Too True

How can this be right when this was wrong?

This Just In

In the, "Is that a very good idea?" Department:

Scientist thinks invisibility possible in future

"Look Over There, It's Elvis!"

Via Yowling, while no one was paying attention, we get ready to deploy a new set of troops to Iraq.

Minntelect has a great cheat sheet up to go with all of the maps I stole from him last week.

The Presidential Prayer Team doesn't supply a lot of info unless you register, so I've decided to invent a new game...

Here are the results; What was the Question?



(Winner gets a free beer at DL this week)

Bush was "right?"

Thanks to the Anti-Strib crew, I just watched the Bush Was Right video, not having heard the song in quite some time. Then I laughed.

Here's some lyrics for those of you who would like a refresher:

Freedom in Afghanistan, say goodbye Taliban
Free elections in Iraq, Saddam Hussein locked up
Osama's staying underground, Al Qaida now is finding out
America won't turn and run once the fighting has begun
Libya turns over nukes, Lebanese want freedom, too
Syria is forced to leave, don't you know that all this means

Chorus
Bush was right!
Bush was right!
Bush was right!

Democracy is on the way, hitting like a tidal wave
All over the middle east, dictators walk with shaky knees
Don't know what they're gonna do,
their worst nightmare is coming true
They fear the domino effect, they're all wondering who's next

Repeat Chorus

Monday Bits N Pieces

Brodkorb has moved past trying to say Mark Richie is a Commie, and is now trying out Mark Richie is an eco-terrorist. Tomorrow, expect to see a story proclaiming Ritchie a Nazi sympathizer because he never saw the movie "Schindler's List," since that appears to be the kind of smear campaign Michael enjoys instigating.

Bill at SkipTheLife shows us the real reason we should worry about Ellison's credibility - the candidate once hung out with MC Hammer.

Publius has a message board. I will never go there. It took me long enough to break my last message board addiction...

And in case you didn't notice, healthcare is now officially ridiculous:

Carl Garrett of Leicester, N.C., will fly to a state-of-the-art hospital in New Delhi in September for surgeries to remove gallstones and to fix a rotator cuff. His employer, Blue Ridge Paper Products Inc., will pay for it all, including airfare for Garrett and his fiancee. The company, based in Canton, N.C., also will give Garrett a share of the expected savings, up to $10,000, when he returns.

Sunday Bits N Pieces

Article in the New York Times about local pastor Gregory A. Boyd:

Like most pastors who lead thriving evangelical megachurches, the Rev. Gregory A. Boyd was asked frequently to give his blessing — and the church's — to conservative political candidates and causes.

The requests came from church members and visitors alike: Would he please announce a rally against gay marriage during services? Would he introduce a politician from the pulpit? Could members set up a table in the lobby promoting their anti-abortion work? Would the church distribute "voters' guides" that all but endorsed Republican candidates? And with the country at war, please couldn't the church hang an American flag in the sanctuary?

After refusing each time, Mr. Boyd finally became fed up, he said. Before the last presidential election, he preached six sermons called "The Cross and the Sword" in which he said the church should steer clear of politics, give up moralizing on sexual issues, stop claiming the United States as a "Christian nation" and stop glorifying American military campaigns.

Lori Sturdevant talks about South Dakota:

It would be a long stretch to claim that, when abortion was outlawed, South Dakotans suddenly found their inner feminists. What rankled folks wasn't that lawmakers wanted to deprive women of control over their own bodies, observed Planned Parenthood's Kate Looby.

Instead, it was that lawmakers showed no pity for women impregnated by acts of rape or incest, or for those whose health would be adversely affected by pregnancy and childbearing. Some people also objected to the use of their state tax dollars on a legal errand for the national right-to-life movement.

Looby, whose bunker-like Planned Parenthood clinic in Sioux Falls is the only abortion provider in the state, believes the "prolife" label masks the shades of gray in South Dakotans' opinions. "There are many moderates on this issue," she said. "They say, this [all-out ban] goes too far."

Sponge tries his hand at a Shogunmoon reinactment. I'd give him 3 magnetic spiceracks out of a possible 4.

The DFL may be down to one candidate for Senate, but far be it from Democrats to let something like that stop us from fighting each other. (And yes, I know Daryl Stanton is still in the race.)

Finally, cool off a little...

AG debate August 2nd

Sponsored by the Feminist Caucus:

The DFL Feminist Caucus is hosting a candidate forum for the AG's
race on Wednesday, August 2nd at 7pm at the Hennepin County
Government Center on the lower level in the Jury Assembly room - all
three campaigns have confirmed they will be in attendance.

What: DFL Feminist Caucus Attorney General Candidate Forum
Where: Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S 6th St, Minneapolis, MN
Lower Lever, Jury Assembly Room
When: Wednesday, August 2nd at 7pm

Please come and hear our DFL candidates for Attorney General - the
event is open to all who would like to join us!

The MDE v ILC Arm Wrestling Match

How could I have forgotten that!

Fecke has a very Madden-like recap...

Saturday Bits N Pieces

I'm going to be spending the day with my mom, who's up visiting from Nebraska. Here's some things to entertain you while I'm out trying to convert her to Democrat.

Big talk from the right about the upcoming paintball tourney

Gil and tobacco from MNCR

Tony gets his first taste of the pharyngulites

GOPWingman notes Becky Lourey is going to be on Strom's show 12-2 pm. Hey David, when do I get to come on?

Wege is back and crankier than ever with his smackdown of republicans who will only raise the minimum wage a few measly dollars if their rich contributors get their estate tax repealed.

Blue Stem Praire is gracious enough to note the coverage of the 1st in this weeks blog house without mentioning the fact that they should probably have been included.

And, via my favorite ladies, the majority claims yet another chance to make themselves the "victims." (3rd down in "recent articles")

updated (12:20) Huh. Thanks for the shout out, Mr. Strom.

The Latest Mark Kennedy Ad

"Real Close"

Now recruiting

who's with me?

Because Even Public Television Thinks Blogs Are Cool

Almanac tonight:

It's a Bloggers World
How have blogs changed Minnesota's political world? We here from two bloggers who talk about their craft. Michael Brodkorb and Chuck Olsen are our guests.

Because nothing says "politics" like Mooki's New Toy.

7 pm tonight.

New Journalist Pilot Program Announcement

I am happy to let everyone know that I have just turned in my contract, and I am now officially taking on the role of State Coordinator for the Center For Independent Media's New Journalism Pilot Program. In this role I will be working with other Fellows doing training, mentoring, and providing other forms of support.

I have also been hired on as a Fellow as well as the coordinator, and look forward the myriad of ways this will lead to producing democrat wins up and down the ballot in Minnesota this November.

If you have more questions about the program, feel free to email me. If you are a MOBster ready to flame me...there's the commments, go at it.

DISCLAIMER:

Robin Marty is a participant in the Center for Independent Media New Journalism Pilot Program. However, all of the statements, opinions, policies, and views expressed on this site are solely Robin Marty's. This web site is not a production of the Center, and the Center does not support or endorse any of the contents on this site.

Edited on 10/03/06 to add:

As it appears that some people have had difficulty understanding that the above means that I have taken a paid position, I would like to state explicitly that this is a PAID role. I receive a $3000 stipend from the CIM for my work, which curently is an average of 60-70 hours a week minimum. It was a significant pay cut for me, and I did so because I believe in the work that is being done is important to political discourse, and that fact-based, investigative blogging and original reporting only grows in importance as the internet becomes saturated with press consultants alleging to be independents.

The CIM provides mentoring to help us apply our ethics code and the standards and practices of good journalism but does not in any other way influence our writing or tell us what we should be reporting on. We are not allowed to work for campaigns or politicians in order to keep our reporting free of conflicts of interest that inhibit other bloggers.

MCCL and the Zephyr?

Hat tips to Eva, MCCL is having a fundraiser aboard the Minnesota Zephyr.

Am I the only one wondering if it's going to be traveling through any tunnels, and the symbolism therein?

