STARTED WORKING TOGETHER IN HIGH SCHOOL IN MINNESOTA AND DID STANDUP TOGETHER FOR YEARS AND WERE AMONG TWO OF THE ORIGINAL WRITERS FOR "SAT NIGHT LIVE. |
| 00:02:43 | " -- FOR SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. |
| 00:02:45 | I SPOKE WITH TOM'S MOM JEAN LAST THURSDAY NOT LONG AFTER TOM DIED. |
| 00:02:50 | SHE TOLD ME HOW FONDLY SHE REMEMBERED THE LAUGHTER THAT CAME FROM THE BASEMENT WHEN TOM AND I STARTED WRITING TOGETHER IN HIGH SCHOOL OVER 40 YEARS AGO. |
| 00:02:59 | THAT'S WHAT I REMEMBER ABOUT TOM: HIS LAUGHTER. |
| 00:03:02 | I LAST SAW TOM ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO AT HIS HOME IN HUDSON, NEW YORK. |
| 00:03:10 | DAN AKROYD WHO COLLABORATED SO OFTEN WITH TOM, WAS THERE TOO WITH HIS WIFE DONNA AND TOM'S WIFE MIMI. |
| 00:03:20 | WE LAUGHED AND LAUGHED. |
| 00:03:23 | TOM'S HUMOR WAS ALWAYS SARDONIC. |
| 00:03:26 | AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT, IT WAS A LITTLE MORE SARDONIC THAT DAY THAN USUAL. |
| 00:03:33 | BUT HIS HUMOR ALSO HAD A SWEETNESS ABOUT IT. |
| 00:03:36 | WE LAUGHED, BUT TOM TOLD US THAT HE WAS READY TO GO. |
| 00:03:39 | HE FACED DEATH WITH GREAT HUMOR AND COURAGE. |
| 00:03:42 | TOM CREATED LAUGHTER. |
| 00:03:46 | THE OBITUARY CITED TOM'S BODY OF WORK, SOME OF IT. |
| 00:03:53 | HE AND DAN AKROYD CREATED THE CONE HEADS, NICK THE LOUNGE SINGER AND ON AND ON AND ON. |
| 00:04:01 | THIS STARTED AN OUTPOURING OF BLOGGING ON THE INTERNET, PEOPLE WRITING ABOUT THE TOM AND THE LAUGHS HE BROUGHT THEM. |
| 00:04:08 | I WAS HAPPY TO SEE HIM GET HIS DUE. |
| 00:04:11 | PEOPLE CALLED HIM AN ORIGINAL. |
| 00:04:14 | HE WAS. |
| 00:04:15 | THEY CALLED HIM A BRILLIANT COMEDIAN. |
| 00:04:19 | HE WAS. |
| 00:04:21 | SINCE LAST THURSDAY I'VE BEEN HEARING FROM OUR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES, HOW TOM'S VOICE WAS UNIQUE, HOW SO OFTEN HIS STUFF CAME SEEMINGLY FROM OUT OF NOWHERE. |
| 00:04:32 | HOW TOM HAD COME UP WITH THE BIGGEST LAUGH OF THE SEASON IN THE REWRITE OF THIS SKETCH OR THAT ONE. |
| 00:04:39 | OR HOW TOM HAD BEEN THE FIRST TO NAIL ED McMAHON'S ATTITUDE WHEN HE AND I DID KHOMEINI THE MAGNIFICENT AND HOW TOM WAS SUFT SUFT -- SUCH A LOYAL AND GENEROUS FRIEND. |
| 00:04:53 | PEOPLE WOULD ALWAYS ASK ME AND TOM WHAT OUR FAVORITE MOMENT WAS ON "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. |
| 00:04:59 | " WE WORKED ON SO MANY SKETCHES THAT IT WAS JUST IMPOSSIBLE TO SINGLE ANYTHING OUT. |
| 00:05:06 | BOTH OF US WOULD ALWAYS SAY THAT OUR FAVORITE MEMORY WAS ROLLING ON THE FLOOR, THE 17th FLOOR AT 30 ROCK. |
| 00:05:17 | ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING AT 2:00 IN THE MORNING OR 3:00 IN THE MORNING AT SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE WROTE OR AT A CHARACTER SOMEONE HAD JUST INVENTED. |
| 00:05:30 | THIS WAS THAT MOMENT OF CREATION. |
| 00:05:32 | THERE WAS THE LAUGH AT WHATEVER IT WAS THAT ONE OF US HAD COME UP WITH COMBINED WITH THE JOY THAT YOU KNEW YOU HAD SOMETHING. |
