[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 103 (Friday, June 20, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S5942]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 597--DESIGNATING JUNE 2008, AS `` `WAIT WAIT . . . 
                  DON'T TELL ME!' RECOGNITION MONTH''

  Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. Hagel) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 597

       Whereas ``Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!'', the National 
     Public Radio news quiz show, which uses current news stories 
     for questions and comedy, is celebrating the 10th anniversary 
     of the show's premiere in 1998;
       Whereas the programming and content created and distributed 
     by National Public Radio is based on 3 core values, qualities 
     of mind, qualities of heart, and qualities of craft (and 
     despite those core values, National Public Radio still airs 
     shows like ``Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!'' with a straight 
     corporate face);
       Whereas, in 2008, ``Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!'' was 
     named a winner of the George Foster Peabody Award, the oldest 
     and most prestigious award in broadcasting (probably due to 
     George Foster Peabody's lifelong commitment to self-
     aggrandizing entertainers, spectacularly dumb criminals, and 
     overly earnest scientists, who comprise the inspiration for 
     the show);
       Whereas ``Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!'' carries on the 
     tradition of humor that is part of our Second City by taping 
     its show in the Chase Auditorium in downtown Chicago, 
     Illinois (which may be the only place in the United States 
     where people pay for tickets to watch a radio show that is 
     broadcast for free);
       Whereas President John F. Kennedy once said, ``I look 
     forward to an America which will steadily raise the standards 
     of artistic accomplishment and which will steadily enlarge 
     cultural opportunities for all of our citizens.'' (making it 
     clear that President Kennedy never could have imagined ``Wait 
     Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!'');
       Whereas notable Americans such as Supreme Court Justice 
     Stephen Breyer, actor Tom Hanks, United States Attorney 
     Patrick Fitzgerald, New York Times columnist William Safire, 
     and White House Press Secretary Dana Perino have appeared on 
     the show (and luckily, few have suffered any significant, 
     long-term damage to their careers);
       Whereas ``Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!'' host Peter Sagal 
     and veteran newsman Carl Kassell have been described as ``the 
     perfect team to liven up a Saturday'' (rendering them 
     entirely unsuitable for any gainful employment);
       Whereas ``Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!'' finds expression 
     through a recognition that you don't have to be a 
     professional comedian to be humorous (a premise proven each 
     week by a rotating panel of humorists, journalists, and 
     others, including Roy Blount, Jr., Tom Bodett, Amy Dickinson, 
     Adam Felber, Kyrie O'Connor, P.J. O'Rourke, Paula Poundstone, 
     Paul Provenza, Charlie Pierce, Roxanne Roberts, and Mo 
     Rocca); and
       Whereas ``Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!'', produced by 
     National Public Radio and Chicago Public Radio, airs on 
     nearly 450 National Public Radio member stations, and its 
     audience has grown in every ratings period since its premiere 
     in January 1998 (growth that is directly proportional to the 
     boundless egos of the show's creator and Executive Producer 
     Doug Berman, Senior Producer Rod Abid, producers Mike 
     Danforth, Emily Ecton, and Melody Kramer, technical directors 
     Lorna White and Robert Neuhaus, and limericist Philipp 
     Goedicke): Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates June 2008 as `` `Wait Wait
     . . . Don't Tell Me!' Recognition Month''; and
       (2) celebrates the show for its contributions to the 
     Nation's enduring creative spirit and for always bringing 
     smiles to America's Saturday mornings.

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