The Question Has Been Asked

by Spotty...

I answer in song:

"What Would Micheal Brodkorb do
If Coleman was a Dem?
We'd see do a post or two.
That's what Michael Brodkorb'd do..."


(it felt like Bigger, Longer and Uncut was in order)

If you can't convert them, shoot them

Kevin sent me an interesting email this morning, proposing a challenge.

No, not pistols at dawn....paintball.

So here's the idea: righty blogger v lefty blogger paintball tourney. Of course, the lefties have a huge advantage, as we don't have nearly as many yellow elephants running around, but I think they can make up for it with their obvious fascination with guns.

We're thinking end of summer, begining of fall. And by begining of fall I mean, of course, that they will fall quickly to the ground because of our accuracy and prowess. Let meknow if you're interested, and, if you can show me which end of the gun things come out of, cause i just don't know....

I'll keep this short

Hammer has an interesting proposal of principal principle for Democrats. Go read and discuss.

update: d'oh! And I was just ragging on somebody on Monday for careless spellchecking.

Operation: Northern Tiger

Mike Hatch has released the outlines of a plan for how to move the State forward. In what I guess is a shout-out to the Irish, it's called "Operation: Northern Tiger". Nothing on his website, yet, and much of the outline is very general at this point, but I like the direction he wants to move in with increased focus on education and health care as his major priorities plus some important but less discussed topics such as making rural areas more internet capable and what to do with the soon to be empty Ford plant in St. Paul.

Also, in this plan he answers my question from yesterday:

Hatch thinks Minnesota could easily be a nationwide leader in embryonic stem cell research, and at the same time restore its lost status as a leader in the biosciences. He asked an expert in the field what it might cost to make that happen, and was amazed to hear it would only be around $100 million. So he'd invest $10 million a year for a decade, which is painless compared to the hundreds of millions being sought to build new stadiums, he added. He'd find the money by establishing better auditing procedures at the state Department of Revenue, which Hatch said the legislative auditor recently found to be "lax" in a "scathing report."

Specter Spying Hearing Today

Today, Congress takes up Arlen Specter's expansion of Presidential power under the FISA law. I've written several posts about my opposition to the warrantless spying program and Specter's retroactive attempts to legalize this criminal behavior (most recently here). Don't just take my word for it, though! Much smarter people than myself agree that this unconscionable bill would expand Presidential authority beyond anything dreamt of in the Constitution and would be a major blow to our system of government in this country. Glenn Greewald has written about it here. And the Washington Post has a strongly worded editorial about it today as well.

I think this issue is much more important than the attention it's been given. SO...I don't normally do this, but I suggest you write to your senator and/or representative and urge them to oppose this bill. It might not be much, but they need to see that people are paying attention to this stuff and that we feel strongly about it.

For those from Minnesota, Senator Dayton can be reached here.

Senator Coleman can be reached here.

You can find info on how to contact your Representative on this page.

I know this is only in committee at the moment, but it will need to be passed by the full legislature before it can become law-so let's let our elected representatives know how we feel before the issue comes before them.

Added: Firedoglake is liveblogging the committee hearings for anyone who's interested.

Another update: Assuming this thing doesn't get out of committee today you can always contact the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee directly, even if you don't live in their State. A list of the members of the Committee is here along with links to their websites. Again, I encourage everyone to call or write. Let them know that the people of this country are paying attention to these shenanigans.

Also, you can listen live to the hearings by going here:

http://www.capitolhearings.org/

More War

Meanwhile, back in the Middle East...

The Next Front

Pressure is building on Ankara to deal more harshly with cross-border terrorist attacks from Iraq.

By Owen Matthews and Sami Kohen
Newsweek International

July 31, 2006 issue - Israel launched airstrikes on Lebanon in response to attacks by Hizbullah earlier this month, and George W. Bush called it "self-defense." But what to tell the Turks, who over the last week lost 15 soldiers to terror attacks launched by separatist Kurds from neighboring Iraq? Many Turkish leaders are pressing for cross-border tactical air assaults on the guerrillas. But Bush, fearing yet another escalation of the Middle East's violence, urged Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to hold off. "The message was, unilateral action isn't going to be helpful," says a senior U.S. official, describing the 15-minute phone conversation. "The president asked for patience."

And so Turkish forces are holding fast—for now—in deference to their half-century alliance with the United States. But that patience is bound to be challenged, probably sooner than later. Domestic political pressures are building to take a leaf from Israel's book and hit back at the guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.

This of course was one of the outcomes feared in the run-up to the Iraq war. An independent Kurdistan that would inspire the Kurdish minority in neighboring Turkey to rise up and demand autonomy. At the time we were told that that wouldn't happen. Iraq would remain unified. Of course, the Neocons who planned this war didn't tell us years later it'd be all we could do to desperately try to hold onto Baghdad.

If this flares up it could easily result in a conflict which seriously destabilize Turkey, creating a failed state out of one of the few in that region which was strongly tied to the West. "We're messing up countries we didn't have anything to do with!" That should mark some kind of failure record for this Administration and their Legislative lapdogs.

So what do we do? It may be impossible to deal diplomatically with Kurdistan as a separate entity when we're still trying to hold Iraq together. It doesn't really matter anyway because we obviously can't spare any troops to go enforce the border between Turkey and Kurdistan. If this keeps up, though, we can't tell Turkey not to retaliate at the exact same time that we're trumpeting Israel's right to self-defense. Anybody see a way out of this that doesn't end in a massive expansion of hostilities? Dare I suggest a UN mission to the region? I know they don't have the most stellar track record of preventing conflicts, but I don't really see many other options if this heats up.

Update: Jeff Fecke has some thoughts on the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. He does, I think, a pretty good job of laying out why I've not written anything about the whole affair.

Ken Jennings...More Fun Than You Thought?

'Jeopardy!' Champ Ken Jennings Blasts Show

NEW YORK (July 25) - "Jeopardy!" ace Ken Jennings, who won $2.5 million during his 74-game winning streak, has a few unkind words to say about the show - and dapper host Alex Trebek.

"I know, I know, the old folks love him," Jennings writes in a recent posting, titled "Dear Jeopardy!" on his Web site.

"Nobody knows he died in that fiery truck crash a few years back and was immediately replaced with the Trebektron 4000 (I see your engineers still can't get the mustache right, by the way)."

Then Later...

In a "correction" posted Monday on his Web site, Jennings offers an apology of sorts.

"We regret the insinuation that Mr. Alex Trebek is a robot, and has been since 2004. Mr. Trebek's robotic frame does still contain some organic parts, many harvested from patriotic Canadian schoolchildren, so this technically makes him a 'cyborg', not a 'robot'."

But really, this was all just an excuse to post some Celebrity Jeopardy clips I've been watching this week. Enjoy!

All The Irish Seemed Wired Last Night...

From the "you can't make this stuff up" category.

Evil Bobby notes a story out of Ireland:

Ireland worker finds ancient psalms in bog

DUBLIN, Ireland - Irish archaeologists Tuesday heralded the discovery of an ancient book of psalms by a construction worker who spotted something while driving the shovel of his backhoe into a bog.

The approximately 20-page book has been dated to the years 800-1000. Trinity College manuscripts expert Bernard Meehan said it was the first discovery of an Irish early medieval document in two centuries.

He then notes:

Oh crap. This will be repeated on the Rapture Ready website, if it hasn't been already.

He's a smart one, that Bobby:

Blogging like KvM - 10

Is everyone done talking about SurveyUSA? Good, because that poll is meaningless. Not worth writing one word about.

Things to do in Denver when you're DNC

Does that mean they're ahead of us in the Convention race?

They may have purple mountains majesty, but is that enough...

Denver may offer the background of majestic mountains and a promise of a Democratic stronghold in the West, but the decision to make this city the Democratic National Convention site could all boil down to a simple detail: when the East and West Coast voters sit down to watch TV.

