after the fact

This week the governor of New York gave a pardon to Lenny Bruce, the 1960s comedian who liked to use curse words in his act, mild by current standards, but upsetting in his day. He was charged and found guilty of violating New York law.

NPR had a clip this week of Bruce's act after his arrest, when he talked about his trial. Instead of the curse words, he substituted the words, blah, blah, blah. Bruce said the prosecutor said in the trial, Mr. Bruce said, blah, blah, blah. Then the judge said, He said, blah, blah, blah? Yes, said the prosecutor, he said, blah, blah, blah. At that point in his re-telling, Bruce said I think they like to say blah, blah, blah. They're really in to blah, blah, blah.

The story, on the front day of yesterday's New York Times, caught my attention because of the fourth paragraph:

Being dead, Mr. Bruce is not expected to reap any immediate benefit from the pardon.

The Times reporter was John Kifner.