| 00:05:42 | THIS IS YOUR JOB. |
| 00:05:46 | WOODY ALLEN ONCE SAID THAT WRITING COMEDY IS EITHER EASY OR IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. |
| 00:05:54 | WHEN IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, IT CAN BE AGONY, LET ME TELL YOU. |
| 00:05:59 | WHEN IT'S EASY, WHEN YOU'RE LAUGHING, WHEN YOU'RE ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LITERALLY, WHEN DANNY OR BILLY OR BULUSHI OR STEVE MARTIN OR ANY OF THE MANY JUST HILARIOUS PEOPLE THAT WE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO WORK WITH WOULD COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT JUST MADE YOU EXPLODE WITH LAUGHTER AND ROLL ON THE FLOOR THERE ON THE 17th FLOOR, THAT WAS JUST PURE JOY. |
| 00:06:34 | TOM WAS AN IMPROVISATIONAL GENIUS, THE FIRST PUBLIC STAGE WE PERFORMED AT WAS DUDLEY'S. |
| 00:06:45 | IT WAS THE MINNEAPOLIS OF SECOND CITY BASED ON THE SAME IMPROVISATIONAL TECHNIQUES. |
| 00:06:52 | TOM AND I WHEN WE WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL DID STAND-UP THERE. |
| 00:06:55 | BUT WHILE I WENT OFF TO COLLEGE, TOM JOINED THE COMPANY AT DUDLEY'S AND WHEN I CAME BACK, I SAW THAT HE HAD MASTERED IMPROV AND MASTERED IT HILARIOUSLY. |
| 00:07:06 | NOW, AS A WRITING TEAM, TOM AND I BROUGHT DIFFERENT STRENGTHS TO OUR CRAFT. |
| 00:07:13 | SOMETIMES WE'D GET STUCK AND TOM WOULD FIND AN OBJECT. |
| 00:07:21 | THE THIRD YEAR OF S. |
| 00:07:25 | N.L., TOM AND I WERE WATCHING TV AND WE SAW YULIA CHILD CUT HERSELF WHILE DOING A COOKING SEGMENT ON I THINK IT WAS THE "TODAY" SHOW. |
| 00:07:33 | SO WE WROTE A SKETCH THAT DANNY PERFORMED BRILLIANTLY THAT IS NOW KNOWN AS "JULIA CHILD BLEEDING TO DEATH. |
| 00:07:41 | " THE SKETCH WORKED SO WELL THAT WHEN THEY INSTALLED THE JULIA CHILD EXHIBIT AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY, IN ADDITION TO HER TV KITCHEN SET -- I THINK THIS WAS AT HER INSISTENCE BECAUSE SHE LOVED IT SO MUCH -- THEY INCLUDED A MONITOR WITH THE SKETCH OF HER BLEEDING TO DEATH ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. |
| 00:08:04 | NOW, WHEN TOM AND I WERE WRITING THE SKETCH, WE COULD NOT FIND AN ENDING, AND TOM FOUND AN OBJECT, THE PHONE -- THE PHONE HANGING ON THE WALL OF JULIA CHILD'S COOKING SET. |
| 00:08:21 | AND I DON'T ACTUALLY THINK THERE WAS ONE. |
| 00:08:24 | TOM JUST FOUND IT. |
| 00:08:27 | THAT'S SOMETHING IMPROV ARTISTS DO WHEN THEY ARE ON THE STAGE. |
| 00:08:30 | THEY FIND OBJECTS TO WORK WITH. |
| 00:08:32 | SO DANNY, AS JULIA CHILD IN THE SKETCH, IS SPURTING BLOOD AND JULIA IS TRYING EVERYTHING, EXPLAINING HOW TO MAKE A TOURNIQUET OUT OF A CHICKEN BONE AND A DISH TOWEL, ONLY THAT DOESN'T WORK, AND HOW TO USE THE CHICKEN LIVER AS A NATURAL CO[ AGULANT. |
| 00:08:50 | NOTHING IS WORKING. |
| 00:08:51 | SHE'S LOSING BLOOD. |
| 00:08:52 | SO IN DESPERATION, SHE SEES THE PHONE ON THE WALL AND TURN TO IT SHE SAYS "ALWAYS HAVE THE EMERGENCY NUMBER WRITTEN DOWN ON THE PHONE. |