Stem Cells & State Politics

Stem Cell Work Gets States' Aid After Bush Veto

CHICAGO, July 24 - President Bush's veto of legislation to expand federally financed embryonic stem cell research has had the unintended consequence of drawing state money into the contentious field and has highlighted the issue in election campaigns across the country.

Following President Bush's benighted veto of Federal funding for ESC research, I would be interested in knowing how Mr. Hatch and Mr. Pawlenty feel about state funding for such research.

Minnesota has traditionally lead in the health care field. Besides, with the resources of the U of M and the Mayo Clinic there are few states better poised to make real breakthroughs in this field. We always hear talk from the governor's mansion about making this state competitive in the biosciences. What better way to make us competitive than to get a jump on this potentially ground breaking research?

Pawlenty has trumpeted this as a goal in the past, although actual support has been lacking and he has thus far refused to take a stand on the stem cell issue. As far as I can tell Hatch has taken no stand one way or another on the issue. Let's hope someone asks about this at a debate or interview.

Blogging like KvM - 9

Okay, I've got a meeting with James Carville set up. I'll let you know what he thinks of the SurveyUSA poll when it's over. Maybe I need to make a graphic -SURVEYUSA "A STATE HELD HOSTAGE". Something like that?

Blogging like KvM - 8

Everybody knows that SurveyUSA has a terrible historical track record right? They claimed that some Truman guy was going to defeat Thomas Dewey for president in '48. I've seen the headlines in my social studies class. I know who defeated who. Take that SurveyUSA.

Blogging like KvM - 7

I just called up all my liberal friends and they said SurveyUSA is a bad poll. Just thought you all should know that real people don't listen to this stuff. In fact I just took a survey at the nearest DFA meetup and they all supported Klobuchar-so take that SurveyUSA. You can expect essays soon laying out why we don't trust SurveyUSA from DFLSenate and MNPublius. They'll set the record straight.

Blogging like KvM - 6

Why haven't we seen internal polling on this? If Kennedy's people want to claim these numbers are acurate it's really up to them to prove it. It's not up to us to disprove it. They should release internal polling data to back up this poll. Okay, I'm done with this now.

Blogging like KvM - 5

Okay, I know I said I wasn't going to say anything more about SurveyUSA, but I just wanted to remind everyone that these numbers don't mean anything. I don't want people to be turned away from the campaign because of these numbers. That's important.

Blogging like KvM - 4

This will be the last I write about SurveyUSA. Everybody knows they're biased. End of story, right? Nobody believes that garbage. Why they only surveyed 616 registered voters. What kind of sample size is that? Margin of error 4%? More like 40%. That leaves Kennedy with 2%. So realy Kennedy's support could be anywhere between 2% and 42%. So what does this poll tell us? Nothing, that's right. With a margin of error like that these numbers don't mean anything.

Blogging like KvM - 3

I wonder how long it will be before the rightie bloggers pick up this SurveyUSA thing to try to pretend like Kennedy is closing the gap?

Update: Well, that didn't take long.
When all the rightie sites are claiming the poll's good you know somethings wrong with it.

Blogging like KvM - 2

Okay, here's the breakdown. Like I expected. Bias bias bias. Only 16% of the respondents were self identified "liberals". Why didn't they ask how many were progressives? Huh? Afraid of what they might find out? And 56% suburban. Yeah, that's fair. Like I thought. We can safely ignore these results.

Blogging like KvM - 1

So, I see the notoriously inaccurate Survey USA poll has been released. Kennedy at 42%? Ha! Let's see the sample on that one.

Shirking my senate duties

but they're doing a fine job without me.

Also, new polling out, although I don't find it to be too accurate, as they have Fitzgerald and Hutchinson at the same number...

Stupid things I missed

This story. I wouldn't bring it up now, but I want to correct an error...

Bloggers have formed their own community, of sorts. Left-leaning bloggers gather weekly at the 331 Club in northeast Minneapolis to engage in part of a national network dubbed "Drinking Liberally."

In case there is anyone reading this who doesn't know it by now, Drinking Liberally is not a community of bloggers. Yes, there are some bloggers who come, mainly because we obviously fixate on politics way too much. But a majority of people, both in Minneapolis and accross the country, aren't associated with blogs. They are just regular people who want some place to talk about what's going on in the world.

Oh, and I know Brodkorb watches Xena. He strikes me as a Gabrielle guy.

Klobuchar and Kennedy on Fox News tonight

According to JD, there will be a bit about the KvK on Fox today at 5.

I say thank goodness, since that means they might stop talking about why John Kerry should never be president at some point.

That's just bizzare

On the very same day that two of their candidates are hosting Karl Rove fundraisers the MN GOP sees fit to put out this press release:



Remember when Mark Kennedy vowed to "push for change in Washington"? Between Kennedy and Bachmann we've had just about every high ranking member of the current administration in town to raise cash.

Of course, this is the same Mark Kennedy whose campaign staff is questioning Klobucahr's fundraising ethics while staying mum about the $25,000 they received from Tom DeLay's ARMPAC which was shut down to avoid criminal prosecutions.

I guess we can see how Kennedy plans to run this race-with little concern for ethical considerations or much regard for the average voter. Does he think we don't notice the contradiction between what he says and what he does?

Site Update

Forgot to mention on Friday that Mr. David Roberts stopped by Drinking Liberally last week. You know what that means-we have a new entry in the "Drinking Buddies" sidebar.

Everybody go check out Evil Bobby. Right now.

Mr. Roberts also contributes to the group blog "A Bluestem Prarie" devoted to events and happenings in Minnesota's Fightin' First District. ABP is definitely worth a look, but I'm not adding it to the sidebar just yet. There's like five or six bloggers in that group. I think it's only fair that we'll need to see a few more of them before we can add them.

Also, I'm removing "Blog for Bell" for obvious reasons...and I'm going to put Norwegianity back into the sidebar...just in case...

Update: Blogger is all bloggered up. Guess I'll have to update the template tonight.

Something to remember

We're the reason MDE has info....

Democrats tipped him off to most of his scoops. They often try to use him to settle intra-party grudges.

It's democrats putting their own wants before the party's needs that gives him fodder.

They said it!

This just in: Taxpayers League calls for more state government!

If these 200 Minnesotans really want to improve roads, education, health care, etc., in Minnesota, they would work to fix Minnesota's obsolete and insufficient government programs...

Bill Cooper's and Mike Wigley's valuable lesson for today? The dangers of spell check. I assume the word they wanted there was "inefficient".

The other valuable lesson for today? Go read Charlie for your antidote to all of this Taxpayers League hooey.

Can you feel it?

In four days rookies report to Mankato. The real fun begins a week from Tuesday when the veterans report. From there it's only a few short weeks until football (American football, that is. Sorry fans of that other "football" game!) is once again on everybody's mind.

Here's your chance to throw out your wild predictions for this season.

Despite my hometown boosterism, I honestly can't see the Vikings making much of a run this year. Too many new players plus a new coaching staff means it's probably going to take most of the season before they get everything together. On the other hand they are located in one of the worst divisions in the NFL, so they won't be totally blown away. I'll go with a 7 and 8 record this year for the boys in purple.

Update: Make that a 7 and 9 record. I originally wrote "8 and 8" but decided that that was a little too wildly optimistic. Updated one half but not the other. And yes, LF, I think dropping a game from their schedule (for example, the October 30th game vs. the Patriots or the game before that in Seattle) would probably help their record. Smart @$$.

"What are we going to do today, Brain?"

Moses has some pictures from the gathering of the "minds" Friday.

Friday Photoblogging

Sorry for the lack of posting today. The icy cold hand of fear has gripped my heart and is sapping my will. The proximity of such concentrated evil is almost too much for this mere mortal.



No, not him. Eviler!



Oooh, scary. You're getting close, but still not evil enough.




Well, that's certainly evil enough, and it does fill my soul with an eldritch horror, but something isn't quite right about it...






Gaah! That's it! Karl Rove is in town. [shudder] It's okay, I'm scared too. If we keep our wits about us we can make it through this. Ia! Ia! Rove fhtagn!

