Tough times for comedians

That Monty Python man Michael Palin has been bemoaning the difficulties of making jokes about Al Qaida. He told an interviewer from Der Spiegel this week that Political correctness is intimidating people. "And I'm not just talking about terrorism," said the comic. "Sometimes you get the impression that you're not allowed to make jokes unless you've read the small print. But that's not possible. Humor has to be spontaneous. Laughter is a kind of a libertarian thing. I hope it remains that way."