| 00:09:01 | OH, IT ISN'T. |
| 00:09:02 | WELL, I KNOW WHAT IT IS. |
| 00:09:03 | IT IS 911. |
| 00:09:05 | SHE PUNCHES 911 AND SHE REALIZES IT IS A PROP PHONE AND THROWS IT DOWN, SORT OF IN DISGUST AND THEN SHE'S GETTINGS WOULD SUBSIDY AND THEN STARTS RAMBLING ON ABOUT EATING CHICKEN CHOPPED LIVER ON A RITZ CRACKER AS A CHILD AND FINALLY SHE COLT LAPSED AND AS SHE'S ABOUT TO DIE, SHE SAYS ONE MORE "SAVE THE LIVER. |
| 00:09:32 | " IT WAS A TOUR DE FORCE BY DONNY. |
| 00:09:35 | WHEN I WAS WITH DANNY AND TOM A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THIS SOMEHOW, AND DANNY SAID THAT HE REMEMBERS ME THERE UNDER THE COUNTER PUMPING THE BLOOD. |
| 00:09:47 | ONLY I WASN'T THE ONE PUMPING THE BLOOD. |
| 00:09:50 | IT WAS TOM. |
| 00:09:51 | AND I REMEMBER THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING OF A UNION ISSUE BECAUSE THAT'S A SPECIAL EFFECT, PUMPING BLOOD. |
| 00:09:58 | PUMPING THE BLOOD TO GET EXACTLY THE RIGHT PRESSURE SO THAT DANNY COULD RELEASE THE SPURTS AT PRECISELY THE RIGHT TIME. |
| 00:10:07 | NOW, EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, THE SPECIAL EFFECTS GUY OR THE SOUND EFFECTS GUY WOULD LET A WRITER DO THE EFFECT BECAUSE IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE TIMING, COME IMMEDIATEIC TIMING. |
| 00:10:24 | AND ALSO THEY LIKED TOM. |
| 00:10:25 | EVERYBODY LIKED TOM. |
| 00:10:27 | AND THE SPECIAL EFFECTS GUY KNEW THAT TOM KNEW EXACTLY WHAT TO DO AND IT WAS ALL ABOUT TEAMWORK WITH DANNY, WHO WAS ALSO CONTROLLING THE SPURTING WHILE TOM WAS CONTROLLING THE PRESSURE. |
| 00:10:40 | AND, MAN, IT WAS HILARIOUS. |
| 00:10:41 | SOY NOW, THIS IS LIVE TV -- NOW, THIS IS LIVE TV. |
| 00:10:46 | WE DID HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF SKETCHES TOGETHER, A LOST STUFF THAT WAS JUST SO -- A LOT OF STUFF THAT WAS JUST SO TOMBED THAT IT WAS FUNNY, AND WE JUST HAD SO MUCH FUN. |
| 00:10:59 | AND TOM AND I TOURED TOGETHER ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. |
| 00:11:01 | I TOLD SENATOR JOHANNS, MY FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE FROM NEBRASKA, THAT TOM AND I PLAYED SHOVRON STATE TWICE, TWICE. |
| 00:11:14 | AND YESTERDAY WE HAD A SESSION IN WHICH SENATOR SESSIONS INTRODUCED SOMEPLACE IN ALABAMA WHERE TOM AND I PLAYED. |
| 00:11:23 | WE DID A GIG IN SOUTH DAKOTA TO SIX STUDENTS BECAUSE THEY BOOKED US BY MISTAKE DURING SPRING BREAK. |
| 00:11:32 | THERE WERE FIVE MEMBERS OF THE BASKETBALL TEAM WHO COULDN'T AFFORD TO GO BACK EAST FOR THE BREAK AND A SIXTH GUY WHO HAD BEEN GROUNDED BECAUSE HE HAD GOTTEN CAUGHT SMOKING POT FRESHMAN YEAR AND THEY WOULDN'T LET HIM LEAVE CAMPUS EXCEPT DURING THE SUMMER, FOR SUMMER VACATION. |
| 00:11:51 | I THINK THIS WAS HIS JUNIOR YEAR. |
| 00:11:54 | I THINK TOM AND I PLAYED 45 STATES. |
| 00:12:00 | WHEN WE FLEW, WE ALWAYS BOOKED OURSELVES IN AISLE SEATS ACROSS FROM EACH OTHER, THE C AND D SEATS SO WE COULD TALK TO EACH OTHER. |