Happy to blog for a better Minnesota

Regarding the "Invest for a Better MN" discussion...I'm tagging out for now.

Now entering the ring: Charlie!

What's comical about this supposed expose is that it was provoked by a letter from one supporter who called Growth & Justice "bipartisan." Sturdevant didn't call them nonpartisan, but remarked on the fact that the expected names on the ad were joined by some unexpected ones.

There's no fig leaf, guys.

Growth & Justice draws from different perspectives and invites participation from all parties, but it plainly states it "is a progressive economic think tank focused on developing and communicating public policy strategies and agendas to make Minnesota's economy simultaneously more prosperous, fair, and environmentally sustainable."

And it does speak against partisanship as a barrier to finding solutions. "Public discussion in Minnesota has become increasingly partisan and strident. Many participants come to it from a single perspective, such as strengthening business or reducing poverty or protecting the environment. To build support for progress, and preserve Minnesota's tradition of strong performance, we need to think innovatively about &, not OR."

Finally, your own analysis says 95% of the signers' contributions were to Democratic or left-leaning groups, but that's not 95% of the group. No word about the 17% who recorded no political contributions at all.

Mitch, I hope you do come to a session, listen and ask questions. Then you'll have something real to write about.

Go there and discuss. Also, to Mitch if he's reading this, Charlie's not kidding. Your comment filter has gone nuts this week. I've tried to comment three times and they've all been rejected. Or did I get banned?

This one's for PZ

The headline from the Onion's "This Day in History" for today:

Tom DeLay's Dirty Money

Tom DeLay's PAC, Americans for a Republican Majority, has been forced to shut down by the FEC due to numerous unethical and potentially illegal activities.

Here is a list of Minnesota Republicans who have taken DeLay's dirty money over the years:

John Kline $30,000
Mark Kennedy $25,000
Gil Gutknecht $1,000
The Minnesota Republican Party $10,000

Source: The FEC

Will the MNGOP and these Republican legislators agree to give back DeLay's dirty money? Or are they happy to be part of Washington's culture of corruption?

The Most Important Issue Facing the Nation?

Fresh from voting to uphold Bush's veto on the stem cell bill, something which might have actually helped his constituents, Mark Kennedy votes in favor of the of the ridiculous "Pledge Protection Act".

Have you been pandered to enough yet, right wing base?

Not only does the bill address nothing substantial, there isn't any way it's even constitutional. Congress cannot pass laws which are not subject to judicial review. Remember checks? balances? separation of powers? This would be like the president signing a law duly passed by congress and then saying he is not bound by it. Oh wait...

Want to cut pork from the federal budget? I suggest suspending pay for any legislator who voted for this bill. Such pay to remain suspended until those legislators are capable of passing a high school civics exam. Better yet, vote them out of office and replace them with people who are capable of writing and passing laws that actually matter.

Update: Is Moses auditioning for the job of Congressional Civics teacher?

Via Polinaut

We see a hint of an actual debate shaping up between Gil Gutknecht and Tim Walz about Iraq. First Gutknecht and his platitudes:

"What we need to be doing right now is starting to withdraw some of the Americans, and that will force the Iraqis to step up and take responsibility, as they have in the northern parts of the country, in the Kurdish region," Gutknecht said.

"Sending more Americans right now I think would send the message to the Iraqis that they're not responsible for their own future. We have to make sure that they understand that they are."

But Gutknecht rejected a call made by some Democrats for a timetable for withdrawal.

So we need to withdraw troops but we need to reject any sort of timetable (I.E. measurable reasons) for doing so? So, Gil, what's the reason to withdraw the troops then? Whim? Hope? Polling data? How many should be withdrawn? When will we know when it's time to withdraw the rest?

Contrast these empty platitudes that Congressman Gutknecht has suddenly started talking about with Democrat Tim Walz who also believes in preparing for withdrawal, but according to reasonable and measurable goals:

"For the last 18 months I've been talking about my two-fold plan for Iraq. Historical evidence from Bosnia shows that if we rebuild the infrastructure of civil society, violence rates will drop. It's important that we get sewage, drinkable water and electricity all back to pre-war levels. Second, we need to ask the Jordanians, Kuwatis, Egyptians and other Arab peoples to be involved in a regional security force. A plan that includes measurable milestones and increased involvement from the Arab world will ensure that we are able to bring American troops home as quickly as possible without further jeopardizing their safety," said Walz.

But don't take my word for it. Go look at their websites. Gutknecht's front page is all about some bizzarre accusation of stifling free speech. Do you see any issues addressed there?

Now compare that with Walz's front page. Check that out! He's actually talking about issues and what he believes. The choice seems pretty clear to me.

Update: Vox Verax says much the same, but better than me.

Power Liberal Flashback

The Snowflake Babies....

I Heart Robert Fitzgerald

Who else can get a nasty post from Polinaut and turn it into gruding respect with one comment?

Speaking of which, Robert is having his first fundraiser on July 23rd. Entertainment will be Grandpa Maxwell.

Bush scorns science, national opinion

Bush vetos stem cell bill

WASHINGTON — President Bush cast the first veto of his 5.5-year presidency today, saying legislation easing limits on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research "crosses a moral boundary" and is wrong.

Well, it was expected, but it still stinks. Also, it reminds us of why we need to get out and vote this November. We may be stuck with this turkey in the White House for another few years, but if we can get some more Democrats into congress maybe we can get some decent legislation passed despite him.

Addendum: What's one demographic that would have likely benefited heavily from this legislation? Hammer has an idea. Why didn't anyone else think to ask them?

More on stem cells

I don't often link to the national bloggers (I figure most of you read them anyway), but I thought this post by Darksyde at Daily Kos was too good of a summary of the importance of ESC research to miss. While some of the claims for possible uses of this research seem a little wild to me if even a fraction of them are possible then this could lead to the greatest medical breakthroughs since Alexander Fleming and his famous bread mold.

Here are the first three paragraphs:

Won't Someone Please Think of the Children?
by DarkSyde
Wed Jul 19, 2006 at 06:02:57 AM PDT

With stem cells once again in the news and White House spokesman Tony Snow saying Bush's veto will be "pretty swift," it might useful to talk about the science and promise of stem cell research, so that we can understand just what might be at stake.

Anytime you are injured, Adult Stem Cells (ASCs) create new tissue, as best they can, as part of the healing process. You have ACSs in your bone marrow, in your skin, in your liver, and so on. Each of those specialized ASCs can become new tissue, but only within the confines of the tissue they exist within. Liver Stem Cells can become new liver tissues, skin stem cells can become skin, etc. ASCs have limited plasticity.

Embryonic Stem Cells (ECS) can and do become any tissue. That's how you were crafted at the cellular level in your mothers womb, piece by microscopic piece, and throughout your childhood. Embryonic Stem Cells created your heart, your eyes, your brain, and everything else. Because ESCs can become any tissue, we would say they have much greater plasticity than ASCs.

Read the rest.

Did You Know He Was a White Christian?

Sponge reminds us of what things would be like if the media played fair...

Wish I Had a Camera Moment

Seen on a marquee last night:

"Immigration is the sincerest form of flattery."

Whole Mess of Candidates

Luther in, according to Flash...

Challenge to Klobuchar

according to Polinaut, Stanton just filed.

All of us ex-state convention bloggers remember the ? website. Actually, I don't know how much we do remember....

update: huh, all of the liveblogging from Friday on my site is missing. Well, Publius still has theirs, go back to the near beginning.

update two: I love my husband

Entenza Dropping Out?

Flash has the goods.

Be True To Your School

In the wake of the recent Minnesota Poll showing a commanding Klobuchar lead, DFL Senate notes that support for Kennedy from the national Republican Party might be slipping.

Want to help turn this retreat into an all-out rout? Here's a simple way you can help support the Klobuchar campaign:

PAC for a Change, Barbara Boxer's political action committee, is looking to donate money to a promising Democratic Senate candidate. Go to the PAC for a Change site and vote for Amy before July 21st. Simple as that. Help keep this blue state blue!

