I’m intrigued…
No, it has to be “first, make sure he’s really dead”.
I enjoyed the story, and knew quickly that the punchline would be a bad one. I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be better than I had thought (the only other joke of this, er, magnitude I’ve heard ended with “I didn’t know dogs could talk”. That’s a letdown).
What’s orange and sounds like a parrot?
A carrot
I enjoyed the story as well. What made it all the more enjoyable was the knowledge that the ending would be a real groaner. The longer it went, the more suspense I was in.
Make. the. hurting. stop.
Okay, I admit it. It was a little funny.
I guess I’m just easier to please, or I’ve felt the thrill of that collective groan.
Muad’Dib, you are my new hero. (Don’t get too puffed up over that, Yesterday, my hero was Cervaise, for creative swearing.)
My shaggy is about Mr. Oppornoccitti, but since I’ve posted it somewhere sometime in the past, I won’t do it again. Besides, no one would read it. Shaggies have to be come upon by serendipity to be fully experienced. 
[hijack] Where is this creative swearing? [/hijack]
I enjoyed it immensely,** Muad’Dib**. I sat and munched on some leftover ribs while I read it, and my husband kept asking me what had me so entranced, sitting in front of my monitor, slowly chewing, hyper-focused…
I don’t care that it was a cheesy punchline! It was a satisfying story. 
Figures Muad’Dib would tell us a story about the desert. But shouldn’t Nate and Sammy have been sandworms instead?
Just before the last post I smelled something fishy and knew the “joke” would fizzle out. So I jumped to the last paragraph, and I realized I wasted all that time.
Still I marvel how some people can make a short story long.
I liked it a lot and intend to use it at the first opportunity. Not many people like me anyway, so why not?
That clown one must be a Chicago thing because I’ve never heard it outside of this area. Pretty funny one, though.
I made it about halfway through the first post before realizing that a joke that long had to be a shaggy dog. Once it hits a certain length, the joke is that people will continue to read.
Heh. Read a one-paragraph version of the joke in Boy’s Life when I was eight–but your version was far superior. Thanks, Muad!
Here’s my latest joke, that I thought of all by myself (can you tell?)
Q. Which candidate in the 1976 Presidential Election was jazzier?
A. Ford. Carter was the donkey’s James, but Ford was the elephant’s Gerald.
HAW HAW HAW!
Daniel
I thought the punch line was going to be something like “Wiper? I thought you said viper!”
And LHoD - I got the “elephant’s Gerald” part, but “donkey’s James”?
Regards,
Shodan
It’s only there for parallel structure–and “donkey’s Jimmy” just sounds dirty. Groucho Marx I’m not.
Daniel
I’m American, and I don’t. I pronounce it leaver.
Why, in the Pit, of course.
Two Pickets to Tittsburgh, Ha very funny!
Seconded.