| 00:12:09 | AND TOM WOULD ALWAYS GET ON FIRST AND FIND OUR ROW AND IF THERE WAS A PRETTY GIRL IN THE MIDDLE SEAT OF ONE SIDE, HE'D SIT NEXT TO HER. |
| 00:12:17 | AND I'D SIT NEXT TO THE FAT, SWEATY GUY IN THE MESH SHIRT, WHICH BY THE WAY, I THINK SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED ON THE ONE HAND PLANES. |
| 00:12:28 | I PLAN TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION ON THAT. |
| 00:12:31 | NOW, THIS WENT ON FOR YEARS. |
| 00:12:35 | TOM WOULD BOARD FIRST AND GET TO OUR ROW AND TAKE THE AISLE SEAT NEXT TO AN ATTRACTIVE WOMAN OR QUIET-LOOKING, SLENDER MAN, AND I'D SIT NEXT TO THE LARGE, LOUD GUY WHO LOOKED LIKE HE WANTED TO TALK THROUGH THE ENTIRE FLIGHT. |
| 00:12:49 | AND I THOUGHT, WHAT A COINCIDENCE. |
| 00:12:53 | TOM'S AISLE SEAT IS ALWAYS NEXT TO THE MORE DESIRABLE SEATMATE. |
| 00:12:57 | AND THEN ONE DAY FINALLY I CHECKED MY TICKET STUB AND I SAW THAT TOM HAD TAKEN MY SEAT. |
| 00:13:03 | AND THAT'S WHEN I REALIZED HE'D BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS. |
| 00:13:06 | I SAID, TOM, YOU'VE BEEN -- AND HE SAID, WELL, YEAH, I WAS JUST WAITING FOR YOU TO FIGURE IT OUT. |
| 00:13:13 | NOW, I REALLY TO BLAME MYSELF. |
| 00:13:16 | TOM HAD PLAYED ME AND IT WAS ACTUALLY MY FAULT FOR BEING KIND OF A TRUSTING IDIOT. |
| 00:13:23 | BUT TOM SAVED MY BUTT ON OCCASION. |
| 00:13:26 | WE USED TO GO FISHING UP IN THE BOUNDARY WATERS, THE WILDERNESS AREA BETWEEN NORTHERN MINNESOTA AND CANADA. |
| 00:13:35 | TOM WAS EXPERT WITH A CANOE, AND I WASN'T -- I REALLY WASN'T. |
| 00:13:41 | ONCE WE WENT UP THERE IN OCTOBER. |
| 00:13:44 | IT WAS KIND OF COLD, BUT WE WERE CATCHING A LOT OF WALLEYE AND HAVING A GREAT TIME, AND THERE WERE THREE OF US, ME AND TOM AND OUR FRIEND JEFF. |
| 00:13:58 | WE HAD PUT IN JUST ONE CANOE. |
| 00:14:01 | ONED THIRD EVENING I DECIDED TO FISH FROM THIS POINT ON THIS ISLAND AND I CAST OUT AND GOT MY LINE CAUGHT ON SOMETHING. |
| 00:14:12 | SO I DECIDED TO GO OUT ALONE BY MYSELF WITH THE CANOE AND UNTANGLE THE LINE. |
| 00:14:22 | SO I'M HALFWAY OUT AND I GET CAUGHT IN THIS CURRENT AND START GETTING CARRIED AWAY FROM THE ISLAND THAT WE'RE CAMPED ON, AND I START CALLING FOR HELP, AND -- NOW YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WE'RE IN THE QUID QUIDDICO IN OPENNESS IN OCTOBER IN CANADA AND WE HAVE NOT SEEN ANOTHER HUMAN BEING IN THE THREE DAYS THAT WE'VE BEEN THERE. |
| 00:14:47 | SO TOM AND JEFF COME RUNNING AND YELLING AND CURSING AT ME BECAUSE, IF I DIDN'T MAKE IT BACK WITH THE CANOE, THEY WERE PRETTY MUCH STUCK ON THIS ISLAND FOR THE WINTER. |
| 00:15:01 | AND I'M PROBABLY DEAD BECAUSE I HAVE NO GEAR, NOTHING. |
| 00:15:07 | JUST THE PADDLE WHICH ISN'T DOING MY ANY GOOD AT THIS POINT. |
| 00:15:11 | AND THIS IS WHERE TOM'S IMPROVISATIONAL SKILLS CAME IN REALLY HANDY BECAUSE HE TALKED ME BACK. |