When the Ladies get Nasty

They do it with decorum...

Hardly anyone questions Obama's faith, but following the axiom that "actions speak louder than words," we must point out that he has a 100-percent pro-choice voting record, and he argues that Christianity embraces "universal values" such as "inclusiveness and diversity" -- both code words for a liberal agenda.[emphasis added]

They then, of course, follow this up by questioning Obama's faith.

How Lady-like!

Healthcare Townhall Recap

I'm not going to go into the nuts and bolts of the discussion, as Charlie was there and will probably put up something enlightening soon, I'm sure.

In all honesty, I fall into that category of people who believe everyone should have access to healthcare, but I really don't think too much about the subject itself. I've had insurance, I've not had insurance. Having coverage is better. I remember obsessing about it when I didn't have it, but now that it's been years, I've fallen into a bit of complacency about it.

Yesterday's townhall was a group of about 30 comprised of politicians, physicians, nurses, activists, retirees, veterans and regular folks just struggling to pay their bills. The idea of actually coming up with a solution to the crisis was laughable, but for a few of the people it seemed like just having a chance to share their stories and feel like someone was really listening to them seemed to be enough - when you've had the indignity of running up a bill you can't pay because of an emergency you didn't want, it makes you feel slightly more human to be able to talk about it.

But in many ways, the thing that was the most eye-opening for me was seeing Keith Ellison in action. For those of you who have been able to pry between the lines of my oh-so-subtle commentary, I was not an Ellison fan. I didn't care for him much at the meet and greet at the 331, and I felt like the 5th CD convention (remember, my first convention) felt manipulated. After the Strib began accosting him I heard him on Lambert and Janacek, and he seemed combatitive and argumentative (and, as a confession and because there were blogger witnesses, when he first started talking on Almanac, I asked "Who slipped Ellison tranquilizers?").

Maybe he is all of those things, but if so, those are Keith Ellison, the candidate. Last night I had a chance to see Keith Ellison, the politician. He easily facilitated the discussion, keeping the flow of conversation running smoothly and making sure everyone had a chance to speak. He was listening to constituents rather than telling them what to think. Ellison was looking for answers and unity, not issues and blame.

For anyone who still has their Ellison doubts, I suggest you skip the fundraisers and anyplace else he would be giving speeches and hit a townhall meeting so you can see what he's like as public figure doing his job, not the politician battling his party,the conservatives and the media to get it.

More Events of Note

I kind of feel like I'm becoming the "A-List blogger" for events of interest to politically interested persons in the Twin Cities area.

Be that as it may, the group Growth and Justice is holding two upcoming meetings to discuss their "Investing for Real Prosperity in MN" initiative. The meetings are:

Tuesday, Jul 18, 2006 8:00 AM
Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building
Fireside Room
179 Robie Street East
St. Paul, MN 55107

Thursday, Jul 20, 2006 4:30 PM
Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Conference Room
2314 University Avenue West, Suite 20
St. Paul, MN 55114

Space is limited, so please RSVP by calling Growth & Justice at 651-917-6037 or email us at info@growthandjustice.org.

Based on all the howling from the right-wing blogs you have to think that G&J has struck a nerve here. That should make it well worth attending one of these sessions.

Town Hall Meeting Tonight

For anyone in the 5th CD who wants to discuss some issues in this race instead of parking tickets here's an event to check out tonight:

Please join Keith Ellison, DFL and labor endorsed candidate, at the first of his town hall listening tour meetings in the 5th district concerning


"Why we need Universal Healthcare."


This 1st meeting will be on the topic of:


Our quickly eroding competitive edge in the world

Why is the United States still using its 20th Century healthcare system in a 21st Century economy?

Monday July 17, 2006
6 PM - 7 PM
Northeast Library at 2200 Central Ave NE

REW and I will be there.

Arguing with Myself (Stem Cell Research)

Veto looms over stem cell debate

The chief bill to be debated this week, known as H.R. 810, would allow federal funding of stem cell research using leftover embryos from fertility clinics that would otherwise be destroyed, increasing the number of lines available for research.

[snip]

Coleman said he backs using federal money to pay for research on "pre-existing embryonic stem cell lines," but he said he won't be allowed to offer such an amendment under the rules governing this week's debate. Under the rules, each bill must get 60 votes to pass, and no amendments can be offered.

"I believe it's fair to say that this in the end will be a symbolic vote," Coleman said. He predicted that H.R. 810 will pass the Senate and get vetoed quickly. He said the Senate lacks the votes to override the president.

"Then some people can pat themselves on the back for saying they voted to push the science forward, but it's not going to help anybody in a real practical sense because there's going to be no change in the status quo," Coleman said.

Of course there could be a change in the status quo if just a handful of Bush sycophants, including Coleman, would vote in favor making that change.

Oh wait, he did (sort of).

Well, I'm sure it's not news to anybody that Coleman can't take a clear position on something. Since I'm not Coleman, however, I can take a clear stand. I strongly support stem-cell research. I do think there needs to be stringent ethical oversight because this type of research has the potential to lead to some pretty dark places, but that argument can be made about nearly any research especially fields involving humans, so I don't find it very persuasive.

This bill seems like a cautious step in the right direction. It does not throw open the floodgates for any and all research in this field. Instead it proposes to allow federal funding for embryos already in storage at fertility clinics that are unused and slated for destruction. It gets the research moving, in other words, while we debate the finer points of how to oversee and regulate this kind of research in the future.

The argument from the Right seems to be that this bill countenances the destruction of human life and therefore any potential medical breakthroughs derived are outweighed by the fact that they require the destruction of human beings.

To that I say, I don't understand how merely destroying unused embryos is more respectful of life than using them in such a way that they may bring cures to terrible diseases.

The "hard-line" pro-life approach-I.E. all fertilized embryos in clinics would have to be implanted and brought to term, since at the moment of conception they are human beings deserving of all of the protections of the law, seems the most obvious rebuttal.

The most obvious counter to that is that I and many others do not believe that a clump of blastocysts is the moral equivalent of a living breathing human being. That's a dead-end however, because neither side is likely to convince the other of the rightness of their argument. So, instead, I'll offer a utilitarian argument against the pro-life one.

The argument goes like this: Since in-vitro fertilization requires the creation of many more embryos than are normally used due to the uncertain nature of the process it is impractical to suggest that all of them need to be brought to term since that would force couples considering in-vitro into one of two options:

1) Have all of the embryos implanted serially and have as many children as come to term.

2) Give up the other embryos for "adoption". Aside from the fact that legally requiring this brings up ethical issues of its own (would women then be recruited to become "carriers" for these adopted embryos?), this also entails moral ramifications(what if the couple doesn't want to have "their children" raised by someone else?) and also legal ones (what legal obligations would embryo donors have towards the child that may result? This is not merely a hypothetical question). There are also potential administrative issues-who pays for these other children to be implanted? If it's the adopting family, then does that limit this "adoption" process only to the fairly well-off who can afford all the bills surrounding this choice? And what if no one immediately adopts the embryos? Is it fair to make the couple pay open ended bills for storage of the unwanted embryos?

The net effect of all of this would be to make in-vitro fertilization almost entirely unusable. Who would go into it knowing that they may be forced to have a whole brood of children or else be faced with all of the dilemmas inherent in choice #2? Since I don't think most on the pro-life side are arguing that we need to get rid of in-vitro fertilization the hard-line pro-life argument seems untenable in practical terms on these grounds. Once we've allowed for the practice of in-vitro fertilization, then, the step to utilizing those unused embryos for stem cells is a logical and humane step, certainly a better choice than simply destroying them.

It may not be the best argument, but I'm trying to move past the "pro-life/pro-choice" stalemate on this important issue. Thoughts? Flames? Other arguments I didn't consider? I'd love to have an open, reasonable debate on this.

Truer Words

etc....

...2006 will mark the true beginning of what promises to be a long and pitched battle of the blogs.

Kennedy Courts the Criminal Vote?

Juvenile crime on the rise across the state.

Kennedy's largest group of supporters is people under the age of 25.

Coincidence? I leave that for you to decide, dear reader.

Who Gave You the RIght to Rain On My Parade?

Before I even had time to revel in the numbers, Fecke's already pulling them apart...

I am Superman!

Is there anything Bill Luther isn't allegedly running for?

Publius sez:

It looks like Attorney General candidate Matt Entenza is going into damage control mode; big time. Reliable sources have informed MN Publius that Matt Entenza has made a quarter million ad buy for this Tuesday. Clearly Entenza is trying to scare off a possible primary challenge from Bill Luther; I guess we'll just have to wait and see if it works.

(link to sie since the post link seems to be broken)

MDE sez:

Click here to view Bill Luther most recent FEC filing. He has over $80,000 in the bank to spend on a campaign for Congress in the 5th CD.

Expect to hear next that Luther is filing for for Governor, Senate and President as well.

An Open Letter to Ron Carey

I don't know how long it took your staff to come up with that "more whoppers than Burger King" line, but next time, save your only good joke until closer to the end of the forum.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a....Truck?

Donkey Truck, to be more specific....

Coleen Rowley DL Wrap-Up

Unfortunately, we won't be having one, as we need to get everything approved by the FBI first.

Okay, that's a lie, but it makes you see how onerous of a task being a former FBI agent can be.

Rowley has the great distinction of being the first DL candidate to bring props to the bar, with a giant chart of Kleenex ratings from various quality of life groups from the League of Conservation to the Disabled Veterans - all with score of 20% or lower in voting with their needs. She discussed Kline's push to prove himself "independent of Bush" by disagreeing with him on two key issues; permanent bases in Iraq, which Kline is openly in favor of, and immigration, where Kline's position is even further to the right than the President's. Personally, I think that would lead to a great bumper sticker "John Kline - Even Righter than Bush." (Feel free to steal that, as well as the "They may call us cut and run group, but I call them the stay and pray crowd." Politics is nothing if not a collaborative effort.)

A self-proclaimed "nerd", Rowley had a very dry, geeky sense of humor that resonated pretty well with me because honestly, I'm pretty much a nerd, too. Otherwise, as the Antagonostic pointed out, "You're the first candidate to actually hold the full attention of this group," after the question and answer period was over, to a round of applause.

So, for those of you who want a fried chicken recipe, here you go. For those of you who want change in Washington, visit Rowley's site instead. And don't miss her live chat on Firedoglake Saturday at 1:15pm.

CR at DL later

Robin will be writing the Rowley wrap-up (whew, try saying that six times fast) this afternoon...that is if Charlie hasn't already rendered further observations superfluous.

You've got to be kidding

Forget for the moment that ex-post facto laws are specifically barred by Article I, Section 9 of the US Constitution. Okay, ready?

Specter Says Deal on Eavesdropping Bill

The White House has agreed to support a bill that could add a new layer of judicial oversight to the Bush administration's controversial eavesdropping program, Senate Judiciary Chairman Arlen Specter said Thursday.

The legislation would authorize the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to review the constitutionality of the National Security Agency's most high-profile monitoring operations, said the Pennsylvania Republican.

"You have here a recognition by the president that he does not have a blank check," Specter told his committee.

Oh really?

An administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the bill's language gives the president the option of submitting the program to the intelligence court, rather than making the review a requirement.

Wow, he's not even waiting for the signing statements anymore to gut the anemic laws that his congressional sycophants are passing. Since when does the subject of a law which potentially makes him a criminal get to write the law? Certainly makes things easier, doesn't it?

The Greatest Invention of the 21st Century

The next 94 years can pack up and go home, they're never going to be able to top this.

A cell phone that prevents you from drunk dialing.

New Cell Can Tell If You're Drunk

June 27, 2006 -- They were originally designed to simply make phone calls without tying callers to one location. But today's cell phones can do so much more, from snapping digital photos to sending text messages to playing video.

You can add one more feature to the list: a sobriety test.

That's right, cell phones with built-in Breathalyzers are set to hit the U.S. market. So after a night of too much to drink, you can pull out the device to see if you're fit to get behind the wheel.

[snip]

The company also sells plug-in Breathalyzer adapters for some phones. None of the models tell you exactly how much you may be over or under the legal limit, but it can keep you from making other alcohol-related mistakes.

The LP4100 also allows users to set up the phone so on certain nights and after a certain time they do not call certain people in their phone book. Think ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend.

If you have a blood alcohol level over .08, the phone will not let you dial that person. So it not only promotes sobriety, but chastity — and probably your dignity, as well.

Some Things to Check Out

Tomorrow morning is the debut of the new "RT & Chris Show" on 830 AM. They'll be talking about transit. Here's the press release:

If you care about transit and want more options, then TUNE IN to WCCO 830 AM radio with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman on Friday, July 14 at 9:00 a.m.!

This Friday, Rybak and Coleman are launching their new radio show “Chris and R.T.: the Mayors’ Show on WCCO” with a special focus on transit. Special guests will talk with the mayors about a new light rail line connecting Minneapolis and Saint Paul along University Avenue and a constitutional amendment to boost state transportation funding with motor vehicle sales taxes.

Learn more about these and other Minnesota urban issues by tuning in to WCCO 830 AM or listen online at www.wcco830.com from 9:00-10:00 a.m. The mayors will take calls from listeners who call 651/612 989-9226 from the metro area or 1-800-327-8255 from Greater Minnesota.

Forward this e-mail to invite others to tune in to the "Chris and R.T.: the Mayors' Show on WCCO".

Tonight is also "Policy and a Pint" night, sponsored by the Citizen's League. Here's the press release for that:

Join the Citizens League and 89.3 The Current for good food, good conversations – and great beer!

Thursday, July 13. Doors open at 5:30, program starts at 6:30.
Varsity Theater, 1308 4th St. SE, in Minneapolis' Dinkytown
Cost: $10; $5 for students with valid ID.

Reserved tickets not picked up by 6:20 may be given away.
Cost: $10, $5 for students with valid ID.

We all know that politics and money "go together." The conventional wisdom says that it takes money to get elected.. But does more money always mean a better chance of winning? Is it just about advertising? And is this how we really want things to be, anyway? Join 89.3 The Current and The Citizens League at our next Policy and a Pint when we'll delve into the relationship between money and elections in America, and look at Minnesota's own unique history.
With

Judy Blaseg, Principal, Blaseg/Hansen

Jeff Blodgett, Executive Director of Wellstone Action

Bob Collins, Senior Editor of Minnesota Public Radio

Once Policy and a Pint is done, I encourage all of you folks to head over to the 331 Club (13th & University in NE), because tonight is also Drinking Liberally night:

CONGRESSIONAL candidate Coleen Rowley will be at Drinking Liberally (Thursday, 7/13).

Oh yeah..there's also some kind of picnic on Boom Island on Saturday. It's going to be hot out there, so make sure to drink plenty of Kool-Aid if you're thinking about attending that particular event.