| 00:15:19 | HE WAS SCREAMING AND CURSING, BUT HE TALKED ME OUT OF THE CURRENT THAT WAS CARRYING ME AWAY TO MY CERTAIN DEATH, AND I WAS ABLE TO CIRCLE BACK AND GET TO THE POINT, EXHAUSTED BUT SO RELIEVED, AND MAYBE THAT'S WHY I CUT HIM SOME SLACK WHEN HE PLAYED ME ON THE AISLE SEATS YEARS LATER. |
| 00:15:42 | NOW, SPEAKING OF COLD, TOM AND I WERE HUGE VIKINGS FANS. |
| 00:15:47 | WE'D GO TO THE OLD METROPOLITAN STADIUM DURING THE BUD GRANT YEARS WHEN GRANT WOULD NOT ALLOW HEATERS ON THE SIDELINE EVEN WHEN IT WAS BELOW ZERO. |
| 00:15:59 | NOW, I ONCE ASKED BUD GRANT WHY HE DID THAT, AND HE SAID, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS PEOPLE CAN DO WHEN THEY'RE COLD. |
| 00:16:08 | TOM AND I WERE THERE ON A VERY COLD WINTER AFTERNOON AT THE VIKINGS-COWBOYS PLAYOFF GAME, THE ONE WHERE ROGER STAUBACH THREW THE HAIL MARY DREW PEERSON PUSHED OFF ON AND HE DID PUSH OFF. |
| 00:16:28 | SENATOR HUTCHISON, SENATOR CORNYN GO BACK TO THE VIDEOTAPE WHEN PEERSON PUSHED OFF, IT WAS OFFENSIVE PASS INTERFERENCE AND THE VIKINGS SHOULD HAVE WON THAT AND GONE DO THE SUPER BOWL. |
| 00:16:40 | THAT'S HOW I AND TOM SAW IT, AND THAT'S HOW THE FAN WHO THREW THE WHISKEY BOTTLE FROM THE BLEACHERS AND KNOCKED THE REF OUT SAW IT. |
| 00:16:51 | TOM AND I BOTH SAW THE BOTTLE BLINKING IN THE COLD WINTER SUN, AS IT ARCED FROM THE BLEACHERS AND WE WERE STUNNED WHEN IT HIT THE REF RIGHT IN THE FOREHEAD. |
| 00:17:05 | THAT WAS NOT MINNESOTA-NICE. |
| 00:17:08 | TOM AND I SUFFERED THROUGH FOUR SUPER BOWLS LOSSES AND THROUGH LAST SEASON, AS SICK AS HE WAS, TOM WATCHED OUR VIKINGS AND COMPLAINED BITTERLY TO ME ON THE PHONE LATER ON SUNDAY. |
| 00:17:23 | TOM AND I WENT TO A LOT OF GRATEFUL DEAD SHOWS TOGETHER, MORE THAN EVEN SENATOR LEAHY. |
| 00:17:29 | TOM AND I WENT TO A LOT OF NEW YEAR'S EVE DEAD SHOWS. |
| 00:17:34 | THIS YEAR I WENT TO NEW YORK TO CELEBRATE NEW YEAR'S WITH TOM AND MIMI AT THEIR HOME, CELEBRATE WHAT WE KNEW WAS PROBABLY GOING TO BE HIS LAST. |
| 00:17:45 | AND AT MIDNIGHT WE TURNED ON THE DEAD AND WE DANCED. |
| 00:17:49 | NOW, UNLIKE ME, TOM BECAME AN ACCOMPLISHED GUITARIST. |
| 00:17:54 | HE COULD SIT IN WITH ANY ROCK OR BLUES BAND. |
| 00:17:59 | TOM WAS A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE STUDENT IN HIGH SCHOOL. |
| 00:18:03 | BUT THE FACT IS, HE WAS A RENAISSANCE MAN. |
| 00:18:06 | HE LOVED TO READ HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY AND FICTION. |
| 00:18:09 | HE DEVOTED A LOT OF HIS LAST YEARS TO HIS ART, SCULPTING SOLELY FROM FOUND OBJECTS FROM THE CREEK THAT RAN BY HIS HOUSE IN UPSTATE NEW YORK. |
| 00:18:22 | YES, TOM WAS AN COVERAGE AN ORIGINAL. |
| 00:18:24 | SOME TIME AGO TOM AND I TALKED ABOUT WRITING SOMETHING FOR THIS OCCASION. |
| 00:18:32 | BUT ABOUT A YEAR OR SO AGO HE WROTE A PIECE FOR A LITERARY MAGAZINE THAT SAID WHAT NEEDED TO BE SAID. |
| 00:18:44 | IT WAS TOM AND HIS TAKE ON WHAT HE WAS FACING. |
| 00:18:46 | IT IS CALLED "THE DARK SIDE OF DEATH. |