Conservatives Without Conscience

Has anyone else heard about this book? It's written by John Dean (yes, that John Dean) and deals with the authoritarian leanings of the modern conservative movement. Okay, nothing new there, but check out the two featured reviews from Amazon:

First the "Hated it" review:

From Publishers Weekly
In his seventh book, Dean, the former Nixon legal counsel whom the FBI has called the "master manipulator" of the Watergate coverup, weighs in with a rebuke to Christian fundamentalists and other right-wing hard-liners. A self-described Goldwater conservative (indeed, Goldwater had planned to collaborate on this book before his death), he rails against the influence of social conservatives and neoconservatives within his party. Suffused with bitterness stemming from the controversies in which he has been embroiled, Dean's book paints a thin social science veneer over a litany of mostly ad hominem complaints. Purporting to show that social conservatives and neoconservatives are, on the whole, demonstrably authoritarian, bigoted, irrational and amoral, Conservatives Without Conscience offers helpful hints such as "Conservatives without conscience do not have horns and tails," and evinces a telling fascination with politicians' shady book deals. Though there is clearly much to condemn in the policies and tactics Dean deplores, assailing everyone from French political theorist Joseph de Maistre to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to the chairman of Yale University's conservative association as "Double High" social- dominance-oriented authoritarians undermines his journalistic credibility. Dean's lurid accusations may be entertaining, but they add little to the reasoned debate that Washington so sorely lacks today. (July 11)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Then the "Loved it" review:

From Booklist
*Starred Review* With the perspective of a former Republican political insider, and experience in the Watergate scandal when he was White House counsel to Nixon, Dean takes a sincere, well-considered look at how conservative politics in the U.S. is veering dangerously close to authoritarianism, offering a penetrating and highly disturbing portrait of many of the major players in Republican politics and power. Looking back on the development of conservative politics in the U.S., Dean notes that conservatism is regressing to its authoritarian roots. Dean draws on five decades of social science research that details the personality traits of what are called "double high authoritarians": self-righteous, mean-spirited, amoral, manipulative, bullying. He concludes that Chuck Colson, Pat Robertson, Newt Gingrich, and Tom DeLay are all textbook examples. Dean calls Vice-President Cheney "the architect of Bush's authoritarian policies," and deems Bush "a mental lightweight with a strong right-wing authoritarian personality." Dean maintains that conservatives without conscience have produced such a hostile, noncollegial environment in Congress that threats of resistance through filibusters have been met with threats of a "nuclear option" and that conservatives have used fearmongering about terrorist attacks to the point where the nation faces a greater threat of relinquishing its ideals of democracy. Dean appeals to conservatives to find their consciences and to all Americans to take serious heed of what is going on in the nation. Readers of all political perspectives will find this book riveting. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

So which is it? A sloppy collection of ad-hominems and personal vendettas or a carefully researched and well-sourced examination of political pathology? This may merit further investigation. Anyone out there know anything about this?

Throwin' a Party Nebraska -Style!

Whoo-Hoo!

On a related note, on August 6th I will be honoring the 45th aniversary of "All Others Pay Cash."

You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three Tonight

I bet he drinks his martinis with an onion.

Drinking Liberally with Coleen Rowley

CONGRESSIONAL candidate Coleen Rowley will be at Drinking Liberally (Thursday, 7/13).

And for those who got the email where I got it wrong, what can I say? I have senate on the brain.

An Open Letter to Sarah Janacek

Deena Burnett was a 9/11 widow, and Andrew Sullivan is a Republican. That is all.

All the Bell Talk

is over at DFLSenate

Propaganda

I guess Mark Kennedy takes more from the Bush Administration than just his marching orders. It sounds like the same person is writing both the White House's and Kennedy's press releases. Don't believe me? Yesterday, Kennedy puts out a "it's only bad if I say it's bad" press release fluffing disappointing job growth numbers in order to make it look like Bush's tax cuts are helping the economy.

Today, the White House issues a "Hey, it could be worse" press release praising the 4th largest budget deficit in US history and talking up the tax cuts.

Man is there anything tax cuts can't do?

Other than produce positive numbers, of course.

Morning, Interrupted

Little upheaval today. Go read this.

Mark Kennedy Finds Small Fish...Pretends It's a Trophy

Here's the news version:

WASHINGTON U.S. employers added a disappointing 121,000 jobs last month, wary of bulking up payrolls with the economy slowing and energy prices rising. Wages rose sharply, fanning inflation worries.

Wall Street groaned and stocks tumbled. The Dow Jones industrials lost 134.63 points to close at 11,090.67.

Hmmm, job growth below expectations, unemployment figures low because people stopped looking for work, inflationary fears...sounds pretty grim. Not to worry! We have Mark Kennedy here to put the proper spin on this news.

Here's Mark Kennedy's fantasy land version:

"Today's news about the continued job growth in America is further proof that good things happen when small businesses and families are able to keep and invest more of their hard earned money," said Mark Kennedy.

Or, to put it another way:

Look at that beauty! She's as big as my finger! Quick! Take a picture!

More Quotes Out of Context

As long as I'm picking on Conservatives today, I might as well hit the biggest softest target out there, Jonah Goldberg. Now, Jonah's such a bad writer he can't even hang an idea together for three whole paragraphs before he starts contradicitng himself. Witness today's exercise:

So, since serious people understand that holding the press accountable is tyrannical, the only plausible motive for criticism is Republican chicanery or flyover-state yahooism. "If you're a Republican in the White House or in Congress, would you rather talk about immigration, gas prices, the estate tax, all the things that you can't get done right now, or would you rather go after the New York Times?" asked Harwood.

Taking it even further, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Jon Carroll has suggested that the Republican attack on the New York Times is a cleverly anti-Semitic campaign because "many members of the president's base consider 'New York' to be a nifty code word for 'Jewish.' "

Consider the arrogance of it all. By these standards, the media are simply never, ever wrong in revealing classified information. Hell, it's their job! And, for some, it's not just stupid to be bothered by this, it's even a sign of bigotry.

So it's wrong to think that Conservatives are biggots because they do so love to hate everything "New York", but liberals who criticize Republicans are bigoted against fly-over country yahoos. In other words, I'm not a bigot! YOU'RE THE BIGOT!!!

Of course the whole "Fly-over state" spew is especially funny coming from Mr. Goldberg whose entire life and career is centered on the East Coast, mainly DC, New York and Baltimore. Or did Jonah perhaps pick up his fly-over country cred while slumming around Prague for a year post-college like so many of us here in fly-over country can afford to? And, to all conservatives out there, don't you ever feel even a little condescended to by this "fly-over country" rhetoric spoken by people whose closest approach to fly-over country was probably from a seat in first class?

Wedge Issues

I've largely avoided the furor over the Growth & Justice plan for a small raise in taxes to fund education and public safety and whatnot. I've even been slightly amused by the hysterical smear campaign that certain conservatives have decided to wage against the "Gang of 200". Get this, Walter Mondale is...[gasp] a Democrat!! I know, I couldn't believe it either. They sure can't sneak anything past those crack Conservative inquisitors, can they?

Anyway, I was reading today's amusing updates when I stumbled over this little nugget and thought I'd try to help out our conservative friend. I know it wasn't exactly a question, but that doesn't mean I don't have an answer!

On another blog, a commenter - noting that there were some GOP contributions among the signatories - asked (paraphrasing here) "isn't this bipartisan enough?", noting that Republicans claim bipartisan support for things like, say, Iraq, on issues when Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson are the only visible Democrat supporters.

The comparison is specious, of course. The left has turned Iraq into a wedge issue; "a better Minnesota" is not - or shoudn't be.

I have heard a number of explanations of what, exactly, constitutes a "wedge issue". Here's my definition: a wedge issue is a problem that Republicans create and then demand to know how the rest of the world is going to fix it.

If "a better Minnesota" has become a wedge issue, it's because over the last four years of Republican "leadership" we've seen crime rise attendant on massive cuts to the State's Local Government Aid program which many cities counted on in their budgets. We've seen transportation projects whither on the vine or simply rot away due to a stubborn insistence on not raising taxes of any kind (except to pay for stadiums, of course). And the examples go on and on, but everybody out there already knows them all.

Now that Pawlenty has done a fair amount of damage to our state's finances and reputation, proposing solutions to this cock-up are now, apparently, wedge issues. But wait! The plot thickens-even big spendin' Tim Pawlenty realizes that his parsimonious budget balancing choices have hurt the state. Not even two weeks ago he proposed free in-state higher ed tuition, a seemingly "liberal" solution which is really just an echo of that noted liberal George Bush, who just this weekend proposed a massive government program to increase science spending. So how is that their proposals are not wedge issue politics whereas the Growth and Justice proposal is? Well, in neither case did Bush or Pawlenty bother to explain how they plan on paying for all their largess. I assume like everything else these two do, it will all be paid for by borrowing. A great short term strategy but not the way to run a household or the government.

Complain all you will about Growth & Justice, and lord knows a few conservatives have made an awful lot of hay about them, at least what they propose is an honest plan. Maybe we can debate the merits of their proposal right after the conservatives get done with their pathetic swift boating attempts. Once that's done, perhaps the hard right can come to understand that education, transportation, safety are honest concerns amongst Minnesotans. If they don't like the plan Growth and Justice has put forward, perhaps they should bother trying to come up with a plan of their own to solve these issues rather than screaming "wedge issue" and attacking the messengers.

I'm not dead yet...

Thanks to REW for keeping the home fires burning during the last couple of weeks. A big round of applause for REW!

And now, regular blogging to recommence in 5...4...3...2..1...

I Never Knew Minnesota Was So Big

I'm a bad insular city girl. These links are for me more than for you.

Polly Tick Everything but Kitchen Sink Primer

Catching Up

Sorry for the MIA. We discovered on Friday that we've been reported for commercial spamming to our ISP, and spent a great deal of time securing our wifi system from the ghost computer that appears to have hijacked our open connection. Note to anyone with an unsecured wifi connection: just because you have a radius of about 15 feet doesn't mean they still won't find a way in.

Because of our technical difficulties, I didn't have a chance to post about what a surprisingly good time I had at Drinking Liberally on Thursday. Green Party Senate candidate Michael Cavlan was able to schedule us in between campaigning and working a night shift as an RN, and despite the obvious bias that I came to the meeting with, I found him level-headed, rational, and (gulp) agreeable. Once again I find myself frustrated in the schisming that forces the DFL to lose people to the Green Party or the progressive wing of the IP.

I think the largest issue we all had to face was the obvious Nader anger that still inhabits some of us to this day. The Antagonostic (yes, I've dubbed you, now live with it) managed to hit most of the Greens who came in with a rehash of 2000, and I have to admit, I fell into the fray to when Cavlan explained that the biggest difference between the Greens and the Dems was that the Greens would have continued to fight in Florida, where as Gore walked away. To which I tried to point out that had Nader and Buchanan not been on the ballot in the first place, it would not have been close enough to be an issue.

Yet all of this was good natured bickering, rather than a knock-down drag out (yes, Antagonostic included), no more ill-willed than the go arounds with the Crazy Uke that Spotty hits(although to be fair, the Crazy Uke is by far more well-spoken than in the Spotty version). A little good natured ribbing, some jokes about vote swaps, and even a few fireworks at the end (literal, not metaphorical) made for an excellent night.

As for the weekend, besides tech support I got to enjoy a wonderful dinner with two of my favorite ladies, A shockingly good bottle of Black Currant Wine*, and this morning a leisurely coffee and homemade quiche thanks to the loveliest man in the world.

*Black Currant Wine brought to me via ILC from Forestedge Winery, home of the Rhubarb Wine. Unlike the Rhubarb Wine, the Black Currant actually has too much smell. However, like the Rhubarb Wine, drink the first glass before you make a judgment. My first reaction was that it had too much flavor, mostly because I was doing that snooty sniff and swirl thing they teach you. This bottle had the flavor of almost a liquid jam, and Smartie actually suggested at one point we add a little water to dilute it, but I said no. Nebraska reds have the consistency on flavor of fruit juice, where as this was actually a full thick wine. Once you got adjusted, the wine no longer seemed overbearing, and instead ended up more like a very sweet syrah. However, one thing that I really loved about this bottle was that for the first time in a very long time I was able to drink more than one glass and not get a headache, as reds tend to hit me like a migraine in a glass. I realized I really miss red wines.

Westover is to Tool

As contraception is to abortion

I Guess 9/11 Didn't Change Everything

Oops... [Bold Added]

June 30 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. National Security Agency asked AT&T Inc. to help it set up a domestic call monitoring site seven months before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, lawyers claimed June 23 in court papers filed in New York federal court.

Give Me Your....well, religous, I guess

Dear Lord...

Women women everywhere

The dueling papers have been putting out interesting articles on women in politics in the last few days. The Strib reminds us that Minnesota has the perfect blend of characteristics for electing females:

Those characteristics, in her analysis, are the state's comparatively high numbers of urban residents and college graduates, and its relatively high median income. Racial and ethnic diversity, which is on the increase in Minnesota, also correlates with an electorate's willingness to vote for a woman.

And the PiPress concentrates on the gender blanance of gubernatorial tickets.

Minnesota's tradition of electing women as lieutenant governors started in part because voters were annoyed that the men running the state weren't letting women in.

In 1978, many were disappointed when Quie failed to choose state Sen. Nancy Brataas as his running mate, and they felt even more let down in 1982 when DFL-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Warren Spannaus passed over Secretary of State Joan Growe, said former Lt. Gov. Marlene Johnson, now the executive director of NAFSA-Association of International Educators in Washington, D.C.

So when former Gov. Rudy Perpich selected Johnson to run with him, "people were thinking that it was past time that it should happen," she said. That mind-set helped Perpich beat Spannaus in the 1982 primary and win the November election over an all-male Republican ticket.

Unfortunately, Pipress also points out that, "'It's puzzling,' said Rutgers' Walsh. 'Minnesota is a state with a really active women's community and a lot of women's political activism, so its failure to elect a woman governor or U.S. senator doesn't fit its political culture.'"

As the AM128 the Patriot pointed out repeatedly yesterday (don't ask why I was listening), Minnesota has never had a female senator. Luckily, that will be changing in the next few months.

Finally, for those of you who like their women posts to have chick fights in them, here you go.

Drinking Liberally Tonight - It's not Easy Being Green

Tonight at Drinking Liberally we have Michael Cavlan, registered nurse, peace activist, and Green Party Candidate for Senate. Cavlan will be showing up at 7 pm to talk politics outside the two-party system.

Also, don't forget next week we have Coleen Rowley.

Be a Good Citizen

The Citizens League has their Summer Policy Series Calendar up, and it looks good. Best of all, many of the events are on Tuesdays rather than Thursdays.

Most interesting to me so far is August 22nd:

The Future of the Web and Civic Engagement: What Happens When MySpace Meets Our Space?
Tuesday August, 22, 7:30 a.m. The Forum at Minnesota Public Radio
Technology is rapidly moving civic engagement from place-based to every place as users develop virtual communities on issues around the world. What is the connection between the new online social interaction applications and the broader civic space they will inhabit? Are we creating virtual communities to impact global issues at the expense of our local communities? How will these technologies transform civic engagement as we know it – and new generations of civic leaders? How should they transform the Citizens League!?

With: Tom Swain and Jean LeVander King (long-standing civic leaders), Jen Alstad (president, b-swing), Steve Borsch (CEO, Marketing Directions, Inc.), and Garrick Van Burren (president, Working Pathways, Inc.).

Be sure to check them all out.

Speaking of Sparkle versus Boom

Moses lays everything out on the line...

Something about Fireworks

A belated Happy 4th to you all from the Powerliberals. For many years, smartie and i have spent the 4th thrwoing a barbeque on the balcony of whatever apartment we were living at the time downtown,and watching fireworks off Boom Island. This year, for the first time,we did pretty much nothing.

As my father told me when he realized we were watching the Coney Island Hot Dog Eat-Off, "You guys were a lot cooler before you were married." Maybe it's true. But for 12 minutes it was neck and neck between Chestnut and Kobayashi, and I really feel like it outranked overcrowded balconies by far.

There were some neighborhood fireworks last night; a few fountains,a handful of balls, and endless firecrackers and bottlerockets. I don't really understand firecrackers. I'm a spinning flower girl myself. Firecrackers are nothing but a quick loud bang, and I want a little more depth from my powder.

As goes the fireworks, so goes the blogs...

Spotty on Fire

It's a Two-Fer!

(And you were afraid you wouldn't have enough to do today...)

Happy Rassmusen

MNCR has the latest numbers up, and they're looking gooood...

For those of you stuck in the office today

Smartie and I are right there with you all the way.

On the bright side, I think it's going to rain.