| 00:18:51 | " SO, I DECIDED TO READ FROM IT WITH A FEW EDITS FOR THE SENATE FLOOR, AND I ASK THAT THE PIECE IN ITS ENTIRETY, WITH SOME OTHER EDITS, BE INCLUDED IN THE RECORD. |
| 00:19:05 | THE PRESIDING OFFICER: WITHOUT OBJECTION, IT WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE RECORD. |
| 00:19:08 | MR. |
| 00:19:09 | FRANKEN: THANK YOU, MR. |
| 00:19:10 | PRESIDENT. "THE DARK SIDE OF DEATH" BY TOM DAVIS. |
| 00:19:14 | THE GOOD NEWS, MY CHEMOTHERAPY IS WORKING AND I'M STILL BUYING GREEN BANANAS. |
| 00:19:20 | I'VE LOST ABOUT 50 POUNDS. |
| 00:19:21 | I NEEDED TO LOSE 49. |
| 00:19:26 | FALSE HOPE IS MY ENEMY, ALSO SELF-PITY, WHICH WENT OUT THE WINDOW WHEN I SAW CHILDREN WITH CANCER. |
| 00:19:34 | I TRY TO EMBRACE THE INEVITABLE WITH WHATEVER GRACE I CAN MUSTER AND FIND THE JOY IN EACH DAY, AND I'M -- I'VE ALWAYS BEEN GOOD AT THAT. |
| 00:19:42 | BUT NOW I'M GETTING REALLY GOOD AT THAT. |
| 00:19:47 | I WAKE UP IN THE MORNING DELIGHTED TO BE WAKING UP, READ AND WRITE AND FEED THE BIRDS, WATCH SPORTS ON TV, ACCEPTING THE FACT THAT IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE I WILL BE A DEAD PERSON. |
| 00:20:00 | I WANT TO REMIND THAT YOU DEAD PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE, TOO. |
| 00:20:03 | THERE ARE GOOD DEAD PEOPLE AND BAD DEAD PEOPLE. |
| 00:20:07 | SOME OF MY BEST TRENDS ARE DEAD PEOPLE. |
| 00:20:11 | DEAD PEOPLE HAVE FOUGHT IN EVERY WAR. |
| 00:20:12 | WE'RE ALL GOING TO TRY IT SOMETIME. |
| 00:20:14 | FORTUNATELY FOR ME, I'VE ALWAYS ENJOYED MYSTERY AND SOLITUDE. |
| 00:20:18 | MANY PEOPLE IN MY SITUATION SAY IT'S BEEN MY WORST AND BEST YEAR. |
| 00:20:22 | IF THAT'S SOUNDS LIKE CLICHE, YOU DON'T HAVE CANCER. |
| 00:20:30 | I AM GRATEFUL TO HAVE GAINED NOT JUST INTELLECTUAL EMPATHY. |
| 00:20:37 | I HAVE GONE THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT SUFFERING. |
| 00:20:42 | I HAD TO TURN INWARD. |
| 00:20:43 | PEOPLE FROM ALL O -- FROM ALL OVER MY LIFE ARE RECONNECTING TO ME AND I TRIED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY DEEDS, GOOD AND BAD. |
| 00:20:51 | I THINK I'VE FINALLY GROWN UP. |
| 00:20:54 | IT IS ODD TO HAVE SO MUCH TIME ORCHESTRATE THE PROCESS OF MY OWN DEATH. |
| 00:20:59 | I'M IMPROVISING. |
| 00:21:00 | I'VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE SO FAR AS I KNOW. |
| 00:21:04 | IRONICALLY, I'LL PROBABLY OUTLIVE ONE OR TWO PEOPLE TO WHOM I'VE ALREADY SAID GOODBYE. |
| 00:21:10 | MY LIFE HAS BEEN RIFE WITH IRONY. |
| 00:21:13 | WHY STOP NOW? |
| 00:21:15 | AS AN OLD MALTHUSEAN LIBERAL, I'VE ALWAYS BELIEVED THAT THE SOURCE OF ALL MANKIND'S PROBLEMS IS OVERPOPULATION. |
| 00:21:23 | I'M FINALLY GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. |
| 00:21:30 | TOM FACED DEATH WITH HUMOR AND COURAGE. |
| 00:21:37 | REST IN PEACE. |
| 00:21:38 | THANK YOU. |
| 00:21:39 | THANK YOU, MR. |
| 00:21:43 | PRESIDENT. |
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